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Contract transparency and monitoring

Contracts between governments and companies for the exploitation of publicly held natural resources are key documents that detail how and at what cost extraction occurs. Unlike other parts of the legal framework, they have traditionally been kept secret. Under what now amounts to a new global norm, over 40 governments have published contracts, licenses and permits. This practice is endorsed by over 18 companies and supported by a range of international organizations.

Contracts between governments and companies for the exploitation of publicly held natural resources are key documents that detail how and at what cost extraction occurs. Unlike other parts of the legal framework, they have traditionally been kept secret.

Under what now amounts to a new global norm, over 40 governments have published contracts, licenses and permits. This practice is endorsed by over 18 companies and supported by a range of international organizations, including the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, the International Finance Corporation, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Bar Association, the B Team, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Council on Mining and Metals.

Publication of contracts brings benefits to all stakeholders. When citizens are able to view contracts, they can monitor extractive industry projects and see whether the rules are being followed. This reduces the risk that negligence or corruption will have adverse environmental and social impacts. For companies, publishing contracts can be an important step toward a “social license to operate” and can help build stronger community relationships that make projects more stable. For governments, contract transparency increases public trust, provides valuable information that strengthens the government’s capacity to enforce the rules, and ensures that all officials have access to the agreed terms relevant to their responsibilities.

Read more
ResourceContracts.org Returns With New Features and More Contracts
5 November 2015
Aucune excuse pour le recul dans la transparence de contrats extractifs en République Démocratique du Congo
8 October 2020
Contract Transparency is an Extractive Industries Success Story—But It’s Not Over Yet
8 December 2020

    Publications

    Бодлогын хураангуй: Монгол Улсын газрын тос, уул уурхайн ил болоогүй гэрээнүүд

    11 February 2019
    Robert Pitman

    Political Parties and Natural Resource Governance: A Practical Guide for Developing Resource Policy Positions (Myanmar language)

    6 February 2019

    Resource Governance Index: Sub-Saharan Africa Highlights

    31 January 2019

    Contrataciones abiertas para los derechos de petróleo, gas y minería: arrojar luz sobre las buenas practices

    Briefing
    9 January 2019

    Tip-Toeing Toward Transparency: Jade and Gemstone Sector Disclosures in Myanmar

    Briefing
    13 December 2018
    Paul Shortell

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    News & Insights

    Guinée-Chine: en Guinée, on est plutôt sur une situation d’opacité avec ce prêt de 20 milliards de dollars (Hervé Lado)

    GuineeLIVE
    4 March 2020

    Myanmar govt faces setbacks in enforcing compliance with EITI database

    Myanmar Times
    3 March 2020

    Under pressure, AJN Resources scraps planned Kibali stake purchase

    Reuters
    2 March 2020

    Les gouvernements africains doivent faire la lumière sur les prêts adossés aux ressources naturelles, selon un rapport de NRGI

    Guinée Eco
    28 February 2020

    It’s not too late to come clean on US$2bn Sinohydro deal terms – NRGI Report

    GhanaWeb
    28 February 2020

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    Other Topics

    Beneficial ownership
    Mandatory payment disclosure
    Civic space
    Measurement of environmental and social impacts
    Commodity prices
    Measurement of governance
    Coronavirus
    Open data
    Corruption
    Revenue management
    Economic diversification
    Revenue sharing
    Energy transition
    Sovereign wealth funds
    Global initiatives
    State-owned enterprises
    Legislation and regulation
    Subnational governance
    Licensing and negotiation
    Tax policy and revenue collection

    Related events

    Can Natural Resource Revenue Sharing Resolve the 'Resource Curse'?

    Event type: 
    Discussion
    Wednesday, September 14, 2016 -
    09:30 to 11:00
    New York, U.S.

    Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: The Fundamentals of Oil, Gas, and Mining Governance

    Event type: 
    Training
    Monday, September 12, 2016 - 09:00 to Wednesday, December 7, 2016 - 17:00
    Online

    Anglophone Africa Regional Extractive Industries Knowledge Hub Course 2017

    Event type: 
    Training
    Monday, September 4, 2017 - 09:00 to Friday, September 15, 2017 - 17:00
    Accra, Ghana

    Les IDE Dans Les Industries Extractives: Quelle Transparence pour un Meilleure Attractivité

    Event type: 
    Conference
    Tuesday, May 24, 2016 -
    08:30 to 16:00
    Tunis, Tunisia

    EITI Global Conference

    Event type: 
    Conference
    Tuesday, February 23, 2016 - 09:00 to Thursday, February 25, 2016 - 18:00
    Lima, Peru

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    • Topics
      Beneficial ownership
      Civic space
      Commodity prices
      Contract transparency and monitoring
      Coronavirus
      Corruption
      Economic diversification
      Energy transition
      Global initiatives
      Legislation and regulation
      Licensing and negotiation
      Mandatory payment disclosure
      Measurement of environmental and social impacts
      Measurement of governance
      Open data
      Revenue management
      Revenue sharing
      Sovereign wealth funds
      State-owned enterprises
      Subnational governance
      Tax policy and revenue collection
    • Approach
      • Stakeholders
      • Natural Resource Charter
      • Regional knowledge hubs
    • Priority
      Countries
      • Colombia
      • Dem. Rep. of Congo
      • Ghana
      • Guinea
      • Mexico
      • Mongolia
      • Myanmar
      • Nigeria
      • Peru
      • Tanzania
      • Tunisia
      • Uganda
    • Learning
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    • About Us
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