"Publish What You Pay" Campaign: Talking Points

In an effort to improve accountability and spread resource wealth in less developed countries, the "Publish What You Pay" campaign calls for international extractive companies (oil, gas, and mining) to fully disclose all financial transactions with governments and other public entities. The campaign, backed by a worldwide coalition of over 160 non-governmental and civil society organisations, was founded by OSI along with other nonprofits including Global Witness, CAFOD, Oxfam, Save the Children UK, and Transparency International UK.

Visit the "Publish What You Pay" website for a comprehensive guide to the campaign.

About "Publish What You Pay"

International oil, gas, and mining companies pay billions of dollars a year to the governments of many less developed countries that are rich in natural resources, such as Angola and Nigeria. Few of these countries' citizens benefit from this financial windfall, however, because of government corruption and mismanagement.

The "Publish What You Pay" campaign aims to help citizens hold their governments accountable for how these resource-related funds are managed and distributed. George Soros and a coalition of more than 40 NGOs (including OSI and the campaign's co-sponsor, Global Witness) place the onus on wealthy countries' governments to require transnational extraction companies to publish net taxes, fees, royalties, and other payments made so civil society can more accurately assess the amount of money misappropriated and lobby for full transparency in local government spending.