global economy

Financing for Development in a Fractured World

Join the NGO Committee on Financing for Development for an important look at FfD in a contemporary context, knowing that the repercussions of COVID-19 and climate destruction are here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future.

Date and Time: 8:30 am – 10:00 am EST on November 9, 2022

Please register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwuduutpjguGtENOtCZCf-EtA7AD0azr_Wu

Objective: The General Assembly will decide during the current session whether it is ready to convoke the fourth Financing for Development (FfD) conference in the next few years. The global economy is in a difficult situation, especially for development, underlining the need for more effective international economic and financial cooperation. While it is not obvious that the international community as a whole is currently ready to effectively address the pending issues, it is time to start to try to build a new global consensus on financing for sustainable development.

The objective of the NGO Committee on FfD in organizing this workshop is to build the capacity of NGOs/CSOs that focus on a range of economic, social, and environmental issues to engage effectively in the FfD processes and to share updates on the current FfD discussions. While the session is geared towards NGOs/CSOs already engaged with UN processes, it is open to anyone interested in gaining an understanding of FfD. Speakers will provide a perspective of the FfD processes, clarify the larger impact of FfD-related decisions on the achievements of the 2030 agenda, and share insights on current developments and areas that require urgent action and strengthened advocacy efforts.

Read the full concept note here!

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CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Financing for Development is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP.

UNCTAD Civil Society Forum

The hosting of UNCTAD 15 in October of 2021, by a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) offers a critical opportunity to ground the discussions in the present and future realities and prospects of the most vulnerable countries and their populations.

The theme of UNCTAD 15, From Inequality and Vulnerability to Prosperity for All, provides a platform to re-energize and refocus development efforts and commitments. It also presents a unique opportunity for member states to respond strategically by reinforcing the value of multilateralism and providing a renewed mandate for a strengthened UNCTAD.

This Civil Society Forum is intended to contribute to the transformative discourse that needs to take place to address some of the systemic and structural inequalities in the trade and development space. The Day 3 agenda includes:

Closing

14:45-15:00 (CEST) • 08:45–09:00 (AST)

Speakers:

  • Ms. Kozel Peters-Frazer, Caribbean Policy Development Centre and host country civil society coordinating organization
  • Ms. Arlette Verploegh, UNCTAD
  • Ms. Shantal Munro-Knight, Barbados UNCTAD15 Civil Society Forum Lead

Solidarity and system change are the only way forward to overcome the global economic, health, and human rights crisis: feminist perspectives from Asia and the Pacific

15:05–16:20 (CEST) • 09:05–10:20 (AST) | side event organized by Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development

Exploring the divide between the global north and south

15:05–16:20 (CEST) • 09:05–10:20 (AST) | side event organized by Tax Justice Network Africa

Sustainable solutions to debt crisis, the role of UNCTAD 

16:25–17:40 (CEST) • 10:25–11:40 (AST) | side event organized by the Global Policy Forum

How do we build a just recovery from the COVID crisis?

16:25–17:40 (CEST) • 10:25–11:40 (AST) | side event organized by Friends of the Earth International

Discussion on the Civil Society Declaration

17:40–19:40 (CEST) • 11:40–13:40 (AST) | The session will provide for discussion and confirmation of the Civil Society Declaration. The Caribbean Policy Development Centre is the host country civil society organization.

Access the sessions here: wtvglobal.6connex.eu/event/UNCTAD15-Barbados/login

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit congocsd.wordpress.com.

Special Drawing Rights: Saving the Global Economy and Bolstering Recovery in Pandemic Times

Special Drawing Rights: Saving the Global Economy and Bolstering Recovery in Pandemic Times
May 21, 2021
9:00 am EDT – 15:00 CET
Speakers:
– Opening remarks by H.Em. Cardinal K.A. Peter Turkson, Prefect, Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development- Ambassador Munir Akram, President, UN Economic and Social Council

– Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary, Economic Commission for Africa

– Jose Antonio Ocampo, Former Finance Minister and Central Bank Board Member of Colombia

– Daouda Sembene, Distinguished Non-Resident Fellow, Center for Global Development, and Former IMF Executive Director for African Countries

– Ana Corbacho, Assistant Director, Strategy, Policy and Review Department, IMF

– Esteban Perez Caldentey, Chief, Financing for Development Unit, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

– Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst

– Moderator: Eric LeCompte, Executive Director, Jubilee USA

May 21, 2021 09:00 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

 

UN Webinar on the COVID-19 Impact on Transfer Pricing

The COVID-19 outbreak is not only a health crisis, but a jobs crisis, a humanitarian crisis and a development crisis of unprecedented scale and dimension and it demands unprecedented efforts, including to finance the response and recovery.

The UN Webinar on the COVID-19 Impact on Transfer Pricing will be a 4-hour virtual learning event on the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the policy and administrative aspects of the transfer pricing analyses for developing countries in their efforts to mobilize domestic resources for response and recovery. Given the relevance of the topic to stakeholders from all regions and multiple disciplines, the event will be open to the public. The forthcoming update of the Manual on Transfer Pricing for Developing Countries, approved by UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters in its 21st Session, will be considered in light of the COVID-19-related crisis.

Register here!

The webinar is designed to:

• Give participants a better understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted business’ value chains and how the rapid changes and economic downturn have impacted the transfer pricing position of taxpayers and posed a challenge to tax administrations in assessing transfer prices under these circumstances.

• Identify some of the specific issues faced by developing countries on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the transfer pricing position of their taxpayers and suggest practical solutions to these challenges.

• Give particular attention to the issue of the lack of local comparables to undertake the transfer pricing analysis based on the arm’s length principle. It is acknowledged that this issue is not exclusive of the COVID-19 pandemic, but has been exacerbated by it.

• It is acknowledged that while many businesses have incurred losses, some may have experienced extraordinary gains. It is important for developing countries to identify these different circumstances and have a better understanding of how to deal with extraordinary losses, as undue treatment of losses can further erode the tax base.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org

Launch of FACTI Panel Final Report

The FACTI Panel is the High Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity for Achieving the 2030 Agenda. It aims to improve the world’s chances of achieving sustainable development by making recommendations that both strengthen current efforts to combat illicit financial flows, and close remaining gaps in the international system.

The FACTI Panel is set to launch its final report at 8:00-10:30 (EST) on Thursday, 25 February 2021. The event will be conducted virtually with simultaneous interpretation for all UN official languages.

All interested participants can register by clicking the registration link below and filling out the form. After registering the FACTI Panel Secretariat will directly send you connection details to attend the launch.

Register here.

Read the FACTI Panel interim report here.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-New York, please visit ngocsd-ny.org.