• À propos

  • Qui sommes-nous ?
  • Nos actions
  • Conférence 2008
  • Historique/archives
  • Contactez-nous
  • Partenaires

Civil society Consultation on Action for Innovative financing

CONGAD - Conseil des ONG d’Appui au Développement

While civil society has long been familiar with the concept of “giving aid” to developing countries, less widely known is where exactly aid and development money comes from and how greater development initiatives are financed.

 

Traditionally, a percentage of gross national income from “Northern” (developed) and from some “Southern” countries provides towards official development assistance (ODA) or aid. In 2002, the international community met in Monterrey, Mexico at the International Conference on Financing for Development and resolved to address the challenges of financing for development around the world, particularly in developing countries. Starting in 2003, an international group of experts working on new international financial contributions made the case for establishing levies that would be coordinated internationally but implemented at a national level to finance development.

 

A year later, a declaration on action against hunger and poverty was made at the United Nations and the need to find additional resources for financing development, beyond ODA was formalised. As a result, 79 countries endorsed a Declaration on Innovative Sources of Financing for Development.

 

Coming out of the initial declaration was the Leading Group on Solidarity Levies to Fund Development (Groupe Pilote) or Leading Group, which moves forward discussions around innovative financing mechanisms.

The Leading Group is an informal inter-governmental body who meet periodically to pursue a work plan, and organise working groups to tackle initiatives that result from their meetings. It is advised by an Expert Group of specialists in finance appointed by some of the participating governments.

 

The fifth meeting of the Leading Group on Solidarity Levies will be held in Dakar, Senegal, from 22 - 23 April, 2008. The Senegalese council of NGOs – CONGAD, the Commonwealth Foundation, Social Watch and the North-South Institute are collaborating to organise a civil society consultation in Dakar on innovative financing from 19 -20 April 2008, in advance of the meeting of the Leading Group. 

 

The collaborative consultation would act as a preparatory process for more effective participation by civil society organisations (CSOs) in the Leading Group meeting, as well as help develop advocacy-oriented strategies for advancing the existing levy and the currency transaction tax.

 

The two-day consultation will cover a diverse range of topics, including international finance expert Sony Kapoor on currency taxation tax and tax justice, to a discussion on migrant’s remittances from the Spanish Embassy at Senegal.

 

The consultation will also be instrumental with preparing an innovative financing agenda for a subsequent event - the Monterrey Review Conference in Doha, Qatar, later this year. The Senegalese Resident Representative from the African Development Bank and the UN Special Adviser on Innovative Financing for Development are two of the speakers that will be leading discussion on Doha preparation.

 

The pre-meeting in Senegal is an important opportunity for civil society organisations across the Commonwealth to share experiences and learning about key issues relevant to the development finance.

 

Twenty-five civil society representatives drawn from African Anglophone (including Commonwealth) and Francophone countries will attend the meeting, and will make a submission to Ministers on 22 April.

 

ends

 

For further enquiries contact :

Cheikh Tidiane TOURE Regional Coordinator of Non Governmental Diplomacy Program – CONGAD

Office : (+221) 33 820 9449/ 33 824 44 13   Email : congad@ngo-diplomacy.org

© 2010 ONG-NGO - Netlinking - Réalisation : MWM