2007/08/07

Workshop on "The Road to Doha"

Eva Hanfstaengl
UN-NGLS

On 29 June 2007, a workshop on "The Road to the International Review Conference on FfD" was held in Geneva in the context of the Civil Society Development Forum in Geneva, organized by CONGO and the Millennium Campaign.

The event brought together over 600 participants. Eva Hanfstaengl (NGO Committee on FfD) presented the background of the FfD process. John Foster (North-South Institute) informed about progress of the "Leading Group on Solidarity Levies for Development". Mr. Foster highlighted that France had launched an airlines levy for drug purchase, joined by a 24 other countries. One of the key innovations was the principle that taxes for global objectives could be initiated nationally, without universal consensus.

The Third Plenary meeting of the Group would be held in Seoul in September 2007. NGO networks were currently seeking a champion country to initiate a pilot currency transaction tax. Philo Morris (NGO Committee on FFD) highlighted the options for NGOs to fully engage in the FfD process. She also mentioned that in preparation of the High-level Dialogue on FfD, the GA will hold the 2008 spring meeting of ECOSOC with BWIs, WTO and UNCTAD and the Development Cooeperation Forum (July 2008).

Kinda Mohammedieh (Arab NGO Network for Development) reported on the debate on the "Financing Development to achieve the MDGs" that took place in Doha, Qatar on 17-18 June. Ms. Jean Saldanha (CIDSE) highlighted important topics for the Doha agenda, including, a fair, comprehensive and transparent procedure to negotiate debt cancellation and international cooperation against tax evasion and capital flight, as well as the establishment of a world tax organization. Finally, the following recommendations were made and presented to ECOSOC:

1. The Doha Conference should be at the Summit level, have a full preparatory process including periodic meetings of a preparatory committee and an outcome document.

2. Debt cancellation and humanitarian relief must not be included in the definition of ODA. The Millennium Development Goals should be instrumental in debt sustainability criteria.

3. International support should be given for further pilot projects in innovative financing, in particular the currency transaction tax to finance development objectives.

4. Progressive national tax systems should be developed to redistribute wealth and resist tax competition. Tax havens must be closed and tax evasion eliminated.

5. The reform of the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) must incorporate representative voice and vote of the global South. ECOSOC should be strengthened, in particular, its role in establishing accountability and coordination of the IFIs.

6. A "Forum on FfD" should be established involving active engagement of Development and Finance ministries, key multilateral institutions, NGOs and the private sector.

(From "The Road to Doha", a newsletter by UN-NGLS, Geneva)

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