Our colleagues at Revenue Watch Institute (RWI) are launching their Resource Governance Index, which measures transparency and accountability in the oil, gas and mining sector of 58 countries.  

The report highlights the imperative of governments around the world to ensure more accountable and open natural resources sectors. These shifts could impact up to 1 billion people.

Out of all 58 countries covered by the Index, including Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Angola, 80 percent – or 47 countries – fail to meet satisfactory levels when it comes to their transparency and accountability standards. This does not bode well for the worst performing countries, which depend almost exclusively on revenues from natural resources as their main source of income. Especially since 85 percent of the world’s oil, 90 percent of diamonds and 80 percent of copper, generating trillions of dollars annually comes from the countries assessed.

To capture country level data on specifics of: legal frameworks, transparency levels, checks and balances, and the broader governance context, RWI used Global Integrity’s Indaba Platform.

The platform allowed RWI to work with partners in all 58 countries to remotely compile, review, discuss and analyze data in a streamlined fashion.

“When RWI started the research process two years ago, we knew we wanted to get our information directly from experts and researchers working in the field, but we had to solve the problem of exchanging information, communicating instructions and keeping track of discussions with people from countries ranging from Australia to Zimbabwe,” said Juan Carlos Quiroz, manager of the Index at RWI. “Luckily, Indaba provided answers to all those questions, Global Integrity staff was great at helping us make use of Indaba and we are thrilled at the outcome and excited to share the Index.”

Global Integrity looks forward to working with RWI in the coming years to produce their research which promotes more accountable governance shifts.

–Monika Shepard

­­– Image: Cover of the  Resource Governance Index