The purpose of this paper is to provide recommendations drawn from our expertise and experience in Sudan and elsewhere in order to assist in the development of a robust Petroleum Law in South Sudan. We also draw from a number of internationally recognized resources including The Natural Resource Charter and the International Monetary Fund’s Guide on Resource Revenue Transparency. Our research also considered the best and worst practice models from comparable legal frameworks including Nigeria, Liberia, the United States, Norway, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Colombia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Uganda, and Algeria.
The paper addresses the following topics: data transparency, contract transparency, access to information, independent monitoring, a petroleum fund, contract allocation, civil society, and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. In identifying best practice, the paper references several successes and failures in other oil-rich states and the recommendations throughout are tailored to the political context of South Sudan.