Oxfam America: Right to Know, Right to Decide

Right to Know, Right to Decide

Too often, poor communities have no say in the extraction of resources from their land, and receive little information about these projects. Oxfam America is undertaking a new campaign calling on oil, gas, and mining companies to respect the right of communities to participate meaningfully in decision-making and to disclose the money they pay to foreign governments. This information is crucial to ensuring that governments use these funds to reduce poverty and protect human rights.

What Oxfam is Doing

Oxfam America is calling on international oil, gas, and mining companies to show their respect for poor communities’ right to know and right to decide. We are engaging with the public, government, private sector, and the international community. Each group can help respect the rights of poor people and contribute to the long-term reduction of poverty. more »

What You Can Do

Check out Oxfam's organizing materials. Read Oxfam's Fact Sheet on oil, gas, and mining, and watch "Our Land, Our Life," a video about the Western Shoshones struggle for land rights.
View our ad campaigns aimed at the oil, gas, and mining industries and members of Congress.
Have questions about Oxfam's new campaign on oil, gas, and mining? Read our Q & A.
Learn more. Read more about Oxfam's oil, gas, and mining work in the field.

Real Lives

	Student Activists Hear the Voices behind the Issues Oxfam America CHANGE Leaders learn how US legislation can help communities affected by oil, gas, and mining.
	Land and Heritage at Risk in Ghana A proposal to mine in a forest reserve raises concerns about the environment and the future of a nearby farming community.
	"We Are United" An indigenous Q'eq'chi community in Guatemala struggles to defend its agricultural land.
	Joanna Manu: Community activist in Ghana “I know my rights, and I knew the law would take its course.” Joanna Manu learns how to defend her rights and stands firm in protecting the environment in her community.
	More valuable than gold Andrea Perera explores how, for those living on gold deposits in Ghana, free, prior, and informed consent means the right to define the terms of development for their own communities.
	The Majaz Effect A proposed mine in Peru threatens fragile cloud forests and rivers.
	Caught on the Wrong Side of a Gold Boom Farmers in Ghana talk candidly about the impact of gold mining on their communities and how—with education about their human rights-—they can hold mining companies and the government accountable.
	Oxfam Preps for Oil and Mining’s New Focus American, Chinese, and Australian companies look to Cambodia.
More Stories Read more of our stories about extractive industries.