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http://www.iraqrevenuewatch.org/ http://www.iraqrevenuewatch.org/about/ About Iraq Revenue Watch In an effort to ensure that Iraqi oil revenues are managed in a transparent manner, Open Society Institute Chairman George Soros has launched a new initiative called Iraq Revenue Watch. Iraq Revenue Watch will monitor Iraq's oil industry to ensure that it is managed with the highest standards of transparency and that the benefits of national oil wealth flow to the people of Iraq. Iraq Revenue Watch complements existing Open Society Institute initiatives that monitor revenues produced by the extractive industries. In many parts of the world, the lack of proper stewardship over oil resources has resulted in corruption, the continued impoverishment of populations, and abuses of political power. By prompting governments to tackle these problems early, before U.S. management of the Iraqi oil industry becomes a reality, the Open Society Institute hopes to help Iraq avoid this plight. The Open Society Institute currently supports a recently launched initiative, Caspian Revenue Watch, which monitors the development of oil production in the Caspian basin. The goal is to promote transparency, accountability, and public oversight in the management of oil and natural gas revenues. Iraq faces even greater challenges than the Caspian region. If Iraq is to become an open, democratic society it will need to develop transparent accountable institutions for ensuring honest management of oil revenues. There is an urgent need for Iraq Revenue Watch given the current occupied status of the country. The United States should establish rules that ensure complete transparency regarding Iraqi oil revenues. So doing will foster a stable, democratic Iraq, and will protect the United States from charges of misappropriation during this period of trusteeship over Iraq's oil industry. To contact Iraq Revenue Watch, write to irw@sorosny.org. The Central Eurasia Project Iraq Revenue Watch is a program of the Central Eurasia Project of the Open Society Institute. The Central Eurasia Project was created in 1996. The Central Eurasia Project is a policy center, grantmaking program and foundation liaison hub. Through its daily news and information website EurasiaNet, its Open Forum meetings series, the Eurasia Policy Forum generates policy ideas and advocacy. Its grantmaking program supports efforts on behalf of human rights and freedom expression for the Caucasus and Central Asia region. And it is OSI's principal liaison with Soros Foundation network activities of the national foundations in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Finally, in the context of OSI's geographic expansion, the CEP has been tasked with developing new foundation activities in the Middle East. As such it oversees grantmaking relating to Iran, the OSI office in Turkey and exploration of new initiatives more broadly in this region. The Open Society Institute The Open Society Institute (OSI) is a private operating and grantmaking foundation that develops and implements a range of programs in civil society, education, media, public health, and human and women's rights, as well as social, legal, and economic reform. Established in 1993 by investor and philanthropist George Soros and based in New York City, OSI is at the center of an informal network of foundations and organizations active in more than 50 countries worldwide. _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk