Alternative policies for a sustainable worldconference2017.thehague.eurodad.org/files/eurodad... ·...

20-22 June 2017

Alternative policies for a sustainable worldBetter ways of financing global development and strengthening global economic regulation and governance

Eurodad International Conference 2017Co-hosted with Latindadd, ActionAid Netherlands, Both ENDS, OIKOS, Oxfam Novib, SOMO

Conference Agenda

Caballero Fabriek, Saturnusstraat 60, 2516 AH Den Haag, Netherlands

Co-funded by the European Union and Brot für die Welt

Contents

1. Conference summary 3

2. Day 1 agenda 4

3. Day 2 agenda 5

4. Day 3 agenda 13

5. Day 4 agenda 14

6. Map of the venue

7. Room list for workshops

8. Concept notes for the workshops

9. Blank page

10. Evaluation form

3 • Eurodad International Conference 2017: Agenda

In a world of extreme inequality, widespread poverty, and environmental fragility, the need for alternatives has never been greater. The global economic crisis proved the fragility of the economic system and the model underpinning it. Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals are unlikely to be achieved without significant changes to this global economic model and the ideas and institutions underpinning it. Elections around the world are proving that there is widespread discontent across the political spectrum, and a willingness to consider radical alternatives.

This conference is a chance to link together our campaigns and set out alternative proposals for:

• Finance: Alternatives to austerity. Better financing to protect global public goods, reduce inequality, eliminate poverty and save the planet.

• Economic regulation: Alternatives to neoliberalism. Better ways of regulating the economy to make sure the public interest is at the centre and sustainable development is achieved.

• Governance: Alternatives to the old global order. Improving the governance of the global economy to increase democracy, and promote sustainable development outcomes.

The Eurodad biennial conference is a leading forum for discussion, idea-sharing and collective strategising for civil society groups advocating for reform of development finance. The Eurodad conference will bring together leading civil society thinkers from around the globe working on issues ranging from debt, tax justice, aid, private finance, the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and global monetary reform. Held at least every two years for over a decade, the conference allows Eurodad members, allies and partners to broaden understanding of key issues, identify and move forward on collective struggles, forge new alliances and meet inspiring people. Experts from academia and other leading thinkers will provide additional stimulus, and allow us to break out of our traditional habits when strategising and planning for the future.


DAY 1 Tuesday 20 June

Morning: Free for participant-organised meetings

10.00-13.00 Side event

NGO and trade unions workshop on public-private partnerships (PPPs): towards a global campaign on PPPs

Location: V8 Workshops

14.00-15.30: Financing development: what role for the Netherlands in promoting alternatives?

Speakers will cover:

• Historical role of the Netherlands in global finance and developments

• Role of the Netherlands in the international financial and trading systems

• Role of the Netherlands in improving development finance

Format: Panel discussion, followed by Q&A

Speakers confirmed:

• Wendy Asbeek Brusse (Director IOB)• Ewald Engelen (University of Amsterdam)• Marthin Hadiwinata (Save Jakarta Bay Coalition)• Danielle Hirsch (Both ENDS)• Tetteh Hormeku (Third World Network Africa)

Moderator: Sandra Rottenberg

Location: Laurenszaal Room Plenary

12.30-14.00: Registrations

16.00-17.30: The development finance landscape: why alternatives are needed

Speakers will cover:

• An overview of the state of world economy and financing for development

• A discussion of the main challenges that face us

Format: Interactive debate Introductory presentations

Speakers confirmed:

• Kavaljit Singh (Madhyam)• Professor Jayati Ghosh (Jawaharlal Nehru

University) • Mikaela Gavas (Overseas Development Institute)

Moderator: Penny Davies (Diakonia)


18.00: Reception at Kompaan Beer Bar (Saturnusstraat 55, 2516 AE, The Hague, Netherlands)


DAY 2 Wednesday 21 June

09.00 – 10.30: A thousand alternatives - speed geeking session

Participants are in groups and selected presenters from workshops move round, giving a very short summary of what they want to say. This means you can get a taste of all the ideas available and get to meet the speakers.

Speakers from workshops

Moderator: Hilary Jeune (Oxfam)


11.00 – 12.30: Workshops

Topic and Objectives Speakers confirmed:

Race to the Bottom I: Harmful tax practices and give-aways

• Map out the issue of the ‘Race to the Bottom’ with concrete case stories and a look at the international trends, and discuss options for action.

Location: u57

• Esmé Berkhout (Oxfam Novib) • Savior Mwambwa (ActionAid)• Sorley McCaughey (Christian Aid Ireland)

Market finance vs public finance for infrastructure – impacts and challenges for CSO work (Session 1: Setting the scene)

• Analyse the impacts of the MDBs’ “from billions to trillions” agenda from a development finance perspective, discuss the role of MDBs and of private investors in infrastructure finance, and the role and relevance of public investment in infrastructure.

• Present infrastructure financing as a cross-cutting issue for CSO work and raise awareness of its relevance among Eurodad members and partners.

Location: u74

• Rhodante Ahlers (SOMO)• Nicholas Hildyard (The Corner House/ Counter

Balance) • Maria José Romero (Eurodad)

Moderator: Antonio Tricarico (Re:Common / Counter Balance)


The new debt crisis in developing countries. How bad is it and what should be done?

• Analyse causes and consequences of rapidly rising debt levels in the global South.

• Analyse selected country cases in-depth

Location: v8

• Jürgen Kaiser (erlassjahr.de)• Patricia Miranda (Latindadd – Fundación Jubileo)• Geoffrey Chongo (JCTR Zambia)• Humberto Zaqueu (Grupo da Divida Mozambique)• Eric LeCompte (Jubilee USA Network)

Moderator: Bodo Ellmers (Eurodad)

Where will TTIP strike next: How global trade and investment regimes restrict policy space and create inequality

• To raise awareness about and strategize the less well known EU negotiation of trade and investment agreements and how they limit policy space and create inequality

• To illustrate with case studies from Indonesia and India how trade and investment rules limit these countries’ capacity to design and implement key economic policies aiming at economic justice and sustainable development

• To link gender and other specific forms of inequality with trade and investment rules

Location: v4

• Rachmi Hertanti (Indonesia for Global Justice)• Kavaljit Singh (Madhyam)• Burghard Ilge (Both ENDS)

Investing in the SDGs: What role for institutional investors?

• To share experience and research on how effectively institutional investors are currently contributing to the SDGs.

• To initial thinking about what ‘good investment’ for sustainable development might look like and to draw on participants experience to shape the next phase of Christian Aid’s research and advocacy.

Location: u66

• Suzanne Ismail (Christian Aid)• Danielle Hirsch (Both ENDS)• Willemijn Verdegaal (MN)• Carolien de Bruin (C-Change)

Moderator: Cindy Coltman (Both ENDS)


A new global monetary system: can we use public money creation powers to better ends?

• To deepen our understanding of how the monetary system operates

• To discuss ‘big picture’ ideas for reform, including the idea of the state issuing non-debt creating money.

• To discuss practical proposals for taking this agenda forward, focussing on creating better outcomes for developing countries

Location: v11

• Professor Mary Mellor (University of Northumbria)

• Daniela Gabor (University of West England)

Moderator: Jesse Griffiths (Eurodad)

12.45 – 13.45: Side events (Working lunch)


World basic income: A new direction for development

• Exploring the potential for a worldwide basic income scheme to address global income poverty in a new, direct and comprehensive way.

Location: u57

• Laura Bannister (World Basic Income)• Paul Harnett (World Basic Income)

Influencing the G20 and G7 Summits: How we can be more effective

• To increase NGOs/CSOs knowledge of how the G20 and G7 summits are organized, when decisions are made, and how have to have more influence on the outcomes.

Location: u66

• Rhodante Ahlers (SOMO)• Nicholas Hildyard (The Corner House/ Counter

Balance) • Maria José Romero (Eurodad)

Moderator: Antonio Tricarico (Re:Common / Counter Balance)


14.00 – 15.00: Learning from experience: What can we learn from successful experiences of how development has been financed?


• What ‘alternatives’ have actually worked?

• How do global rules affect countries’ abilities to pursue alternatives?

Speakers confirmed:

• Manuel Montes (South Centre)• Aldo Caliari (G-24 Secretariat)• Stephanie Blankenburg (UNCTAD)

Moderator: Éva Bördős


15.15 – 16.45: Workshops


Race to the Bottom II: Turning the tide with truly global tax cooperation

• Discuss how international tax competition can be transformed to tax cooperation, and how we can kick-start the development towards international tax standards that fully integrate the needs and interests of developing countries, and ensure that multinational corporations and wealthy individuals pay their share of taxes..

Location: u57

• Tove Maria Ryding (Eurodad)• Jorge Coronado (Latindadd)• Manuel Montes (South Centre)

Market finance vs public finance for infrastructure – impacts and challenges for CSO work (Session 2: Strategic discussion)

• Identify and prioritise the different policy processes to target and discuss ways to organise CSO work in order to pro-actively tackle the challenges ahead.

Location: u74

• Fanwell Bokosi (Afrodad)• Lidy Nacpil (APMDD)• Vanessa Torres (Ambiente y Sociedad / GREFI)• Antonio Tricarico (Re:Common / Counter Balance)

Moderator: Maria Jose Romero (Eurodad)


Private Sector Instruments: creative subsidy or the privatisation of aid?

Questions to be addressed include:

• Does the private sector need to be subsidised with aid?

• Will PSI provide new and additional development resources or simply relabel existing activities undertaken by DFIs and similar public institutions?

• How do donors plan to use these instruments in “countries of greatest need”?

Location: v8

• Selwyn Moons (Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs)• Erin Palomares (Reality of Aid)• Daniela Rosche (Oxfam Novib)

Moderator: Jeroen Kwakkenbos (Eurodad)

From too big banks to financial food speculation: everything you wanted to know that needs to change

• Make participants from the global North and the global South get a better understanding how the financial sector works and why a financial crisis is still possible

• Give concrete examples how the financial sector relates to daily lives and issues or struggles of participants

• Provide some conclusions what is changing and what further changes are possible (give some sense of action orientation and possibilities)

• Providing some details how financial food speculation is possible on the derivatives markets of the South (example of India)

Location: u66

• Myriam Vander Stichele (SOMO)• Kavaljit Singh (Madhyam)• Benoit Lallemand (Finance Watch)


Global economic governance: do shifting global power dynamics mean better alternatives are possible?

• To deepen our understanding of the global economic governance system

• To discuss what changes to geopolitics mean for reforms of governance, including by looking at specific campaigns on governance related to tax policy and trade policy.

Location: v11

• Oscar Ugarteche (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)

• Jane Nalunga (SEATINI)

Taking gender seriously – what does this mean for development finance policies and activism?

• To help participants develop their thinking on how applying a gender lens can fundamentally improve their policy thinking on key issues related to development finance, IFIs, economic regulation etc.

• To discuss how to overcome the tendency to work in ‘silos’ and not always take gender seriously enough, or draw sufficiently on the work of women’s rights advocates.

Location: v4

• Elaine Zuckerman (Gender Action) • Emma Burgisser (Bretton Woods Project)• Stephanie Fried (Ulu Foundation)

Moderator: Aldo Caliari (G24 Secretariat)


17.00 – 17.30: Wrap up and prep for day 3

Facilitated – and fun – gathering of key ideas to take forward into day three

Location: Laurenszaal Room

• Facilitated inputs from workshops

17.30 – 18.30: Side events


Collaborating to fight inequality and challenge the international finance institutions

• This session will provide a platform for CSOs working on inequality-related issues to start framing these issues into a broader coherent narrative and identify opportunities for working together.

Location: u57

• Chiara Mariotti (Oxfam)• Lidy Nacpil (APMDD)• Luiz Vieira (Bretton Woods Project)

Moderator: Max Lawson (Fight Inequality Alliance)

Role of Private Sector as Public Service Provider: The Case of Education

• Share case studies of private sector engagement in education/ low fee private schools and civil society action

• Distil learning from other sectors facing PPPs and privatisation that can be applicable for education

• Explore how a set of human rights based guiding principles to regulate private sector providers can help fulfil right to education

• Discuss potential of broad based alliance building and multi-pronged campaign strategy to address privatisation and commercialisation of education

Location: u47

• Tanvir Muntasim (ActionAid International)

• Sylvain Aubry (Global Initiative on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights)


Which role to adopt? European civil society in a changing global landscape of development finance at a time of multiple crises

• What is the appropriate role for European civil society in amidst the rapidly changing landscape of development finance? European governments are weakening while emerging economies, especially China, and private finance are increasingly the dominant sources of development finance. What challenges does this pose to European civil societies’ past ways of working, and how can new strategic partnerships and support to partners in developing countries be established while cultural regression and structural crisis in the EU project appear to strengthen?

Location: v8

• Aldo Caliari (G24 Secretariat)• Petr Hlobil (CEE Bankwatch)

Moderator: Antonio Tricarico (Re:Common)

19.00: Dinner + evening entertainment at Buena Vista Beach Club (Strand Noord 18, 2586 ZZ, The Hague, Netherlands)


DAY 3 Wednesday 22 June

10.00 – 12.30: CSO strategies 1

• The increasing overlap between private finance and ODA – strategy meeting Location: v8

• Tax justice – strategy meeting 1 Location: u57

• Ending debt crises – strategy meeting 1 Location: u74

14.00 – 15.30: CSO strategies 2

• Aid – strategy meeting Location: Laurenszaal Room

• Private finance – strategy meeting Location: v8

• Tax justice – strategy meeting 2 Location: u57

• Ending debt crises – strategy meeting 2 Location: u74

• 1530 – 1700: Wrap up and next steps Location: Laurenszaal Room

19.00: Self-organised dinner


DAY 4 Thursday 23 June

10.00 – 12.00: Eurodad General Assembly – only for Eurodad members at Mercure Hotel Den Haag CentralSpui 180, 2511 BW, The Hague, Netherlands

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Caballero Fabriek Room Location Map

Room list for workshops

Laurenszaal

20th June: 14.00-15.30 (Plenary): Financing development: what role for the Netherlands in promoting alternatives?

20th June: 16.00-17.30 (Plenary): The development finance landscape: why alternatives are needed

21st June: 09.00-10.30 (Plenary): A thousand alternatives - speed geeking session

21st June: 14.00-15.00 (Plenary): Learning from experience: What can we learn from successful experiences of how development has been financed?

21st June: 17.00-17.30 (Plenary): Wrap up and prep for day 3

22nd June: 14.00-15.30 (CSO strategies): Aid - strategy meeting

22nd June: 15.30-17.00 (Plenary): Wrap up and next steps

u57

21st June: 11.00-12.30 (Workshop): Race to the Bottom I: Harmful tax practices and give-aways

21st June: 12.45-13.45 (Side event – working lunch): World basic income: A new direction for development

21st June: 15.15-16.45 (Workshops): Race to the Bottom II: Turning the tide with truly global tax cooperation

21st June: 17.30-18.30 (Side events): Collaborating to fight inequality and challenge the international finance institutions

22nd June: 10.00-12.30 (CSO strategies): Tax justice – strategy meeting 1

22nd June: 14.00-15.30 (CSO strategies): Tax justice – strategy meeting 2

u66

21st June: 11.00-12.30 (Workshop): Investing in the SDGs: What role for institutional investors?

21st June: 12.45-13.45 (Side event – working lunch): Influencing the G20 and G7 Summits: How we can be more effective

21st June: 15.15-16.45 (Workshops): From too big banks to financial food speculation: everything you wanted to know that needs to change

u74

21st June: 11.00-12.30 (Workshop): Market finance vs public finance for infrastructure – impacts and challenges for CSO work (Session 1: Setting the scene)

21st June: 15.15-16.45 (Workshops): Market finance vs public finance for infrastructure – impacts and challenges for CSO work (Session 2: Strategic discussion)

21st June: 17.30-18.30 (Side events): Role of Private Sector as Public Service Provider: The Case of Education

22nd June: 10.00-12.30 (CSO strategies): Ending debt crises - strategy meeting 1

22nd June: 14.00-15.30 (CSO strategies): Ending debt crises - strategy meeting 2

v4

21st June: 11.00-12.30 (Workshop): Where will TTIP strike next: How global trade and investment regimes restrict policy space and create inequality

21st June: 15.15-16.45 (Workshops): Taking gender seriously – what does this mean for development finance policies and activism?

v8

20th June: 10.00-13.00 (Side event): NGO and trade unions workshop on public-private partnerships (PPPs): towards a global campaign on PPPs

21st June: 11.00-12.30 (Workshop): The new debt crisis in developing countries. How bad is it and what should be done?

21st June: 15.15-16.45 (Workshops): Private Sector Instruments: creative subsidy or the privatisation of aid?

21st June: 17.30-18.30 (Side events): Which role to adopt? European civil society in a changing global landscape of development finance at a time of multiple crises

22nd June: 10.00-12.30 (CSO strategies): The increasing overlap between private finance and ODA - strategy meeting

22nd June: 14.00-15.30 (CSO strategies): Private finance - strategy meeting

v11

21st June: 11.00-12.30 (Workshop): A new global monetary system: can we use public money creation powers to better ends?

21st June: 15.15-16.45 (Workshops): Global economic governance: do shifting global power dynamics mean better alternatives are possible?


NGO and trade unions workshop on public-private partnerships (PPPs): towards a global campaign on PPPs20th June: 10.00-13.00 (Side event) – Room v8

Background

PPPs are increasingly being promoted as a way of funding development projects. The last decade has seen a dramatic increase in the amount of money invested in PPPs in the developing world. Between 2004 and 2012 investments through PPPs increased by a factor of six: from US$ 25 billion to US$ 164 billion. Although investments in PPPs fell in 2013, it has continued to be on the rise since 2014. The global push for PPPs is taking place at different levels: international (the G20, the World Bank Group), regional (EU) and national, and it has an impact in the provision of infrastructure and social services, including electricity, water, healthcare, and education. A key driver of the rise of PPP-funded projects is the use of ‘off budget’ accounting, which allow governments to hide the true costs of PPP projects. There is also an empirically unfounded ideological push in favour of private sector management and delivery of services, and a strong push from the corporate sector to secure a revenue stream.

NGOs and trade unions have repeatedly questioned the biased promotion of the PPP model, providing increasing evidence that indicates that PPPs can seriously jeopardise universal access to basic goods and often worsen the fiscal problems against which they are offered as solutions. This has already led to some fruitful joint advocacy actions. For example, in March 2016, co-ordinated advocacy efforts were agreed to challenge the work of the UNECE on developing international guidelines on PPPs, and in February 2017, a group of more than 110 NGOs and trade unions from all over the world sent a letter to the World Bank PPP team and Executive Directors announcing that they will no longer participate in public consultations on PPPs until the WBG takes seriously the fiscal problems associated with PPPs.

This collaboration should continue if we want to make substantive progress in our campaign. Given the upcoming launch of Public Service International (PSI)’s campaign on the fight against privatisation, and the ongoing work of many NGOs in this field, the time is now for NGOs and trade unions to sit together and discuss how we can strengthen our collaboration.

Objectives

The objective is to exchange ideas on potential advocacy and campaign activities for the year ahead and, if possible, agree on joint actions.

Participants and format

Eurodad members and partners from North and South working on PPPs and PPP-related issues, such as infrastructure finance, and privatisation of water, health and education. The workshop will be structured to be a participatory activity to get people engaged.


Time Topic and speakers Objectives

10:00 – 10:30 Welcome, introductions, objectives and outline of the agenda; house rules of the session

• María José Romero (Eurodad) • Sandra Vermuyten (PSI)

“Getting to know each other”: Round of introductions and expectations

Present the main objectives of the session

10:30 – 11:00 Ongoing work and plans on PPPs and PPP-related issues

Participatory dynamic to share information and plans

11:00 – 12:45 Towards a global campaign on PPPs

• Purpose, focus and format of PSI campaign• Eurodad’s theory of change on PPPs• An example of a success story in the campaign on

privatization/PPPs

Guiding questions:

• What do you want to see reflected in a global campaign on PPPs?

• How does a global campaign on PPPs fit in with your work?

• What can be the role/contribution of your organization?• What are our key demands/advocacy messages?• What are the main processes to target with a global

campaign on PPPs? How can we divide labour?• What are the joint advocacy/campaign opportunities in

2017 and beyond?

Co-facilitators:

• María José Romero (Eurodad) • Sandra Vermuyten (PSI)• Stefano Prato (SID)

Participatory dynamic to get feedback from all participants

Collect feedback and exchange views on possible joint actions (NGOs and trade unions)

12:45 – 13.00 Wrap up and closing remarks


Race to the Bottom I: Harmful tax practices and give-aways21st June: 1100-1230 (Workshop) – Room u57

Objectives

Map out the issue of the ‘Race to the Bottom’ with concrete case stories and a look at the international trends, and discuss options for action.

Background information

Taxation has become an international battleground between governments trying to attract multinational corporations to their countries. Some governments compete on the rate – through tax incentives, tax holidays or simply by lowering the corporate tax rate. Others compete on the tax base, by providing tax deductions or generous treatment of income from abroad. And then there are those that try to position themselves as transit countries, providing cheap ways of moving profits from source countries to low-tax jurisdictions. The new agreement on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) has altered the landscape of harmful tax practices, but not abolished it, and if anything the ‘Race to the Bottom’ seems to be speeding up.

There is an emerging consensus among civil society organizations and unions across the world that this is a key issue which we must address. But what are we up against? How can we engage? And what might be possible solutions?

Speakers

• Esmé Berkhout (Oxfam Novib)• Savior Mwambwa (ActionAid)• Sorley McCaughey (Christian Aid Ireland)


Market finance vs public finance for infrastructure – impacts and challenges for CSO work (I & II)21st June - Room u74

Objectives

• Analyse the impacts of the MDBs’ “from billions to trillions” agenda from a development finance perspective, discuss the role of MDBs and of private investors in infrastructure finance, and the role and relevance of public investment in infrastructure.

• Present infrastructure financing as a cross-cutting issue for CSO work and raise awareness of its relevance among Eurodad members and partners.

• Identify main processes to target and discuss ways of organizing.


In recent years, numerous initiatives saw the light at international (G20), regional (EU initiatives) and national level to develop a new wave of financial instruments and Public Private Partnerships to finance large infrastructure projects and make infrastructure an asset class for institutional investors. IFIs have been given a key role, not just to contribute to project financing, but primarily by changing domestic laws, identifying key international projects and facilitating the involvement of private investors and creditors. Mega-corridors are being set up at continental and regional levels, and this new wave of mega-projects coupled with the financial engineering around it is likely to have a devastating development impact from an environmental and social perspective, for domestic resource mobilization for sustainable development as well as undermining national policy space.

The agenda to mobilize private finance for infrastructure is an attempt to bend the arc of history, as public finance has historically been the major player in infrastructure investment in developing countries. Implementing this major change implies overcoming the current reluctance of private investors by ‘mitigating’ their risks – or rather transferring risks from the private to the public sector.

In this context, civil society organizations are struggling to challenge this agenda and develop a strong counter-narrative that could create a link with the numerous local struggles taking place against large infrastructure projects on the ground. In addition, there is still a need to better understand the role and relevance of public investment in infrastructure and the current obstacles these type of investment, which could be used as a basis to develop a counter-narrative.

Looking ahead, participants will identify and prioritize the different policy processes to target and discuss ways to organize CSO work in order to pro-actively tackle the challenges ahead.

Format

Two sessions of interactive discussion


Background papers

• “Danger ahead: New Global Infrastructure agenda could lock-in fossil fuel technology”• “A high risk global infrastructure agenda: the role of the multilateral development banks”• “A growing threat on debt: the new global infrastructure agenda”• “Beware the Cascade – World Bank to the Future” – Nancy Alexander, Heinrich Boell Foundation

Speakers

Session 1: Setting the Scene, 11.30 – 12.30

• María José Romero (Eurodad)• Nickolas Hildyard (The Corner House / Counter

Balance)• Rhodante Ahlers (SOMO)• Moderator: Antonio Tricarico (Re:Common /

Counter Balance)

Issues to be covered: Market finance vs. public finance of infrastructure, mega-corridors, financialisation of infrastructure, vulnerabilities of the mainstream narrative (“towards a counter- narrative on infrastructure financing”)

Session 2: Strategic Discussion, 15.00 – 16.30

• Vanessa Torres (Ambiente y Sociedad / GREFI)• Antonio Tricarico (Re:Common/Counter Balance)• Fanwell Bokosi (Afrodad) Lidy Nacpil (APMDD)• Moderator: María José Romero (Eurodad)

Points to be addressed: CSO work done so far, impacts and gaps, priorities and target groups, messages and possible actions


The new debt crisis in developing countries: How bad is it and what should be done?21st June: 11.00-12.30 (Workshop) - Room v8

Objectives

• Analyse causes and consequences of rapidly rising debt levels in the global South.

• Analyse selected country cases in-depth

• Unveil the dodgy role of banks and lenders

• Discuss solutions and mobilize international solidarity


For low and middle income countries, average government external debt payments as a proportion of revenue are increasing rapidly. 116 countries have at least one debt indicator in a critical range, and in three quarters of the countries the situation has deteriorated. External debt payments have risen by almost 50% in the last two years.

Some countries already defaulted. A striking example for irresponsible lending is Mozambique, where loans by European banks Credit Suisse and VTB have funded military equipment, patrol speedboats for the navy. This just the tip of the illegitimate debt iceberg.

Since commodity prices continue to be low and interest rates are expected to rise, the South is on the brink of a new debt crises. Ghana and Zambia already look shaky and face IMF conditions to cut public spending. As the old debt relief initiatives expired and new debt workout mechanisms remain absent, developing countries struggle find a way out.

Format

Presentations and debate

Background paper

• UNCTAD (2016): Economic Development in Africa Report 2016: Debt Dynamics and Development Finance in Africa

• Erlassjahr (2017): Global Sovereign Indebtedness Monitor 2017• Jubilee Debt Campaign (2017): Global South debt payments increase 50% in two years

Speakers• Jürgen Kaiser (Erlassjahr.de)• Patricia Miranda (Latindadd / Jubileo Bolivia)• Geoffrey Chongo (JCTR Zambia)

• Humberto Zaqueu (Grupo Moçambicano da Divida)• Eric LeCompte (Jubilee USA)• Moderator: Bodo Ellmers (Eurodad)


Where will TTIP strike next: How global trade and investment regimes restrict policy space and create inequality21st June: 11.00-12.30 (Workshop) – Room v4

Objectives

• To raise awareness about and strategize the less well known EU negotiation of trade and investment agreements and how they limit policy space and create inequality

• To illustrate with case studies from Indonesia and India how trade and investment rules limit these countries’ capacity to design and implement key economic policies aiming at economic justice and sustainable development

• To link gender and other specific forms of inequality with trade and investment rules


The discussion about transatlantic trade and investment agreements TPP, TTIP and CETA has led to increased awareness globally about the potential consequences of trade and investment agreements and how they negatively interfere with national policy making.

Currently TPP is in limbo after the US pulled out, the ratification of CETA and the possible future negotiations of TTIP are not ensured. CSOs active on these processes are likely to continue their efforts to influence these processes in 2017. In the EU, similar negotiations are planned and are already taking place that until now barely got any attention.

Purpose of this workshop is it to highlight and discuss these processes that are mainly EU negotiations with developing countries. Besides the concerns that rose in Europe about CETA and TTIP, like access to public services, social and environmental standards or the ability of the state to regulate in the public interest the challenges for developing countries will even be bigger, reaching from concerns related to sufficient policy space for industrial policies, to the issue of debt and tax revenues, and the impact on vulnerable groups such as subsistence farmers, or gender inequality.

Format

Short presentation by the speakers (2-3) followed by a moderated discussion with the audience (time allocation presentations <-> discussion: 50/50)


Substance of the presentation

• Presentation 1: What are the ongoing and planned EU negotiation process in 2017-2018 and what are key policies demand from the EU in these negotiations (that impact policy space or increase inequality)

• Presentation 2: Case study from India or Indonesia about negotiations with EU and critical issues relating to policy space to develop sustainable national economic policies

• Presentation 3: How EU trade and investment agreements impact gender inequality

Speakers

• Rachmi Hertanti (Indonesia for Global Justice)• Kavaljit Singh (Madhyam)• Burghard Ilge (Both ENDS)


Investing in the SDGs: What role for institutional investors?21st June: 11.00-12.30 (Workshop) – Room u66

Objectives

• To share experience and research on how effectively institutional investors are currently contributing to the SDGs.

• To initial thinking about what ‘good investment’ for sustainable development might look like and to draw on participants experience to shape the next phase of Christian Aid’s research and advocacy.


Governments and international institutions are increasingly emphasising private sector money as a means to plug the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) financing gap and in tackling climate change. Yet traditional measures of financial flows tell us very little about developmental impact and environmental and social governance (ESG) issues are not fully incorporated into many policies or practices of companies and institutional investors.

This workshop will focus on the role of private institutional investors. Drawing on Christian Aid’s research into the norms and standards (“investment universes”) that shape different intuitional investment practices, we will consider what, if anything, these can tell us anything about international capital markets readiness to contribute towards the SDGs and tackling climate change. Are any of the existing investment universes up to the task – and if so – what can we learn from them? Or is a different approach required?

The workshop will also draw on Both ENDS work in the Netherlands calling on pension funds to have more responsible investment practices. Both Ends is particularly concerned about the fact that many institutional investors remain heavily invested in the fossil fuel sector – one important factor standing in the way of more aggressive climate action.

A small number of institutional investors who have committed to aligning their investments in a way that helps climate change and contribute to the SDGs have been invited to contribute to our discussion.

Questions we hope to discuss with the audience include:• What, in your experience, does ‘good’ institutional investment for sustainable development look like?• What mechanisms are needed to incentivise institutional investors to make meaningful contributions

towards the SDGs?

Format

2-3 short presentations followed by facilitated audience discussion around a number of predetermined questions

Speakers

• Willemijn Verdegaal (MN)• Carolien de Bruin (C-Change)• Suzanne Ismail (Christian Aid)

• Danielle Hirsch (Both ENDS)• Moderator: Cindy Coltman (Both ENDS)


A new global monetary system: can we use public money creation powers to better ends?21st June: 11.00-12.30 (Workshop) – Room v11

Objectives

• To deepen our understanding of how the monetary system operates

• To discuss ‘big picture’ ideas for reform, including the idea of the state issuing non-debt creating money

• To discuss practical proposals for taking this agenda forward, focusing on creating better outcomes for developing countries

The first part of this workshop will be dedicated to building understanding of how the current monetary system really operates. Questions to be tackled include: Where does money come from? What are the roles of the government, the central bank, the private banking system? How has this changed with the growth of the shadow financial system?

The second part will ask the question: isn’t there a better way to use the public power of money creation? This will focus on discussing the proposals of Mary Mellor, in her book Debt or Democracy – which suggests that we should end the current system of money creation based on debt issued through the banking sector, this power should be reclaimed, with democratic institutions issuing debt-free public money instead. How would this operate in practice? How does it differ from other related proposals such as ‘people’s quantitative easing’ or ‘helicopter money’?

The final part of the workshop will focus on practical questions of what could and should be done now, with an emphasis on impacts on developing countries. In the wake of the crisis, western central banks embarked upon a new path in monetary policy: extremely low interest rates backed up by major programmes of Quantitative Easing (QE). Emerging market economies consistently complained that these policies had major negative effects on their economies, and precipitated a flood of volatile capital to developing countries, storing up problems for the future. What practical steps could be taken now to both reduce the negative impacts of the current system, and take steps towards a better one, including democratising the system?

Format

Facilitated, journalist style - questioning expert speakers and encouraging audience interaction

Speakers

• Mary Mellor (Northumbria University)• Daniela Gabor (university of West England)• Facilitator: Jesse Griffiths (Eurodad)


World basic income: A new direction for development21st June: 12.45-13.45 (Side event – working lunch) – Room u57

Objectives

• Introduce the proposal for world basic income

• Contextualise the proposal alongside related initiatives from the Global South, i.e. UN Tax Body proposals, cash transfers, biometric ID initiatives, mobile phone banking

• Discuss the proposed financing mechanisms, which use new forms of global taxation and shareholding to harness resources directly, without tapping national government budgets

• Share experiences of basic income and other cash transfers in Global South contexts.

• Explore questions and concerns

• Build links with organisations who may be interested in partnership working


• World Basic Income is a UK-based campaign organisation, which is part of an emerging movement working to take the basic income idea to the global level

• Eight is a NGO based in Belgium that is running a basic income pilot project in a Ugandan village

• Global Basic Income Foundation is the Netherlands-based initiator of the movement for worldwide basic income, and the co-ordinator of the emerging global network

Format

Introductory speeches, followed by questions and discussion, in groups and as a plenary

Speakers

• Laura Bannister (World Basic Income)• Paul Harnett (World Basic Income)


Influencing the G20 and G7 Summits: How we can be more effective21st June: 12.45-13.45 (Side event – working lunch) _ Room u66

Objectives

To increase NGOs/CSOs knowledge of how the G20 and G7 summits are organized, when decisions are made, and how have to have more influence on the outcomes


InterAction has worked to influence G7 Summits every year since 2005 and G20 summits since 2009. InterAction coordinates the G7/G20 Advocacy Alliance (US) and the International G7/G20 Network, with 450 members from 50 countries

Format

Powerpoint presentation with discussion. Distribution of G20 and G7 handbooks

Background papers

G20 Handbook and G7 Handbook

Speakers

• John Ruthrauff (InterAction)• Lyric Thompson (International Center for Research on Women)• Maria Emilia Berazategui (Poder Ciudadano)


Race to the Bottom II: Turning the tide with truly global tax cooperation21st June: 15.15-16.45 (Workshops) - Room u57

Objectives

Discuss how international tax competition can be transformed to tax cooperation, and how we can kick-start the development towards international tax standards that fully integrate the needs and interests of developing countries, and ensure that multinational corporations and wealthy individuals pay their share of taxes.


An underlying driver of the ‘Race to the Bottom’ is the failure of governments to cooperate and build consensus on an ambitious reform of the rules, towards a transparent international system where multinational corporations and wealthy individuals pay their share of taxes.

Until now, the reviews of international standards have remained very limited in scope, and the political will to fundamentally change the international systems has been absent from the decision making rooms.

The OECD has continued to be the main forum for setting international standards on tax and transparency, sometimes in coalition with G20 and selected developing countries. Other bodies, such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) have also issued standards on transparency. However, large parts of these intergovernmental negotiations have been behind closed doors, and civil society, journalists, parliamentarians and more than 100 developing countries have been excluded from key decision making meetings. While forums such as the Global Forum and Inclusive Framework allow all countries to participate, these forums are focused on implementing standards that have already been adopted, and do not offer good opportunities for setting a new agenda.

For more than a decade, developing countries have been calling for an intergovernmental tax body under the auspices of the United Nations – a call that has been strongly supported by civil society around the world. In 2017, Ecuador – as the chair of the Group of 77 – has made this issue a top priority.

But where are we at, and how do we move forward towards a truly global and transparent international decision making process, which can kick-start a more fundamental review of the international system, and bring development to the centre of the debate?

Speakers

• Jorge Coronado (Latindadd)• Manuel Montes (South Centre)• Tove Maria Ryding (Eurodad)


Private Sector Instruments: creative subsidy or the privatisation of aid?21st June: 15.15-16.45 (Workshops) - Room v8

Objectives

Facilitate a debate between proponents and sceptics of these instruments to understand the arguments. Questions to be addressed include:

• Does the private sector need to be subsidised with aid?

• Will PSI provide new and additional development resources or simply relabel existing activities undertaken by DFIs and similar public institutions?

• How do donors plan to use these instruments in “countries of greatest need”?


The OECD DAC is currently determining new rules for reporting PSI as ODA. A legacy of the financial crises is that donor countries are often gaming these rules in order to increase their ODA levels without providing more financial resources. It is critical for CSOs to understand whether these new instruments will actually provide new resources for achieving poverty eradication or whether they will divert funding from non “bankable” sectors such as education and health in favour of commercially viable sectors.

More and more donors are using aid to leverage private sector investment in developing countries. Some of these funds and programs implicitly subsidize donors’ domestic private sectors. According to the OECD,1 $96 billion was allocated in support of private sector investment in developing countries in 2013. This number comprises aid, as well as non-concessional loans provided by bilateral and multilateral donors. There is not much evidence that donors’ use of aid to leverage private investment delivers significant pro-poor development outcomes. Furthermore, a lack of transparency and weak accountability mean that citizens in many countries cannot ensure that this revenue is invested to fight poverty and drive development. The incentives to use aid to support the private sector where potential returns on investment and the opportunities to promote domestic firms based in donor countries can seem a win-win for decision makers. These incentives must be tempered with strong safeguards and transparency requirements to ensure these flows are directly benefiting the poor and marginalised.

Donor support to the private sector must demonstrate added value and guarantee sustainable development and poverty reduction. Most importantly, private sector investment must be effective so as to support of countries leading their own development path, and strengthen governments’ capacity to promote local economic development. It must not be seen as a substitute for filling gaps in public provision, and must demonstrate strong transparency and accountability.


Format

• 90 minutes• Initial presentation outlining in simple terms what it is we are talking about (15 mins)• Moderated panel debate (45 min)• Questions from audience (20 min)• Round-up from moderator and final statements (10 min)

Speakers

• Selwyn Moons (Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs)• Erin Palomares (Reality of Aid)• Daniela Rosche (Oxfam Novib)• Moderator: Jeroen Kwakkenbos (Eurodad)

1. OECD, (2016) Development Co-operation Report 2016, The Sustainable Development Goals as Business Opportunities, OECD Publishing, Paris, p.37


From too big banks to financial food speculation: everything you wanted to know that needs to change21st June: 15.15-16.45 (Workshops) - Room u66

Objectives

• Make participants from the global North and the global South get a better understanding how the financial sector works and why a financial crisis is still possible

• Give concrete examples how the financial sector relates to daily lives and issues or struggles of participants

• Provide some conclusions what is changing and what further changes are possible (give some sense of action orientation and possibilities)

• Providing some details how financial food speculation is possible on the derivatives markets of the South (example of India)


The financial crisis has shown how harmful it can be for people, employment, economies and government budgets (and basic services) when many players in the financial sector speculate, are greedy and are not accountability to society. But it remains unclear for civil society how much the financial reforms now protect people and societies from wrongdoing, misbehaviour and socially useless activities, let alone a next crisis.

Some themes that will give examples are: the dangers of continuous too-big-to-fail banks, food price speculation, the growing importance of the fund industry on how multinational and corporations behave, etc. There are some positive developments such as the increasing practice, regulation and policies on green/sustainable finance (but still with pitfalls). Experiences of actions on EU financial reforms will be shared.

Format

• Interactive with Q&A• Methods to enhance the understanding, including concrete examples

Background papers

• A Beginner’s Guide To Indian Commodity Futures Markets• Mobilising the financial sector for a sustainable future• A citizens’ dashboard of finance• EU Financial Reform – Newsletters

Speakers

• Myriam Vander Stichele (SOMO)• Kavaljit Singh (Madhyam)• Benoit Lallemand (Finance Watch)


Global economic governance: do shifting global power dynamics mean better alternatives are possible?21st June: 15.15-16.45 (Workshops) - Room v11

Objectives

• To deepen our understanding of the global economic governance system

• To discuss what changes to geopolitics mean for reforms of governance, including by looking at specific campaigns on governance related to tax policy and trade policy


The tectonic plates of global economic governance are shifting. The G7 has already been replaced by the G20 as the central informal coordination mechanism, but even this is becoming out of touch with economic realities. A unipolar world dominated by the US is gradually turning into a multi-polar world. China is the first major power to challenge the West’s global hegemony, but regional challengers already exist and other large developing countries are emerging.

Globalised capital, the increasing wealth of the super-rich, and the central position of multi-national corporations means that policy-making at all levels is heavily influenced by powerful non-state actors, which include civil society organisations. However, the institutions of global economic governance remain rooted in the past, with high-income countries dominating the IMF, World Bank, OECD and FSB, and using their power to undermine the United Nations. Meanwhile, regional and bilateral institutions and processes are rising in importance, but are often at early stages of development.

One thing is certain: everything will change fundamentally in the medium to long term, but the questions of how and when this will happen, what major shifts will take place, and what the impacts will be remain open. How will the new world of global economic governance emerge? How should it be organised? What should CSOs be pushing for?

Speakers

• Oscar Ugarteche (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)• Jane Nalunga (SEATINI)


Taking gender seriously: what does this mean for development finance policies and activism?21st June: 15.15-16.45 (Workshops) – Room v4

Objectives

• To help participants develop their thinking on how applying a gender lens can fundamentally improve their policy thinking on key issues related to development finance, IFIs, economic regulation etc.

• To discuss how to overcome the tendency to work in ‘silos’ and not always take gender seriously enough, or draw sufficiently on the work of women’s rights advocates.


Participants will gain an understanding of the centrality of women’s rights to development-finance policy questions that civil society groups address, including tax and fiscal policy, labor rights and regulation, provision of social services, climate financing, infrastructure and environmental justice, as well as looking across the international institutions we target. It will draw out key issues such as the economy is a gendered construct and vulnerabilities women face during economic change, as well as the gendered dimensions of economic policies often considered ‘gender-neutral’. The workshop will also consider the obstacles civil society face in meaningfully including gender perspectives in their work and collectively strategize on how to overcome those barriers.

Speakers will share both their considerable expertise, as well as the findings of recent research, case studies and advocacy and campaigning work. There will be an emphasis on sharing the collective experiences and insights of participants to strategically build alliances in this field.

Format

• 5 minute presentations by each speaker followed by a Panel discussion.• Panel discussion about how gender issues are considered by the finance civil society community.• Q&A.

Speakers

• Elaine Zuckerman (Gender Action)• Emma Burgisser (Bretton Woods Project)• Stephanie Fried (Ulu Foundation)• Moderator: Aldo Caliari (G24 Secretariat)


Collaborating to fight inequality and challenge the international finance institutions21st June: 17.30-18.30 (Side events) - Room u57

Objectives

Rising inequality is the defining issue of our time and demands more concerted action from civil society actors to tackle its structural causes. Already there are signs that the concern about inequality claimed in the last few years by the IMF and other international institutions is fading and is not resulting in the radical change needed. To keep inequality high on the agenda of global decision makers and achieve the needed changes larger scale mobilisation and more coordinated advocacy strategies around policy solutions to inequality are necessary.

This session will provide a platform for CSOs working on inequality-related issues to start framing these issues into a broader coherent narrative and identify opportunities for working together.

Insights for discussion and planning future action will be provided by speakers from Oxfam, Asian People’s Movement on Debt and Development and the Bretton Woods Project. These will include a brief reflection on the gap in WB’s and IMF’s rhetoric and practice on inequality; an overview of the Fight Inequality Alliance and lessons learnt from the Bretton Woods Project on gender inequality.

Background Information

• The Fight Inequality Alliance is a new and growing group of leading international and national non-profit organisations, human rights campaigners, women’s rights groups, environmental groups, faith-based organisations, trade unions, social movements and other civil society organisations that have come together to fight the growing crisis of inequality.

• The Fight Inequality Alliance is committed to building a global movement to counter the excessive concentration of power and wealth in the hands of a small elite and achieve a just, equal and sustainable world.

• The global inequality crisis is reaching new extremes and undermining global efforts to end poverty, discrimination and marginalisation, advance women’s rights, defend the environment, protect human rights and democracy, prevent conflict, and promote fair and dignified employment. Given the nature and scale of the crisis, a more concerted response is needed. Rich elites and large multinational corporations have helped insist on an economic system that increasingly pursues profit and power, by destroying the climate and trampling on the rights and dignity of women, workers, Indigenous Peoples, marginalised and vulnerable communities amongst many others.

• The Fight Inequality Alliance aims to bring together diverse groups and activists, building a powerful network and capacity to fight for transformational social and economic changes to tackle inequality globally and in countries across the world. The alliance is increasing its focus on the international finance institutions, including planning to mobilise globally and in different countries around the time of the annual meetings in October. The invitation is open to collaborate on those plans.


Format

Panel and group work

Speakers

• Chair: Max Lawson (Fight Inequality Alliance)• Luiz Vieira (Bretton Woods Project)• Chiara Mariotti (Oxfam)• Lidy Nacpil (APMDD)


Role of Private Sector as Public Service Provider: The Case of Education21st June: 17.30-18.30 (Side events) – Room u74

Objectives

• Share case studies of private sector engagement in education/ low fee private schools and civil society action

• Distil learning from other sectors facing PPPs and privatisation that can be applicable for education

• Explore how a set of human rights based guiding principles to regulate private sector providers can help fulfil right to education

• Discuss potential of broad based alliance building and multi-pronged campaign strategy to address privatisation and commercialisation of education


Private sector is becoming increasingly more active in essential services like education and health, which used to be an almost exclusive domain of the State. Recently declared Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have also opened up space for private sector participation with the expectation that private sector will bring in much needed technical and financial resources to development initiatives. A growing chorus of influential actors are advocating for increased privatisation of education, and specifically the expansion of so-called ‘low-cost’ or ‘low-fee’ private schools (LFPS), as a sure solution to the education crisis. The right to education discourse has been deftly side stepped, the responsibility of the State is gradually being shifted in terms of delivery, and for profit providers unaccountable to the citizens and without taking context specific needs into consideration, are stepping into the field, viewing it as an unexplored ‘market’ where billions of profit can be made by charging both poor parents fees and subsidies from the State.

Education and human rights activists have taken note of this tendency to make a business out of violating the right to education and undermining the role of State and have been galvanised into action. Alliances have been formed among like- minded organisations and individuals keen to see the right to education respected, protected and fulfilled. Some country governments have also become aware of the challenge of this phenomenon and are contesting it (e.g. Uganda, Kenya) while some governments are falling for the solution oriented (even if untested and unproven) approach of these providers and their investors. Need for clear regulatory framework and guiding principles for private actor engagement in areas like education has been felt and work has started.

This workshop will present real life examples of privatisation and commericalisation of education as well as inspiring cases of resistance. Participants will discuss opportunities for expanding the alliance against privatisation to include progressive development financing advocates in the promotion of practical solutions for financing public education needs. Participants will also address the problems with the narrative of ‘crisis in public education’ – a claim coming from governments and private sector companies – which serves as the basis for presenting private education as the panacea.


Format

Interactive, with short interventions from organisers about a few case studies/ research findings and inviting insights from the floor on pragmatic solutions in terms of advocacy and campaigning on the issue through a broad based alliance building.

Speakers

• Tanvir Muntasim (ActionAid International)• Sylvain Aubry (Global Initiative on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights)


Which role to adopt? European civil society in a changing global landscape of development finance at a time of multiple crises21st June: 1730-1830 (Side events) - Room V8

Objectives

Exploring the role of European civil society vis a vis partners in developing countries in a changing European and global environment and Identify possible new strategy of partnership and reciprocal support between different regions


Profound changes in development finance: A profound change to international development cooperation, subordinating more and more financing to trade, investment and security goals, has triggered a comprehensive re-organisation within existing development institutions, boosted the role of traditional investment and commercial institutions and promoted the creation of new institutions as well, in particular in developing countries. Most of the development agenda has been transformed in order to prioritise the role of the private sector in development, both as concerns private sector lending - including through financial intermediaries - as well as the need to use scarce public financial resources to mobilise other sources of funding on private capital markets.

Hence civil society needs to look more systematically beyond traditional IFIs, such as the World Bank Group, to tackle new trends and challenges related to the establishment of new IFIs promoted by emerging economies, such as the AIIB and the NDB. This poses a challenge to how European civil society works, at least to the same extent that it challenges how partners are supported in combatting South- South, as opposed to Northern, investment. Such wider global dynamics and the emergence of a multi- polar and chaotic world are reflected in harsh conflicts at IFI board level between different governments, in particular as concerns dominant Northern actors and emerging economies. Further complexity emerges when growing Southern finance is blended with Northern-controlled financing, with others MDBs and with private sources.

European countries no longer a crucial lever for change? In the past a lot of CSO attention and energy has been put in moving European governments to play a progressive or champion role within the international development community. Their leverage usually came from the significant amount of ODA committed every year and their international standing on a wide range of issues in particular vis a vis developing countries. Today such leverage is diminished, given the new influx of financial support from emerging economies, primarily China, the central role of the non-European private sector in development, and also the more limited diplomatic capacity of the EU due to internal divisions as well as the rapidly changing world. A growing attention of funders, global civil society and opinion-makers is paid primarily to political relationships between the US and emerging economies, in particularly now in the Trump era.

New challenges for European civil society: This overall hostile political environment has been reflected in civil society work to reform development finance at European level. There has been a difficulty within European civil society of late to develop more effective strategies to hold European countries to account to development goals and to promote pan-European public campaigning able to engage citizens and social movements.


Three major challenges have emerged:

1. This rapid and comprehensive change has significantly reduced space for European civil society to advance its agenda of a right-based reform of development finance. Today there is a need to regain ground and open new avenues to promote progressive changes by also conceiving a new and more effective and accountable role for these institutions in a deeply changed economic and political international context.

2. There is a significant risk of reduced accountability of public international financial institutions and national governments which, by increasingly competing among themselves and concentrating primarily on economic growth and trade relations, tend to follow more market demands than matching development and environmental justice needs of local communities or the promotion of global public goods. Thus the need to build broader consensus to reject an ideological market-led development.

3. Furthermore there is clearly an urgent need to understand better how to work from within Europe on new international financial institutions that are not led by European or Western governments, tackling the responsibilities of European governments either sitting on the board of them or benefiting from operations financed by them, in particular in the Asian region.

A fundamental question about the role of European civil society: These three challenges raise a broader and more fundamental question about what should be the role of European civil society in the current global context.

How much should European groups just concentrate in giving support to advocacy and development strategies decided and implemented by partners in their own countries? Should European groups’ priorities instead be in engaging in the re-foundation of a European system which today is in evident cultural and political crisis? For both purposes, who are the actors for change in Europe and developing countries in this current context? How and through whom new narratives should be promoted which are able to generate a more progressive consensus in both contexts? How much can development finance actually be rescued from the profound regression it has experienced in the last years?

Several groups responded to this crisis by broadening their agenda to focus on development-related issues allowing them to expose specific European responsibilities and advocate for change within Europe and in European countries within global forums, as occurred with the tax justice movement which broadly developed within the European development community. This could be one strategy to open up new political spaces and get new traction in a difficult political environment. However there are other issues that such an approach may be ill-suited to, e.g. climate and energy issues, or human rights. All of which are issues which are part of the broader and evolving development agenda.

A new strategic approach? It remains unclear how to produce from Europe a positive impact on policies and practices of new non-European players and dynamics in development finance – and the globalisation process more broadly - by primarily supporting the work of domestic civil society groups and affected communities in developing countries.

In the absence of effective global platforms a new strategic approach in Europe and from Europe needs to be developed and adopted promptly. In particular for European networks it is worth reflecting on which kind of new partnerships should be developed and with which goals with regional civil society platforms, in particular in Asia.


Format

Roundtable discussion actively moderated - journalist style, with short inputs, different views and challenges from the floor.

Speakers

• Aldo Caliari (G-24 Secretariat)• Petr Hlobil (CEE Bankwatch)• Moderator: Antonio Tricarico (Re:Common)

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