Some Transparency, No Accountability: The Use of Oil Revenue in Angola and Its Impact on Human Rights

This report reveals that more than four billion dollars in state oil revenue disappeared from Angolan government coffers from 1997-2002, roughly equal to the entire sum the government spent on all social programs in the same period, and examines how this has negatively affected the political, economic, social and cultural rights of Angolan citizens. Human Rights Watch, a leading member of the PWYP campaign in the United States, is calling upon the Angolan government to publish all of the “Oil Diagnostic” reports, conduct audits of the state-owned oil company Sonangol, and participate fully in international initiatives to promote transparency. The NGO also urges donor governments and international financial institutions, such as the IMF and World Bank, to include stringent measures to improve transparency as preconditions to any future agreements with the Angolan government.