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REDES Report on Natural Resources published

Posted by Jesús García-Luengos / 19th January 2014 / Categories: Reports / Tags: Africa, Governance, Natural Resources / -

As part of a larger campaign by REDES, ReSeT wrote a report on Africa’s extractive industries and their impact on local societies: Natural resources in Sub-Saharan Africa: economic growth, poverty and social inequalities.

Most of the more than 900 million people inhabiting sub-Saharan Africa live in countries rich in natural resources. The region harbours more than 30% of the world reserves of minerals (more than 50% in the case of uranium, platinum, diamonds and gold). Equally, most of those people live below the poverty threshold. 34 (most of them rich in natural resources) of the bottom 40 countries of the UNDPs Human Development Index belong to that region.

You can find information on the REDES Africa campaign, as well as the report, on their website, and download it here (in Spanish): Informe sobre la Explotación de Recursos Naturales en África.

Report: the Arab Spring in Morocco

Posted by Jesús García-Luengos / 11th December 2013 / Categories: Reports / Tags: Arab Spring, Morocco / -

Immersed in the complex processes of transformation, North African societies throw up numerous challenges for actors positioning themselves in this scenario. The importance of a solid understanding of the basic dynamics of civil society in these countries is what led the Encuentro Civil Euromed (ECEM) to commission four reports on the current context in Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. This led to a book published by Icaria Editorial, as well as the four reports.

ReSeT has written the report on Morocco, which also appears as a chapter in the book.

Please click here for the report (in Spanish): Report: Diagnóstico Primavera Árabe en Marruecos

Please click here for the book (in Spanish): Book: Sociedad civil y transiciones en el norte de África

Towards compulsory transparency in extractive industries?

Posted by Jesús García-Luengos / 16th February 2012 / Categories: Analysis / Tags: Natural Resources, Transparency / -

One of the main consequences of the current international crisis and its various dimensions is the demand for greater transparency and accountability in the political and financial field. As a result of the corruption in so many countries linked to the management of the incomes derived from the extractive industries and the role played by the minerals in several conflicts, the past few years have seen several initiatives being implemented aiming to improve the transparency and to check the original source of those mineral linked to war and violence.

The media have covered some conflicts related to “blood diamonds” and coltan from the Congo, but coverage of the impacts derived from exploitation of the hydrocarbons and minerals lacks a holistic approach. The main focus is on financial markets, investments opportunities (including the raw material and food prices), macroeconomic growth and the energy security strategies, leaving out any analysis centred on the real life conditions of local populations in the resource rich countries.

Read the whole article (in Spanish): Transparencia Industrias Extractivas