Top story

New report by the UN Secretary-General outlines the road ahead for truly global tax cooperation

The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) has published an advanced unedited version of a game-changing report. It outlines the options for strengthening the inclusiveness and effectiveness of international tax cooperation and presents three possible roads ahead, all under the auspices of the UN. Eurodad welcomes this truly historic moment in international tax cooperation. 

Read the press release here. 

You can also read Eurodad's proposal for what a UN Convention on Tax might look like here.

News

The post-2025 Climate Finance Goal: why the next expert dialogue must address the issue of debt

Countries in the global south are disproportionately impacted by climate change. Yet the existing global climate finance goal of US$100 billion per year has never been met. And, according to the OECD, 71 per cent of public climate finance is delivered through loans. The upcoming Seventh Technical Expert Dialogue (TED 7) on the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance (NCQG), which brings together negotiators from all UN countries, is the opportunity to address this.

ActionAid, Bretton Woods Project, Debt Justice, Debt Justice Norway, Eurodad, Latindadd and Jubilee USA have responded to a public consultation ahead of the Dialogue.

Read the submission here.

Rising debt locks global south countries in fossil fuel production

by Debt Justice

Global south countries are trapped in relying on fossil fuel exploitation to generate revenue to pay debts. A new briefing published by 35 organisations, including Debt Justice and Eurodad, explores the links between debt and fossil fuel production in global south countries and presents a number of solutions for addressing high debt burdens as a contribution towards efforts for a fossil fuel phase-out.

Read the report here. 

New Website - End Inequalities

Since 2021, Eurodad has been partnering with other civil society organisations in Indonesia, India and beyond to raise the voices of communities on the front-line in the fight against economic inequalities. As part of this work, we have launched a website that includes resources, analysis and news related to our joint work, and to demonstrate the interconnections between inequalities at the national, regional and global levels. We’re tackling some of the root causes of inequalities, and demanding change, from Tax Justice to gender and caste discrimination.

Take a look at the website here.

Reports

"Debt crisis not yet bad enough" - How creditors downplay the need to act

by Erlassjahr.de

This focus paper explores the question of whether a study by the IMF claiming that the situation of indebted countries in the Global South is less dramatic today than in the mid-1990s, is tenable or whether this can be seen as a politically motivated discourse of the creditors.

Read the report here. 

Blogs

UN Financing for Development: The best chance to democratise global economic governance?

by Bretton Woods Project

Our Debt Justice Manager, Iolanda Fresnillo and Flora Sonkin, Policy Research Officer on Financing for Development at the Society for International Development argue why the UN Financing for Development (FfD) process constitutes the only inclusive and truly democratic space to advance the systemic reforms needed to re-design the international financial architecture towards supporting human rights-centered sustainable development.

Read the analysis here.

No gender justice without climate justice

by Eurodad's Leia Achampong and Iolanda Fresnillo, published by Red Pepper

The world’s debt and climate crises are closely linked, with both emergencies greatly affecting women’s rights and exacerbating gender inequalities. Our Debt Justice Manager, Iolanda Fresnillo, and Leia Achampong, Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer on Climate Finance, explain how these crises have had a significant impact on women and girls, particularly indigenous and women of colour. 

Read the analysis here.

Useful resources

Global South Countries Need a New Legal Framework for Debt Relief

by Ramya Vijaya, Professor at Stockton University and Pooja Rangaprasad, Policy Director of FfD at the Society for International Development, published by Jacobin

Global South countries currently seek debt relief at forums like the IMF and G20, where wealthy nations’ interests dominate the conversation. Low-income economies need a forum where they can collaborate to solve urgent problems rather than begging for relief.

Read the article here.

Radical Pathways Beyond GDP: Why and how we need to pursue feminist and decolonial alternatives urgently

by Oxfam UK

There is growing consensus among policymakers, institutions and movements that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is not fit for purpose as the pre-eminent economic metric. Alternatives are urgently needed to facilitate the transition to a new economic model that supports a radically more equal, kinder, greener and feminist world in the present while offering redress for historical damage and inequalities.

Read the discussion paper here.

EU-CELAC Summit

by Oxfam International

In July, EU leaders and leaders from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) met in Brussels for the third EU-CELAC summit.

You can read a briefing by Oxfam titled 'Who Finances Fair Transitions in Latin America and the Caribbean?' which was published ahead of the event here.

You can read the EU-LAC CSOs recommendations here.

Webinar recording: Sick Development

by Oxfam International

Development finance institutions owned by European governments and the World Bank Group are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on expensive for-profit hospitals in the global south that block patients from getting care, or bankrupt them, with some even imprisoning patients who cannot afford their bills. 

Speakers at the webinar included Philip Alston, NYU Law/ Former UN Special Rapporteur and Eurodad's Policy and Advocacy Manager, Development Finance, Maria Jose Romero.

Watch the webinar recording here.

Vacancies

Environment Project Officer

Bretton Woods Project | London | Deadline: 3 September

Policy Lead – International Financial System (Debt)

CAFOD | London | Deadline: 30 August

Experienced Social Media Content Producer and Graphic Designer

Loss and Damage Collaboration | Remote | Deadline: 3 September

Events

5-7 September | ActionAid Feminist research webinars

Throughout this series of webinars hosted by ActionAid, participants will gain valuable insights into intersectional feminist decolonial research approaches and their political implications. Learn about feminist research techniques for data collection, safeguarding, and ensuring researcher well-being, all while enhancing your understanding of progressive gender politics.

Find the programme and register here.

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.