CSOs call for full transparency and participation in the Financing for Development negotiation process
#FfD4 #KeepCSOsInTheRoom #CancelTheDebt #FinanceInCommon2025 #CancelDebtChooseHope
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CSOs call for full transparency and participation in the Financing for Development negotiation process
Last week, Eurodad joined civil society representatives from across the world in New York for the Third Preparatory Committee Session on the road to the Financing for Development (FfD4) conference at the end of June.
During the deliberations on the Zero Draft Outcome Document, civil society speakers continued to push for ambitious reforms to the flawed and unfair global economic and financial system, and called for a shift in governance structures to the more representative UN.
There was also a call from many to ensure that civil society continues to be allowed to participate in the FfD4 negotiations right up until the final conference.
Read all of the CSOs’ interventions here.
Find a more in-depth perspective from the week in the civil society FfD Chronicle here.
Read civil society's inputs to the Zero Draft Outcome document here.
Join the call for civil society inclusion in the upcoming negotiations by following the hashtag #KeepCSOsInTheRoom. You can also read a letter coordinated by the Civil Society FfD Mechanism to Member States on this issue here.
News
Q&A - Why do we need a United Nations Convention on International Development Cooperation?
By Eurodad
This paper addresses questions arising from the civil society proposal for a United Nations Convention on International Development Cooperation. It is part of a broader movement of civil society organisations from the global south and north, with support from governments in the global south, advocating for the democratisation of the governance of development cooperation ahead of FfD4 in Seville, Spain in 2025.
Reaction to Ethiopia bondholders threatening legal action
By Debt Justice UK
Ethiopia’s ad hoc bondholder committee has criticised the IMF over the fund’s projections for Ethiopia’s exports and other economic forecasts. Bondholders have also told Ethiopia that they will reserve their rights over legal action.
Reforming global finance: advancing justice and reparations for Africa
By AFRODAD, Christian Aid and ONE Campaign
This press briefing aims at spotlighting Africa’s call for justice and reparations, amplifying its voice in global economic conversations, and proposing actionable reforms to address systemic inequalities in the global financial system through the ongoing and upcoming advocacy spaces at the continental and global level.
Watch the press briefing (Part 1) | Watch Part 2
2025 Finance in Common Summit - Sign the declaration by CSOs
Civil society and community representatives join forces at the 2025 Finance in Common Summit (FiCS) to amplify the voices of development experts in their own right: human rights defenders, Indigenous Peoples, affected local communities, and other diverse civil society groups and networks to demonstrate the importance of community-led and human rights approaches in development.
Read the declaration and add your signature
Reports
Beyond extractivism: toward a feminist and just transition in Morocco and Egypt
By MENA Fem
This report challenges the widely held belief that European investments create mutual benefits. Instead, it reveals how these investments in oil, gas, renewable energy, green hydrogen, and agriculture in Morocco and Egypt often perpetuate unfair resource exploitation, with wealth and benefits flowing to the global north—while contributing little to local economies.
Read the report
Innovative use options for the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights: debunking common concerns of German policymakers
By Germanwatch
Could Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) be a game changer for sustainable finance? This brief explores how rechannelling SDRs through IMF funds and MDBs, SDR bonds, and a new issuance can unlock billions, without burdening taxpayers. It addresses key concerns raised by German policymakers and outline an ambitious German SDR strategy.
Useful resources
Debt-for-nature swaps: shadows in a shiny ‘new’ business niche
By Iolanda Fresnillo (Eurodad)
While debt-for-nature swaps are not new, we have seen increased interest in these operations since 2021. Recent debt-for-nature swap deals in Belize, Ecuador or Gabon have been presented as ground-breaking financial innovations to help countries tackle debt vulnerabilities at the same time as providing resources for nature conservation. While it is still soon to fully assess their efficiency and impacts, this article reviews the limitations and shadows behind these operations and the push for escalating debt-for-nature swaps.
Recommended resources on the World Bank and the IMF 2024
By Bretton Woods Project
View Bretton Woods Project's collection of recommended reports, briefings, CSO letters and other resources published on the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in the past year
Infographic - We need a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt
By Civil Society Financing for Development Mechanism
This infographic explains how UN Member States should move from ambition to action by pushing for a United Nations Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt.
View the infographic (English) | Spanish
#CancelDebtChooseHope - Campaign video
By Debt Justice UK
As Debt Justice UK launches the Cancel Debt, Choose Hope campaign, campaigners and activists from all over the world are coming together for the Jubilee year and in the biggest global movement for debt cancellation in twenty five years.
Watch the video on Instagram | BlueSky | YouTube
Events
21 February | Online | Can institutional reforms be made meaningful?
By The Global Development Policy Center - Boston University
How can the perpetual push for reform be better understood? Join the conversation with experts on whether and how institutional reforms can be made meaningful, including what historians might learn from the concerns of today’s policymakers and reform advocates, and what reformers might take away from longer-term historical analyses.
5 March | Online | Building a future beyond austerity: regional hubs and grassroots action
During this webinar you will hear from key speakers, engage in discussions on anti-austerity movements, and learn about plans for regional collaborations. The webinar will also highlight the work of the Regional Hubs, focusing on local advocacy, community organising, and policy change efforts to counter austerity.
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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. |
