A bigger picture.
Most authoritarian regimes are in oil- or mineral-rich countries.
So are most highly corrupt governments.
And most civil wars.
Most of the world’s refugees flee from these countries.
The countries with the most hunger are rich with oil or minerals.
And most extreme poverty will soon be in resource-rich countries.
WHY?
The Natural Resource Curse.
Our Own Rules Make Us Fund Oppression, Violence, and Corruption.
Our laws make it legal to buy the natural resources of other countries, even from corrupt elites and armed groups who are not accountable to the people. So when we shop or invest, our money flows through global supply chains to those corrupt elites and armed groups. They then spend our money on more corruption–and on more repression and conflict. Which means more hunger, more poverty, and more refugees.
Clean Trade works to abolish the outdated rules that put us into business with oppressive, violent, and corrupt actors in resource-rich countries. We should only do business with those who respect the human rights of the people–so our shopping and investments can support peace, good governance, and sustainable growth every day.
The resource curse intensifies many of our world’s worst problems. Clean Trade works to end the resource curse.
Change our rules. Change our world.
