Father Patrick Lafon, former Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Cameroon, testifying on Transparency of Extractive Industries: High Stakes for Resource-Rich Countries, Citizens and International Business in front of the House Financial Services Committee on October 25, 2007. This hearing will focused on the causes and effects of the “resource curse”; examined the responses of the international community, including the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, its promise, progress, and limitations; reviewed the function of international financial institutions with regard to extractive industries generally, and especially with regard to the international campaign for resource revenue transparency; and, finally to establish what more could be done both bilaterally and multilaterally to better combat this complex problem.