Activists urges G20 to address corruption

G20 leaders should force multi-national companies to publish financial information in each operating country, anti-corruption activists say.

The group, which includes Nobel laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Tawakkul Karman, is calling on G20 leaders to implement "concrete actions" to stop billions of dollars of corrupt money flowing around the world.

In an open letter to the 20 leaders heading to Brisbane for the G20 Summit to be released on Monday, the activists stress governments must make mult-inational company corruption a priority.

They want G20 countries to mandate public registries of individuals who own and control companies and force multi-national corporations to publish country-by-country revenues, profits and taxes paid.

The activists believe the measures will make it easier to identify the origin of corrupt funds and track any money that goes missing.

"When the poor of this world see the wealth of their countries slip beyond their borders, something must be done," they say.

Amnesty International, Care International and Oxfam are also represented in the letter - which coincides with a Twitter campaign by Transparency International.

Economic growth will be top of this week's G20 agenda, with trade barriers, global tax laws and infrastructure investment on the table.