Revenue Watch Announces Launch of New Resource Center
On February 2, the Revenue Watch Institute launched its new online Resource Center: an interactive database of research, training and policy documents and videos concerning transparency and the management of natural resource wealth. This tool, which compiles a comprehensive selection of research materials from around the world in multiple languages, represents a cross-section of expertise, analysis and good practice.
The inspiration for the Center, available at http://resources.revenuewatch.org, came from frustration that each new country broaching the issue of translating their natural resource wealth into development for the common good had to "reinvent the wheel." The Resource Center instead offers a wide-ranging collection of materials that distill lessons and wisdom on responsible revenue management, maximization of natural resource wealth and transparent and accountable governance. The result is a flexible system that allows transparency activists, civil society, government officials, legislators, journalists, students and extractive industry representatives to access hundreds of documents on the management of natural resource wealth and benefit from the experience of their peers and other experts around the world.
RWI Deputy Director Suneeta Kaimal described how the Resource Center compiles and organizes existing and emerging knowledge. "Revenue Watch sits at the center of a diverse network of scholars, experts and practitioners," said Kaimal, "and a core part of our mission is to help that network share knowledge and collaborate to advance the transparency and accountability agenda."
The Resource Center already contains more than 500 resources and is continually expanding, offering users a far more efficient means to compare and share extractive laws, academic findings and advocacy strategies. Furthermore, users of the Resource Center can refer to analytical "backgrounders" from Revenue Watch, which provide introductions to foundational transparency and extractive concepts.
The growing array of Resource Center materials includes:
Begin browsing now:
Rebecca Iwerks, Program Officer for Training and Capacity Building, and Internet Director Jed Miller led the development of the Resource Center. Describing the vision for this system, Iwerks said, "The Resource Center provides information to serve the needs of our partners in the transparency movement. For example, if you’re a civil society member in Tanzania working on EITI and you know that the next step for your country is going to be creating EITI reporting templates, then you come on to the Resource Center. By searching for EITI templates, you find examples from different countries. If you have questions about the templates, your can explore the Resource Center's 'backgrounders' on EITI which provide an overview of the key issues, and a selection of relevant publications like RWI's 2008 publication Drilling Down: The Civil Society Guide to Extractive Industry Revenues and the EITI."
During 2010, RWI will be adding additional materials for French speakers and filling in its robust collection of Spanish-language resources.
We need your help to maximize the effectiveness of this tool. Please browse the Resource Center, share resources with your colleagues and send us your feedback, suggestions for materials and ideas for topic areas that should be added or developed further.
Contact us any time at resourcecenter@revenuewatch.org.
To get started, please visit http://resources.revenuewatch.org, or click on Resource Center under "Our Work" at the top of the Revenue Watch web site.
U.S. Said to Allow Drilling Without Needed Permits - The New York Times
Australia Gas Deal Renews Tension - Financial Times
Charged With Fraud, Nigeria's Ruling Party Leader Resigns - Reuters
Western Senators Propose Ban on Pacific Drilling - The New York Times
To Limit Corruption around Mining in Africa, Follow the Money - The Globe and Mail
Court Backs Oil Project - The New York Times
Transparency Increases, But There Is Still a Long Way to Go - The Phnom Penh Post
IMF Develops Project to Help Africa Deal with Illicit Trade - African Manager
Three-day Conference on Africa's Natural Resources Starts in Tanzania - Standard Times Press
After Oil Rig Blast, BP Refused to Share Underwater Spill Footage - ABC News
Finger-Pointing, but Few Answers at Hearings on Drilling - The New York Times
Complaints Over U.N. Prize Sponsored by Equatorial Guinea's Obiang - Reuters
Guide: Community-Company Grievance Resolution for Australian Mining Industry - Oxfam Australia (pdf)
Cote D'Ivoire: President for Life, and Then Some - The New York Times
In Midst of Massive Spill, Oil Industry Fighting Transparency and Accountability - Oxfam America
Leaked Oil Contracts in DRC Threaten Resource Wars and $10 Billion Rip-Off by British Company - Carbon Web
Contracts Confidential: Ending Secret Deals in the Extractive Industries
Contract transparency is sorely needed to improve the management of natural resource wealth. In a new report from RWI, authors Peter Rosenblum and Susan Maples delve into government and private sector objections to contract disclosure and make conclusions about what information may legitimately and reasonably be kept confidential, and how civil society institutions can better confront the challenge of secret deals.
Learn more about the report ...
NEW TRANSLATION: Revenue Redistribution at the Local Level
Many resource-rich countries are attempting to compensate their producing regions through shares of resource revenues to be spent at the local level. In "Extractive Industries Revenues Distribution at the Sub-National Level," development economics consultant Matteo Morgandi presents a comparative analysis of international legislation for distribution of extractive revenues from across all levels of government. Prepared at the request of the Peruvian National Congress, the report studies the legislative practices of seven resource-rich countries to identify potential and address challenges. Please note that this report is now also available in Vietnamese.
Learn more ...