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Haiti 10 years after the earthquake: the fight for social and economic justice

On January 12 2010 an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 on the Richter scale ripped through Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and other parts of Haiti. More than 1.5 million people, representing 15 per cent of the country's population, were directly affected by the earthquake. According to the Haitian government, 316,000 people lost their lives. An estimated US$ 7.8 billion dollars of damage was caused - equivalent to more than 120 per cent of the GDP of 2009. Everyone in Haiti has a story that begins or ends on 12 January and many wounds remain open. Everyone lost someone. Everyone remembers where they were that day.

News

Open letter to European World Bank Executive Directors on WBG promotion of public-private partnerships

Eurodad, along with 34 other CSO organisations, have sent an open letter to the European World Bank Executive Directors (EDs) regarding the WBG's promotion of public-private partnerships (PPPs). In the letter, the signatories call on the European EDs to "bear a particular responsibility to ensure that the PPP model, that has proved so problematic in Europe and other countries from the global north, is not exported to other countries."

Ballooning debt forces poor countries to cut public spending

“These figures show that citizens are bearing the greatest burden as debt crises unfold. Public services are being weakened, human rights eroded and there are less resources to deal with climate change." Eurodad's Mark Perera reflects on Jubilee Debt Campaign's research on debt and public services in this Guardian article.

Reports & useful resources

EU country by country reporting

Every year, corporate tax avoidance costs countries around the world an estimated US$500 billion. In the European Union (EU), the annual loss to profit shifting by multinational corporations is conservatively estimated to be €50-70 billion each year. This money is sorely needed to fund public services such as healthcare and education, as well as climate action and sustainable development. One of the key problems with today’s corporate tax system is the secrecy surrounding information about where corporations do business and what they pay in tax in those countries – a problem that can be addressed through the introduction of public country by country reporting.

An intergovernmental UN tax commission - why we need it and how we can get it

The Group of 77 (G77) – representing more than 130 developing countries – has repeatedly proposed the establishment of an intergovernmental tax body under the United Nations (UN) to fix the broken global tax system. The following briefing sets out why this proposal would benefit everyone – and how it can be done.

Beneficial ownership transparency in the European Union

In 2016, in response to the tax scandal known as the ‘Panama Papers’, the European Commission put forward a proposal for a 5th EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive. Among other things, the Commission suggested introducing public registers of beneficial owners – something that civil society organisations and the European Parliament had been advocating for many years.

Job vacancies

Policy & Advocacy Officer - Climate Finance

The purpose of this role is to shape Eurodad’s strategy on climate justice as a cross-cutting issue and take forward our crucial work on climate finance. The role will help to build strong and effective coalitions for change and empower civil society organisations in Europe and beyond. Click here for the full role description. Deadline: 2 February

This newsletter has been produced with co-funding from the European Union, Bread for the World and Norad. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Eurodad and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the funders.