By Marie Wolkers

The PRT project is an independent assessment of revenue transparency in the oil and gas sector of home and host countries, and in companies. The PRT will decide which countries and companies to target and will engage in dialogue on the project with home and host country governments and with extractive industry companies.

The Revenue Transparency Project will identify companies according to their revenue payment transparency, supportive disclosure (home government regulation of companies to disclose information about their activities that allows citizens to judge the accuracy of revenue payments) and anti-corruption and whistle-blowing policies and practices. It will produce three indices, providing advocacy tools for TI and other stakeholder groups. The indices will provide hands-on, short and medium-term solutions to help governments and companies improve their policy, management and performance in revenue transparency, with the ultimate aim of maximising the economic and human development benefits of natural resources.

By Stan Cutzach

As international civil society organisations assume a more influential role in global politics, the 6 June Charter seeks to demonstrate their commitment to sustaining and deepening the trust that role implies. The initiative comes as the non-profit sector is coming under closer scrutiny, both from those who want it to flourish and those who seek to curtail its activities.

Transparency International, along with ActionAid International, Amnesty International, CIVICUS, Consumers International, Greenpeace International, Oxfam International, the International Save the Children Alliance, Survival International, International Federation Terre des Hommes and World YWCA endorsed this first international, cross-sectoral code of conduct for civil society. The Charter sets out core values and operating principles for international organisations, including include good governance and management, fundraising and multi-stakeholder engagement. It also makes specific reference to respect for universal principles (such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights), independence, responsible advocacy, effective programmes, non-discrimination, transparency and ethical fundraising. International civil society organisations across all sectors are invited to subscribe to the Accountability Charter. For further information, please contact Stan Cutzach at scutzach@transparency.org

By Julia Kercher

The survey found that the information from the archives of contracting authorities and the information entered into the portal – supposedly identical - often does not match. The survey recommended that it should be compulsory for all contracting authorities to enter contracting information.

As part of an Integrity Pact, Transparencia Paraguay (TP) monitored an international public bidding opened by the Ministry of Public Health for the UNDP National Programme of Food Assistance. TP observed a lack of good will in some members of the Ministry’s evaluation team, noting their refusal to sign the “Ethical Commitment” and the fact that the ministry did not enable TP to monitor a number of tasks as agreed, such as information provided on conditions of the bidding process.

Poder Ciudadano, TI´s national chapter in Argentina, conducted a study exposing the vulnerabilities of the public contracting system in Argentina.