By applying a template for risk assessment to the operations of the Canadian company DiamondWorks in Angola during the 1990’s, this report highlights the complex and dynamic interplay of commerce and conflict.

The discovery and extraction of oil and gas off the shores of Lebanon could ultimately translate into a boom in revenues for the government, which in light of current poor fiscal planning could lead to an uncontrolled expansionary budget policy and eventually a ‘resource curse’. If these revenues are spent with no oversight and proper planning, the country m ay well collect and allocate large streams of cash that make limited contributions to economic development.

Report highlighting how poor communities in Obuasi, Ghana are suffering environmental pollution and social problems apparently as a result of gold mining activity. It examines how rivers and streams have been polluted with arsenic, iron, manganese and heavy metals from past gold mining activities by Anglo American’s subsidiary, AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) and its predecessor, Ashanti Goldfields Corporation (AGC).According to the report AGA is failing to report its activities accurately to shareholders and the public and some of these failures are serious.

This report examines the human cost of oil, and corporate complicity in the Sudanese government’s human rights abuses. It finds that oil is an important obstacle to lasting peace in Sudan, and oil revenues have been used by the government to obtain weapons and ammunition that have enabled it to intensify the war and expand oil development.

This report addresses the environmental and human rights situation faced by villagers and migrant workers in Shwegyin township of Nyaunglebin District, Pegu Division, Burma.

Launched in September 2002, EITI brings together representatives from governments, oil, gas, and mining companies, and civil society to address the paradox that has come to be known as the "resource curse" in which two-thirds of the world’s poorest people inhabit countries rich in natural resources. This report presents their insights into the realities of EITI implementation in specific countries and presents recommendations on what is needed to ensure success.In the four years since its launch, EITI has recorded some notable achievements.

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has prioritised Africa as a strategic partner at both the political and economic levels. According to some observers, the evidence of China’s growing African involvement suggests a strategy devised to secure access to the continent’s abundant resources.

This case study shows how the activities of a large foreign-invested mining company on land held by the Awajun community in the northern forests of Peru have led to a characteristic cycle of state permissiveness in granting mining concessions, thus leading to social conflict.

This report examines the benefits that a resource-rich country can derive from endorsing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and implementing its Principles. It also searches for courses of action that the EITI Board can pursue to persuade more countries to endorse EITI. Both issues are investigated in the context of Angola, Indonesia, and Trinidad and Tobago. The authors argue that EITI is particularly beneficial for countries that suffer from the so-called “resource curse”.

Thess proceedings are the result of a conference hald in Kinshasa, 2013, to discuss the impact of key peace agreements and the trade in conflict minerals in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Representatives from Congolese academia, civil society, government agencies and political parties reflected on the different peace agreements and conflict minerals in general and the potential impact of the latest Framework Agreement on Peace and Security in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes Region signed in Addis Ababa in particular.

Mutual suspicion has characterised the relationship between the South African government and mining companies, particularly in recent years. Resolving the current impasse would require a panoply of policy interventions because of the complexity and age of the mining industry. This briefing proposes that one such intervention could be the introduction of a structured workplace secondment programme between the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and mining companies – together identifying critical areas for co-operation and skills transfer.

Report looks at the role of diamond sales in funding of conflict situations, focusing on countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone and Angola.Website includes reports from the newspaper, plus an online dicussion forum