Publish What You Pay: U.S. Coalition Coordinator

Revenue Watch continues to support a Coordinator's position for the United States Publish What You Pay (PWYP) coalition, in collaboration with Global Witness. Our financial and institutional support provides the coalition with stability and continuity as it implements its domestic action plan. PWYP U.S. has added almost a dozen new members in recent years, including organizations such as the Sierra Club, EARTHWORKS, Global Rights and the International Budget Project. Thanks to PWYP's continuing advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill, the issues of contract and revenue transparency have gained momentum, and there is new political will for proposed laws mandating disclosure requirements for extractive industry companies operating in the United States.

The progress and successes of the PWYP U.S. campaign in recent years can be attributed in large part to the work of the coordinator. Since its inception, the Publish What You Pay campaign has believed that the only way to truly guarantee transparency is through mandatory disclosure measures. The issue of natural resource revenue transparency and PWYP gained an even higher profile and presence, particularly in Washington, due to the introduction of legislation that would require oil, gas and mining companies to publish their revenue payments to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In 2009-2010, the advocacy priorities of the U.S. Coordinator Position include leading the effort for the passage of the Energy Security Through Transparency Act; advocacy and education with the new administration, particularly for U.S. EITI implementation; co-leading the PWYP contact group on contract transparency; ongoing involvement with EITI; and other advocacy with Congress and relevant US government agencies, international financial institutions, extractive companies, institutional investors and other constituencies.

RWI's support of the PWYP U.S. coordinator is an integral part of our broader advocacy agenda, which includes the education of the U.S. public, investors, Congress and the press about extractive revenue governance issues and the push for transparency legislation. Through our support for this coalition, RWI also helps groups with expertise outside Revenue Watch's core issues to pool their efforts and help move our collective agenda forward.

For more information on the activities of PWYP, please see www.publishwhatyoupay.org/.