What Oxfam is doing
As part of Oxfam's work supporting poor communities worldwide, our Right to Know, Right to Decide campaign calls on international oil, gas, and mining companies to respect the rights of poor people and contribute to the long-term reduction of poverty.
As part of Oxfam's broader work on oil, gas, and mining, the Right to Know, Right to Decide campaign calls on companies to show their respect for the following:
- A community's right to know: Companies must provide information about how their work affects the land and water that communities rely on. They must also disclose how much they are paying governments for natural resources so that poor communities can get a fair share of the profits.
- A community's right to decide: Companies must obtain the free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) of communities affected by oil, gas, and mining operations. For indigenous peoples in particular, respect for FPIC is a critical means of protecting sacred lands and cultural identity.
Oxfam and our supporters can make a difference by supporting the passage of legislation called the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act, which would require oil, gas, and mining companies to publicly disclose payments made to foreign governments. With more than half of the world's poorest people living in countries rich in natural resources, this legislation would provide citizens with vital information to help them hold their governments accountable for how the money they make from mining and drilling is used.
