Publish What You Pay U.S. coalition position statement

We, the undersigned organizations, call for full transparency and disclosure of extractive industry (EI) revenue payments and receipts by companies, governments and international financial institutions, in countries of the global North and South. Moreover, we promote the transparency of contracts between extractive industry companies and host governments. Our objectives augment the international Publish What You Pay campaign.

Our work on extractive industry revenue transparency – while part of a focused international campaign – is a component of our broader organizational efforts to address the impact of extractive industries on developing countries and local communities.

The oil, gas and mining industries are some of the most lucrative sectors for international investment. However, too often the activities of foreign corporations, developing country governments and state-owned companies operating in these industries negatively impact societies, cultures, economies and environments. In addition, these activities are often shielded from public scrutiny and oversight. This lack of transparency and accountability facilitates embezzlement, corruption and revenue misappropriation, and has contributed to the widespread failure of the extractive industries to address poverty alleviation.

In light of the above, we believe that corporations, governments and multilateral institutions engaged in extractive industry activities have an important role to play in facilitating development and good governance. This includes the transparent management of revenues emanating from their activities. These actors have an obligation to, where necessary, change policies and practices in order to contribute to transparent revenue management.

Specifically, our objectives are:

1. To increase EI revenue transparency and to promote accountability for the use of natural resource revenues, and;
2. To address the growing problem of contracts between EI companies and host governments that supersedes or erodes national environmental laws, investment regulations, and citizens’ rights.


Multilateral and bilateral institutions that provide financing to governments and/or companies for EI projects – such as the World Bank Group and Export Credit Agencies – are key to efforts to ensure revenue and contract transparency. With greater disclosure of payments, receipts, and the contracts that determine how revenues are shared and public policy is shaped, the public will be better able to hold companies, governments and financiers accountable for the use of their natural resource wealth.

Our efforts to promote disclosure are based on citizen interest in understanding and influencing EI activities that affect them. These efforts do not represent an endorsement of the extractive industries nor of public financing for this sector. Furthermore, these efforts do not preclude our involvement in initiatives to help expose or oppose specific extractive sector projects when they generate unacceptable risks to social, cultural, environmental, economic or political and civil rights.

Signed by:

Bank Information Center
CARE USA
Catholic Relief Services
Environmental Defense
Friends of the Earth
Global Witness USA
Human Rights Watch
Oxfam America
Pacific Environment