Publish What You Pay (PWYP)

Publish What You Pay (PWYP) is a global network of civil society organisations calling for oil, gas and mining revenues to form the basis for development and improve the lives of ordinary citizens in resource-rich countries.

From a few, mostly UK-based groups at the time of its launch, as of early 2015, PWYP had created a global network made up of more than 800 member organisations across the world, including human rights, development, environmental and faith-based organisations. In more than 35 countries, network members joined to create national coalitions. Many also collaborate on a regional level.

According to Jonas Moberg of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), PWYP has created a "light touch global network". PWYP has often been seen to be the flagbearer of a strategy which says transparency efforts should be led by legal and regulatory requirement, and made obligatory on companies, in contrast to the approach adopted by the EITI, which is consensual.

=History=

The call to 'publish what you pay' first appeared in a 1999 report by Global Witness on the oil and banking industries in Angola.

On the back of this, in June 2002 Global Witness, along with fellow founding members CAFOD, Open Society Institute (OSI), Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK and Transparency International UK, launched the worldwide PWYP campaign. The small founding coalition of NGOs was soon joined by others such as Catholic Relief Services, Human Rights Watch, Partnership Africa Canada, Pax Christi Netherlands and Secours Catholique/CARITAS France, along with an increasing number of groups from developing countries.

=Activities=

PWYP undertakes public campaigns and policy advocacy to achieve disclosure of information about extractive industry revenues and contracts.

The organisation's call for companies to 'publish what you pay' and for governments to 'publish what you earn' form the basis of their activities. However the coalition also calls for transparency and accountable management and expenditure of public funds, as well as the public disclosure of extractive industry contracts and for licensing procedures to be carried out transparently and in line with best international practice.

PWYP's activities consist primarily of advocacy efforts and capacity building of civil society groups. The growing desire to monitor the payments, revenues and expenditures within the extractives sector has also generated an increasing need for technical training around issues such; contracting and taxation regimes; auditing and accounting processes; EITI processes, rules and policies. PWYP collaborates with local and international actors to organize training workshops, conferences and seminars to help meet these needs.

=Governance=

In 2006 a Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) was established to oversee strategic planning. The SAG is comprised of 12 representatives from a broad spectrum of PWYP members from around the world.

PWYP has an International Coordinator (IC) based in London as well as one full-time regional coordinator for Africa, and coordinators for all national affiliated coalitions. These coordinators are supported and overseen by management committees.

Representatives from the entire coalition meet every two years for an international strategy meeting.

=External Links=

Official Website: www.publishwhatyoupay.org

=References=