Global tax reform Beyond BEPS

Side-event during the meeting of the UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters

Tuesday, October 20, 2015 | 13-15h
Room XXIV (tbc), Palais des Nations, Geneva

Jointly organized by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, MISEREOR, Global Policy Forum, Global Alliance for Tax Justice and Alliance Sud in cooperation with the ICRICT

Fair taxation can help in fighting inequality, realizing human rights, and ensuring the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, a succession of reports of tax dodging by multinational corporations have cast the spotlight on the need for reform of the international tax system. It has also become evident that international tax avoidance makes use of tax havens and the offshore secrecy system, which also facilitates capital flight and money laundering for criminal and terrorist purposes.

Recognizing the need for reform, in 2013, the G20 gave its support to the OECD’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) initiative. The OECD has delivered the final reports and published them on 5 October 2015. This provides a welcome opportunity for a much wider debate, which should evaluate what progress has been made and what remains to be done. While the BEPS project clearly has made progress that would have been thought of as impossible just five years ago, it has evoked additional questions on the overall fitness of the international tax framework.
 
It is clear that even under an ambitious agenda like BEPS, issues central to the interests and priorities of developing countries, such as the source/residence taxation split and more practical measures like withholding taxes remain to be discussed. Moreover, the lack of full global representation in the BEPS process has revealed the current insufficiency of global governance on tax matters as was made evident at the recent Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During these negotiations, developing countries proposed an upgrade of the existing Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters into an intergovernmental body. While, in the end, the proposal did not make it into the outcome of the conference, the proposal and the arguments for it are not off the table.

The first meeting of this Committee after the Addis Ababa conference is a fitting occasion to discuss ways forward in inclusive global tax reform. Find an invitation to a side event on October 20, 2015, attached to this e-mail.

It is clear that a much wider global debate is needed to ensure a fair and effective reform of international taxation. One strong voice which aims to contribute to such a debate is that of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation, an initiative bringing together renowned experts from the fields of finance, tax and the economy, including José Antonio Ocampo (Chair), Eva Joly, Joseph E. Stiglitz and Magdalena Sepúlveda.

Invitation and program (pdf, 1,3 MB)

Fit for whose purpose?

Private funding and corporate influence in the United Nations

27 July 2015, 1:15-2:45pm | Conference Room 7 | UN Headquarters, New York

The Post-2015 Agenda is being shaped at a time of challenge for multilateralism. Multi-stakeholder partnerships and deeper engagement with the business sector are being positioned as central pillars for implementation as well as for mobilizing and leveraging the trillions of dollars needed.

This direction is not taking into account the recent pattern of UN development funding, a pattern which has been characterized by underfunding on the one hand and increased earmarking of funding from donors, public and private, on the other. A continuation of this pattern might undermine the integration of economic, social and environmental policies and programmes – the essence of the agenda for the next 15 years.

The side event will discuss the challenge of shaping the Post-2015 Agenda, building on findings of a recently completed comprehensive study undertaken by Global Policy Forum on the practices and consequences of private funding of the UN system.

Speakers:

• Barbara Adams and Jens Martens, Global Policy Forum
• H.E. Guilherme Patriota, Permanent Mission of Brazil to the UN
• Manuel Montes, South Centre
• Noelene Nabulivou, DAWN
• Alessandro Motter, IPU

The outcome document for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3) is being finalized at the United Nations in New York. This is a key moment to make an assessment and influence the issues under negotiation to ensure progress is not lost in the interests of fact-tracking consensus. The outcome document must establish new ground on a range of issues such as combatting illicit financial flows and global tax cooperation.

Key to this is action on proposals of monitoring and accountability without repeating the mistake of leaving follow-up and review to insufficient processes. Several proposals are on the table. They range from integrating the existing FfD monitoring track into the follow-up for the Post-2015 Agenda and the work of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to creating a set of specialized bodies under the auspices of the United Nations. These would not just monitor outcomes and implementation but also carry forward the agenda with the development of new instruments and policies. One proposal, for example, is to supplement the existing expert committee on international cooperation on tax with an intergovernmental tax body with universal membership. Only in this manner, or by similar systemic reforms, proponents argue, could the challenges of the current global economic system be addressed.

Panelists include

• H.E. Mr. Hiroshi Minami, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations
• Mr. Dominik Ziller, Deputy Director General Global processes, financing for development, effectiveness, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany
• Mr. Aldo Caliari, Center of Concern/CIDSE
• Ms. Nicole Bidegain, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN)
• Ms. Tove Ryding, Eurodad
• Ms. Tessa Khan, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD)

Moderator: Mr. Wolfgang Obenland, Global Policy Forum

Wednesday, March 25, 08:30-11:00
Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté de droits, salle de Conference/Salle de Soutenance

Goals for the Rich

Indispensible for a Universal Post-2015 Agenda

Jointly organized with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Arab NGO Network for Development, Social Watch, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), Third World Network

“Post-2015” is currently right in the centre of the development discourse. The UN, governments, civil society organizations and researchers are discussing what will come after the MDGs. But the “Post-2015 Agenda” must be much more than just an updated list of MDGs.

The Post-2015 process offers the opportunity to respond to changing global realities – be it the shift in geopolitical and economic power relations, or urgent global problems, such as accelerating global warming, growing inequalities, or the expansion of the global shadow financial system.

Conventional development concepts and their related goals and strategies do not provide adequate answers to these changing conditions and global problems.

That is why we need a truly universal Post-2015 Agenda that defines particularly the goals, responsibilities and commitments of rich countries. In order to overcome poverty, inequality and environmental degradation, the Post-2015 Agenda must become an “Agenda for the rich” and must include Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the rich.

The new paper of the Reflection Group on Global Development Perspectives discusses how the responsibilities of the rich should be reflected in Post-2015 Agenda and its goals and targets. At the workshop we will present and discuss its key findings.

Speakers include

• Ziad Abdel Samad (ANND)
• Roberto Bissio (Social Watch)
• Barbara Adams (Global Policy Forum)
  
• Jens Martens (Global Policy Forum)
• Hubert Schillinger (Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung)

Wednesday, 25 March, 15:00-17:30
Université de Tunis El Manar, R 107

Joining the global movement for a Treaty on human rights and corporate activity

An information and strategy session by the Treaty Alliance

Jointly organized with CCFD-Terre Solidaire/Forum citoyen pour la RSE, CIDSE, Franciscans International, FIDH, Global Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power, Polaris Institute, Transnational Institute (These include members of the “Treaty Alliance”)

Civil society organizations and social movements around the world struggling against corporate abuse achieved a first victory in June last year when the UN Human Rights Council adopted Resolution 26/9, establishing an Intergovernmental Working Group whose the mandate shall be to elaborate an international legally-binding instrument to regulate the activities of business enterprises. However, there remain important challenges to ensure that a robust treaty ensuring genuine corporate accountability and access to justice will be drafted in a participatory and transparent manner. Indeed, corporate-related abuse continues, access to remedies for victims of corporate crimes remains blatantly insufficient, and in the rush for land and natural resources, social movements and human rights defenders denouncing corporate abuse face increased repression and harassment. Civil society, social movements and affected communities' mobilization is instrumental in the struggle to put people and the planet before profits. In this context, the Treaty Alliance, a coalition of more than 600 NGOs and 400 individuals across the globe seeking corporate accountability and social and environmental justice, hosts an information and strategy workshop directed at all those interested in joining the struggle for a binding Treaty regulating corporate activity.

The aim of this workshop is to inform about the process, challenges and opportunities in the treaty development, and to enable social movements and affected communities to take an active part in the struggle for a binding treaty on human rights and corporate activity. This event will enable to share experiences, create synergies and ultimately to build strategic alliances. Participants will be encouraged to develop activities for mobilisation in their respective regions, to participate in advocacy around the process and content of the treaty discussions, and to remain engaged with the Treaty Alliance.

Speakers include

• Francesca Restifo (Franciscans International)
• Rose Trajano (FIDH/PHRA, Philippines)
• Marion Cadier (FIDH)
• Alberto Villarreal (Friends of the Earth/Dismantle Corporate Power, Uruguay)

Moderator: Brid Brennan (TNI, Netherlands tbc)

Thursday, March 26, 2015, 15:00-17:30
Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté de droits, salle de Conference/Salle de Soutenance

Stopping human and labor rights abuses by corporations

New developments in international and national regulation

Jointly organized with CCFD-Terre Solidaire/Forum citoyen pour la RSE, CIDSE, Franciscans International, FIDH, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Global Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power, Polaris Institute, Transnational Institute

Civil society organizations and social movements around the world are drawing attention to increasing situations of human and labor rights violations by business. There are important developments in corporate regulation both at international level and at national and regional levels. Following strong collective advocacy efforts by civil society within the “Treaty Alliance” for its establishment, the new United Nations inter-governmental working group on an international legally-binding instrument on business & human rights will hold its first meeting in July 2015. And proposals for national legislation requiring mandatory human rights due diligence by multinational companies have recently made important advances in some countries.

The aim of this workshop is to bring together a broad range of actors engaged against business impunity in order to raise awareness, share experiences, and inform strategies and collective actions. What obstacles do affected communities face in preventing and responding to human and labor rights abuses by powerful corporations (presentation of case studies)? What are current national and regional initiatives in order to promote corporate human rights due diligence obligations and access to justice? How could an international binding treaty help overcome obstacles, what are the next steps in this process, and how can organizations engage?

Speakers include

• Rodrigo Peret (Franciscan Action for Ecology and Solidarity (AFES), Brazil)
• Daniel Angelim (Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA))
• Marco Zeisser (CooperAccion, Peru)
• Mathilde Dupré (CCFD terre solidaire, France)
• Ben Leather (International Service for Human Rights, Switzerland)
• Dick Forslund (Alternative Information and Development Center (AIDC), South Africa)

Moderator: Denise Auclair (CIDSE)

Friday, March 27, 2015, 08:30-11:00
Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté de droits, salle de Conference/Salle de Soutenance

Promoting Tax Justice by Strengthening Global Tax Governance

Jointly organized with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Arab NGO Network for Development, Global Alliance for Tax Justice, CIDSE, Eurodad, CNCD-11.11.11, MISEREOR, Oxfam, Public Services International, Action Aid and Christian Aid

International cooperation in tax matters has intensified in the last few years. Processes under the anti-BEPS framework at the OECD/G20 are proof of that. Nevertheless, countries in the global South that are suffering from the results of tax evasion and avoidance the most are still to a great deal marginalized and excluded from this. In some cases, countries in the global South are even suffering from a non-conducive global environment that limits their policy space in tax matters. For the poor, this means losing vast amounts of resources, where they could have been allocated to sustainable development.

With the Financing for Development Conference coming up in July, now is the time to set the course towards fighting tax avoidance and evasion by the rich and powerful corporations. The UN Secretary General calls for the establishment of an intergovernmental committee on tax cooperation under the auspices of the UN. Would such a committee foster dialogue and cooperation without marginalizing a majority of governments and people? Will this be a meaningful space outside the exclusive clubs of the OECD? The UN appears to be the natural place for this. But even more visionary solutions are conceivable.

Join us for a panel discussion with inputs from:

• Firas Jaber (Arab NGO Network for Development)
• Jorge Coronado (Latindadd/GATJ)
• Jane Nalunga (SEATINI Uganda/ Global Alliance for Tax Justice)
• Jean Letitia Saldanha (CIDSE)

Moderation: Teresa Marshall (Global Alliance for Tax Justice)

Friday, March 27, 2015, 11:30-14:00
Université de Tunis El Manar, Salle de Lecture 5

Securing Accountability and (a just sharing of) responsibility for the Post-2015 agenda

Jointly organized with CIDSE, Social Watch, Ibon and Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), Nigeria

Civil society has put forward and worked hard to defend a vision of a new Post-2015 Agenda that will approach human rights, environmental integrity and the urgency of dealing with climate change in a way that addresses the injustice and inequity inherent in gender, social, political and economic relations at all levels.

As we approach the final phase of agreeing on the framework, there are clear indications that we are further from reaching this vision in the post-2015 agreement than ever before. The role that large corporate actors play in this regard deserves particular attention and serves as the red thread through the many obstacles faced in reaching a just and equitable agreement. Against the backdrop of corporate capture, universality, good governance, an enabling environment and similar concepts have become risk laden. The way they are being used will only serve to perpetuate the unjust distribution of power and resources in the Post-2015 world.

We need to challenge this rhetoric in a way that reveals the discrepancies between aspiration and the real agenda of those with power and influence. By putting the issue of equity at the center of discourse, more emphasis on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility could counter the singular focus on issues that are driven by vested interests, like the socalled global partnership with Corporates, opening countries financial systems to be exploited by private finance in the name of sustainable development, shifting state responsibility for fulfilling international commitments to non-state, unaccountable actors and more.

Join us for a panel discussion with inputs from (all tbc):

• John Patrick Ngoyi (JDPC)
• Paul Quintos (IBON)
• Roberto Bissio (Social Watch)
• Jean Letitia Saldanha (CIDSE)

Moderation: Barbara Adams (Global Policy Forum)

Public Panel Discussions During the 59th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women

The SDG on Inequality: How Useful Can This Be for Women?

In cooperation with the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—New York Office, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) and UNRISD

Tuesday, March 10, 2015, 8:30 – 10:00 AM
Church Center of the United Nations, 10th floor
777 1st Avenue, New York

The commitment to “eradicate the persistent and increasing burden of poverty on women by addressing the structural causes of poverty through changes in economic structures” was one of the central promises of the Beijing Declaration, the final report of the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. The lack of progress made during the twenty years since then, is sobering. On the occasion of the 59th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—New York Office is organizing a project that examines the structural causes of poverty and seeks to develop alternatives with activists from around the world. From March 7 – 13, 2015, feminist activists and politicians from Germany, Croatia, Bolivia, Colombia, Nepal, Cambodia, and Kenya will be in New York City.

Additionally, GPF, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—New York Office and DAWN are organizing a public panel discussion. At this event, we will discuss whether the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be able to avoid the shortcomings of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), on which the UN development agenda was based so far.

Speakers:

• Dagmar Enkelmann, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Germany
• Gathoni Blessol, The Rules und Bunge La Wamama Mashinani, Kenya
• Barbara Adams, Global Policy Forum, United States
• Yiping Cai, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era, China

Moderator: Stefanie Ehmsen, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—New York Office

Women’s Mobilization for Gender-Egalitarian Policy Change in the 20 Years since Beijing

In cooperation with the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—New York Office, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) and UNRISD

Tuesday, March 10, 2015, 3:00 – 4:45 PM
Conference Room E (First Basement, UN General Assembly Building)
UN Headquarters
1st Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Street
New York, New York 10017

Download the flyer of this event.

The event aims at exploring the question of how women’s organizations and feminist movements can influence governmental decision-making. What strategies have proven to be effective to ensure policy agendas and laws reflect women’s interests? What are the factors and conditions under which non-state actors can effectively trigger and influence policy change?

Speakers:

• Elisa Vega Sillo, Office for Depatriarchalization of the Vice-Ministry of Decolonization, Bolivia
• Nitya Rao, University of East Anglia, Great Britain
• Anne-Marie Goetz, New York University, United States
• Rob Jenkins, Hunter College, United States

Moderator: Valeria Esquivel, UNRISD, Switzerland

Workshops at the World Social Forum, Tunis - 26-30 March 2013

Global Sustainability Goals: The way forward in shaping transformation towards a more equitable, just and sustainable world?

28 March 2013, 13.00 – 15.30hrs
Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté de droits, salle de lecture n° 1

The present framework of international development goals revolving around “Millennium Development Goals” for the year 2015 do not provide adequate answers to the global problems, be it global warming or the growing inequalities. Both the debate over a post-2015 agenda as well as the agreement at the Rio conference to formulate Sustainable Development Goals now offer the opportunity to readdress holistic concepts of prosperity and progress in societies.
What could an integrated system of Global Sustainability Goals look like? What are its normative foundations? Beyond goals: what accountability mechanisms must be put in place? How could such goals be embedded in a rights-based approach to development and a system of fair burden-sharing?
With (inter alia): Roberto Bissio, Social Watch, Anita Nayar/Nicole Bidegain, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), Jens Martens, Global Policy Forum Europe, Ziad Abdel Samad, Arab NGO Network for Development, Jean Saldanha, International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity (CIDSE), Sara Burke, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung New York Office.

Invitation (pdf, 200 KB)

Eco-Social Fiscal Justice as Part of a Holistic Post 2015 Agenda

28 March 2013, 16.00 – 18.30hrs
Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté de droits, salle de lecture n° 1

Fiscal policy is a key instrument to turn a rights-based approach of sustainability and societal progress into practice. Budgets allow inferences to be drawn about the political influence of different interest groups: Are business interests pushed through? Or is public spending focused on the needs of the people? There are many discussions on Sustainable Development Goals succeeding the MDGs. But Sustainable Development Goals will remain useless if it will not be reflected in correspondent Sustainable Development Budgets.
We want to discuss what these budgets should look like. And we want to bring together actors from budget monitoring and transparency initiatives with people who have so far been working on social and environmental issues.
With (inter alia): Silja Dressel, GIZ, Filomeno Santa Ana III, Action For Economic Reform, Slim Gargouri, Accountant and tax expert, Rocío Moreno, Global Movement for Budget Transparency, Accountability and Participation, Iara Pietricovsky, INESC (tbc), Diego de la Mora, Fundar, Semkae Kilonzo, Policy Forum, Jens Martens, GPF Europe

Invitation (pdf, 200 KB)

Open Forum on the Tax Justice Agenda

29 March 2013, 13.00 – 15.30hrs
Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté de droits, salle de lecture n° 1

The debate around tax justice is concentrated on combating tax evasion and avoidance as well as the underlying structures that enable those practices - by corporations as well as individuals. In development oriented circles discussions focus on the precarious state of public finance in many countries in the South and North as well as around the issue of domestic resource mobilization through means of fairer and more effective tax systems and administrations. We want to share experiences and strategies towards our common goals and enable us to cooperate more closely to achieve them in solidarity.
What are pressing issues locally and globally? Is there a need and room for better cooperation? What strategies are to be employed?
With (inter alia): Alvin Mosioma, TJN-A, Arnaud Zacharie, CNCD-11.11.11, Wolfgang Obenland, GPF, Murray Worthy, War on Want, N.N., CIDSE

Invitation (pdf, 200 KB)

 

2012

 

Assessing the World’s Agriculture: the IAASTD Report and the Future of Sustainable Food Policy (December 5, 2012)

On December 5, 2012, GPF and the Working Group on Food & Hunger invited Molly Anderson from the College of the Atlantic to discuss the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) report and the future of sustainable food policy. Ms. Anderson was one of the coordinating lead authors of the study that reflected the work of more than 900 agricultural experts from 110 countries. To this day the IAASTD report remains by far the most definitive study of global agricultural science and technology.  During the luncheon, Ms. Anderson discussed the report’s implications for policy making. She also discussed the contested terrain of food system alternatives after Rio+20.

"Tax Justice - Human Rights - Future Justice"

International conference on November 27th in Berlin, Germany, at the headquarters of the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation.
A joint initiative by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the Global Policy Forum Europe, MISEREOR, and terre des hommes in cooperation with the Tax Justice Network Germany

The debate around „tax justice“ is currently concentrated on combating tax evasion and avoidance as well as on the dismantling of the underlying structures that enable those practices.
In development policy oriented circles discussions focus on the precarious state of public finance in many countries in the South as well as around the issue of domestic resource mobilization through means of more effective tax systems and more efficient tax administrations. Problems here are domestic elites not paying their fair share; a good part of economic activity is happening informally; transnational corporations are evading effective taxation by using tax incentives and manipulative transfer pricing methods.
In the human rights arena the issue of „maximum available resources“ in combination with extraterritorial obligations of states is gaining increasing attention.

In the middle of the financial and sovereign debt crises, taxation is receiving more and more attention in Europe and Germany as one way out of the mess: wealth taxes, bank levies and a European financial transaction tax are shifting into the focus of policy makers.

Parallel to this, the evolution of the discourse around eco-social tax and fiscal reform is progressing as instruments to curb environmental degradation, climate change and limiting the consumption of finite and rare natural resources.

Tax Justice, Future Justice and the fulfillment of Human Rights need to be advanced in combination. At our international conference, we want to learn from renowned experts on how to achieve this and debate their proposals.

Invitation and program (pdf, 350 KB)

Info Steuergerechtigkeit #07 - Steuergerechtigkeit als Alternative zum Spardiktat von Schuldenbremse und Fiskalpakt (pdf, 400 KB)

Info Steuergerechtigkeit #08e - Taxes and human rights (pdf, 500 KB)

Info Steuergerechtigkeit #09e - Environmental tax reform in countries of the South (pdf, 500 KB)

Bonn Symposium 2012
Paradigm Shift 2015. Towards a New Sustainable Development Agenda

A conference by the Development and Peace Foundation in cooperation with GPF Europe and the United Nations Association of Germany
Deutsche Welle and Haus der Geschichte, Bonn
13-14 November 2012

Over the last decade, the development policy debate has been dominated by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This set of development policy objectives has proved to be a very effective tool for public awareness-raising and campaigning on development issues. At the same time, however, the last ten years have also highlighted the weaknesses of a development policy approach which is focused primarily on combating the most extreme forms of income poverty and hunger and meeting communities’ basic needs. In view of the changes taking place in global economic and (power-)political relations – China’s upsurge in significance being an obvious example – the division of the world into “industrialised” and “developing” countries, with an affluent North and impoverished global South, seems increasingly anachronistic. In our ever more interdependent world, countries which were long characterised as “developing” or “emerging” nations are now helping to shape the international policy agendaand bringing their own ideas and concepts to the table. The global power shift, the emergence of new strategic alliances and the growing importance of global public goods are just some of the crucial factors influencing theinternational community’s efforts to negotiate a new development agenda. Some of the emerging countries are themselves now playing a greater role as development actors in other countries and regions of the world – amajor paradigm shift in the global development architecture. These changes bring new challenges and offer new opportunities. Above all, they force us to question the usefulness of development goals which, although formulated at the global level, are mainly relevant to a narrowly defined group of “poor” countries.

In recent years, processes which seek to identify alternative concepts of development and models of prosperity have been initiated at various levels. At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) the international community agreed to develop a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, they will be elaborated in a different organisanional setting to the post 2015 Millennium Development Goals planning process. Aspirations to combine both agendas in the near future were disappointed.

Against this background, the Development and Peace Foundation (SEF), together with the Global Policy Forum and the United Nations Association of Germany, will give a discussion floor to those still demanding and working for a common agenda. The Symposium will explore the fundamental issue of what development will mean in an increasingly complex and differentiated world in future. Which new strategies and forms of cooperation must be developed at the global policy level in response to an increasingly diverse cast of actors and growing global interdependencies? This year’s Symposium will provide a platform here in Germany for the debate – now being conducted with growing intensity by international civil society and policy-makers – about the future of the MDGsand their institutional parameters, and, in particular, will explore the implications for UN institutions and other Bonn-based organisations.

Conference Website
Programme of the conferene (pdf, 640 KB)
Programme of workshops (pdf, 630 KB)

The Committee on World Food Security: Civil Society Participation and Recent Policy Developments (November 8, 2012)

On November 8, 2012, GPF and the Working Group on Food & Hunger invited Nora McKeon from Terra Nuova (Rome) to discuss the  Committee on World Food Security. Ms. McKeon addressed the role of civil society in the process and discussed the recent policy developments in Rome, arguing for better cooperation between Rome in New York in this UN process. The policy luncheon was a part of ‘The Future of Global Food Policy’- forum series at the United Nations and was heavily attended by both delegations and members of civil society.

Nora McKeon

Land Grabbing - A Grassroots Perspective: A Discussion with ActionAid Representatives (September 13, 2012)

On September 13, 2012, GPF and the Working Group on Food and Hunger organized a policy luncheon on land grabbing with ActionAid representatives from Senegal, Tanzania and Bangladesh. The representatives provided examples of cases of land grabbing from their countries, highlighting the existing challenges concerning land tenure. In addition to the specific country representatives, Ruchi Tripathi and Marie Brill from ActionAid International introduced the different ways ActionAid is working on land tenure issues globally. The policy luncheon was a part of the 'Future of Global Food Policy' - forum series at the United Nations and was heavily attended by both delegations and members of civil society.

Raging War, Waging Peace: Achieving Justice in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (August 31, 2012)

GPF co-hosted a discussion with representatives of a delegation from the DRC gathering church and civil society leaders. The delegation was in New York to hand a petition to the Secretary General and the Security Council calling for peace and justice in the DRC. During their presentations, the panelists talked about the history of Rwandan intervention in DRC, the role of natural resources in the conflict, and the plight of Congolese women.

The panelists

Advancing Farm Workers’ Rights in the Corporate Food Supply Chain: A discussion with Rev. Noelle Damico (May 10, 2012; New York)

Noelle and Jim

The Tragic Legacies of Lebanon's Phalangists: A conversation with Jonathan Randall (May 11, 2012)

GPF co-sponsored this book launch with the Presbyterian Ministry at the UN. Author Jonathan Randall, a longtime Washington Post correspondent, spoke about the re-issue of his classic 1983 study of politics and civil war in Lebanon, the Israeli invasion, and the massacres of Sabra and Shatilla.  Just World Books publisher Helena Cobban, herself a Middle East expert and journalist, also spoke.

Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control, with author Medea Benjamin (May 2, 2012)

Drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) have become the signature weapons of the US covert air strikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen. The use of drones in undeclared wars violates both the US Constitution and international law. Drone strikes are carried out without due process, and do not discriminate between intended targets and bystanders. Many innocent civilians, including children, are killed as a result. Medea Benjamin’s book is a call to action, with a look at what activists, lawyers, and scientists are doing to rein in the drones.

Shahzad Akbar, Medea Benjamin and
James Paul

Luncheon with Bruno Tissot of the Bank for International Settlements (April 23, 2012)

Bruno Tissot, Advisor to the General Manager of the Swiss-based Bank for International Settlements, spoke at a private luncheon meeting organized by GPF for a group of NGOs and other experts.  Tissot talked about the instability of the global financial system and the growing difficulty in finding solutions to the crisis that began in 2008.  He noted that $15 trillion in additional sovereign spending has failed to bring renewed health to markets.  Participants concluded that neither banks nor government treasuries have much more capacity to keep the bailout going and strong political leadership is woefully absent.

Bruno Tissot

The Land Grabbing Disaster and the Global Food System: A discussion with Haroon Akram-Lodhi (April 11, 2012)

Hedge-funds, governments, and agro-industrial industries have been buying or leasing large blocks of agricultural land around the world in a process widely known as "land grabbing." Land grabbing has displaced tens of millions of small producers, who have lost their livelihoods as a result. Global Policy Forum invited Professor Haroon Akram-Lodhi of Trent University to speak about the issue.

Haroon Akram-Lodhi

Law in the Time of Cholera: UN Peacekeeping, Cholera, and Human Rights in Haiti (April 9, 2012)

GPF organized this event with the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti to discuss the cholera epidemic in Haiti, and the the larger role of MINUSTAH, the UN's Peacekeeping force that brought cholera to the region. Co-sponsers include the Center for Constitutional Rights, International Association of Democratic Lawyers, Mennonite Central Committee, Presbyterian Ministry at the UN, and United Methodist Women. The discussion featured Abby Goldberg (New Media Advocacy Project), Mario Joseph (Bureau des Avocats Internationaux), Dr. Evan Lyon, and Brian Concannon (Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti).

Abby Goldberg, Evan Lyon, Mario Joseph, and Brian Concannon

The Movement for Food Sovereignty: A discussion with La Via Campesina (March 26, 2012; New York)

La Via Campesina coined the term, "Food Sovreignty," in 1996. The term refers to a policy framework advocated by small-scale farmers that allows them to define their own agricultural system.

Pat Mooney, David Weaver and
Dena Hof

Corporate Influence on Food Policy - A discussion with Marion Nestle (February 15, 2012; New York)

This discussion with Professor Marion Nestle examined the increasing influence of corporations on food policy. Through the deregulation of Wall Street, a sharp rise in lobbying power and billions being poured into marketing, giant corporations have taken over the food system. Nestle warned against public institutions partnering with food companies and advocated for tighter regulation of corporations.

Marion presents

Climate Change & Agriculture: Looking towards Rio + 20 – A discussion with Doreen Stabinsky (January 18, 2012)

This discussion featured Doreen Stabinsky, Professor of Global Environmental Politics at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbon, Maine. With Rio + 20 coming up in June, this timely discussion was focused on the link between climate change and agriculture. Professor Stabinsky warned that “business as usual is not an option” and advocated for a reform of the overall agriculture and food system: a paradigm shift away from industrial agriculture and towards sustainable production and consumption. She warned that unless we address the current model of development, we will be unable to achieve global food security. Delegates, UN staff and members of the NGO community participated.

2011

 

Nurturing Development: The Role of Innovative Financing for Development and its Implications of Economic Governance (December 6, 2011)

In the context of the 5^th High Panel Debate on Financing for Development, GPF and UBUNTU Forum co-sponsored this event on how to better align the twofold goals of effective economic governance and fundraising for development.  The discussion featured Manuel Manonelles (UBUNTU Forum), Peter Bakvis (International Trade Union Confederation), Julien Meimon (Leading Group on Innovative Financing for Development), Gail Hurley (United Nations Development Program) and Rodrigo Robredo (Spanish Foreign Ministry). The debate focused on Financial Transaction Taxes, in particular the Currency Transaction Tax (CTT) and on the Air Transport Levy as three innovative methods which succeed in raising revenues for development while taxing those individuals and economic sectors that have the financial capacities to pay. At the same time, FTTs and CTTs can improve economic governance and push speculation back.

Julien Meimon, Manuel Manonelles and Gail Hurley

Recent Developments on the Right to Food - A Conversation with UN Special Rapporteur Olivier de Schutter (November 16, 2011; New York)

In this discussion, UN Special Rapporteur Olivier de Schutter gave an update on the Right to Food since the start of his second term as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. De Schutter talked about the urgent need to curb commodity speculation, end subsidies and for the WTO to change trade rules that privelege exporting countries. De Schutter also touched upon the negative impacts of biofuels, land grabbing, and the need to recognize and support small-scale farmers.

Olivier de Schutter

Purchase for Progress - Connecting Smallholder Farmers to Markets in Africa and Central America: A discussion with Ken Davies (October 28, 2011; New York)

This discussion featured Ken Davies, Coordinator of UN World Food Programme’s “Purchase for Progress” (P4P) initiative. This five-year pilot program began in September 2008 and is based in 21 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Davies spoke about the structure of the program and efforts by WFP to buy staple crops from farmers’ organizations in these countries, through direct or forward contracts. P4P trains small and medium traders in farming techniques and crop quality control. P4P is primarily funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and has connected over 500,000 small farmers to markets.

Ken Davies and Jim Paul

Human Rights in Palestine and the Role of the 66^th General Assembly: A Briefing by Raji Sourani (September 27, 2011)

GPF, the NGO Working Group on Israel and Palestine, and US Federation for Middle East Peace co-sponsored this event featuring Raji Sourani, Founder of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza and Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights. As the UN Security Council debates the Palestinian Authority’s bid for recognition of a Palestinian state, Sourani highlights issues of basic fundamental human rights, the international rule of law, and standards of accountability. He also deconstructs the normalization of the Israeli occupation. An award winning human rights lawyer, Sourani was denied entrance to the US for the last 11 years due to his alleged association with terrorists. His trip and this event were possible only after former US President Carter, among others, advocated on his behalf.

Picture Credit: fidh.org

Innovating in Justice, Innovating in Finance: Time for a Financial Transaction Tax (September 22, 2011; New York)

The debate focused on the introduction of a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT), which could generate resources to fund development. Introducing a tax of only 0,005% on currency exchange transactions, for instance, would be sufficient to raise over $30 billion per year. Panelists acknowledged the unprecedented willingness among governments and policymakers to establish such a tax. The introduction of a FTT has long ceased to be a utopia: its implementation is economically and technically feasible, and is now a matter of political will. GPF has long advocated for the introduction of global taxes, and published a major policy paper on this topic in 2001. However, Jim Paul and other NGOs representatives warned that governments may try to hijack the revenue generated by a tax such as the FTT to fill their own coffers.

James Paul, Manuel Manonelles & Jose Maria Fernandez Lopez de Turiso

Palestine: The UN Debate and Beyond - A Discussion with Rashid Khalidi, Karima Bennoune, and Benjamin Beit Hallahmi (September 12, 2011; New York)

This discussion featured Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, Karima Bennoune, Professor of Law and at Rutgers University, and Benjamin Beit Hallahmi, Professor of Psychology at the University of Haifa, Israel. It examined the context of Palestine’s UN bid and explored the legal ramifications of the idea of Palestinian statehood. According to Khalidi, for the last two decades the rules functioning as the basis for peace negotiations have been imposed by the US, often at the insistence of its Israeli ally. Although in his view the Palestinian initiative will not end the occupation or result in liberation, it is a positive step for changing the terms currently underpinning the conflict. The UN, a multilateral forum with an international legal basis, is where this issue should be decided.

Rashid Khalidi & Doug Hostetter

International Workshop

Civil society strategies towards tax justice – what next?

hosted by MISEREOR, Global Policy Forum and terre des hommes
Bonn, Haus der Evangelischen Kirche, Adenaueralle 37, Germany
13 September 2011

With this workshop we would like to take stock of the tax related debates in international fora, particularly the G20, the OECD and the UN; we will exchange views and experiences from various regions and share information about the tax agenda of CSOs in Africa, Asia and Latin America; and we will discuss advocacy priorities and themes for the coming months. Key issues of the joint brainstorming and strategizing will be country-by-country reporting (Dodd-Frank and beyond), measures against tax dodging (lessons from the SABMiller and Glencore cases), and an update of the TJN’s Financial Secrecy Index 2011.

Invitation and Programme (pdf - 70 KB)

Presentations at the Workshop (engl. pdf - 2.8 MB)

A European Seat on the UN Security Council? (May 23-25, 2011; Brussels)

GPF was the lead organizer of a conference in Brussels on May 23-25, to consider the possibility of a European seat in the UN Security Council. Co-sponsored by the Dag Hammarskold Foundation of Uppsala, the Development and Peace Foundation of Bonn, and the Istituto Affari Internazionali of Rome, this was GPF's third conference on Security Council reform and without doubt the most ambitious. Forty-two experts gathered to discuss the issue, seen as a dimension of growing regionalism in global governance and a way to better represent all the world's people on vital issues of peace and security. Among the speakers and participants were Ambassador Peter van Walsum (the Netherlands), Member of the European Parliament Ana Gomes (Portugal), Ambassador Andrzej Towpik (Poland), Professor Daniele Archibugi (Birkbeck College London), and GPF Senior Advisor Celine Nahory (Switzerland, India). The conference ended on the 25th, with a very well-attended hearing in the European Parliament and plans for future collaboration on the topic by many of those attending.

More than 40 experts attended

Energy and Eating - How biofuels affect the world's food supply and what we should do about it: A discussion with David Pimentel (March 16, 2011; New York)

The diminishing supply of oil and high energy prices encourages the conversion of grain and other food products into biofuels. This luncheon discussion with David Pimentel, Emeritus Professor at Cornell University, addressed the negative impacts of biofuels on the environment and economy. Delegates, NGOs and UN staff participated. Pimentel talked about the challenge of energy conservation and how grains should be used to feed the 4.5 billion people who are currently malnourished worldwide.

David Pimentel and Jim Paul

The Food Crisis and the Limits to Growth: A Discussion with Martin Lees (February 9, 2011; New York)

This discussion featured Martin Lees, former Secretary General of the Club of Rome and former top UN official. In a world where one in three people are under-nourished in sub-Saharan Africa, and where 80 per cent of income is spent on food in African countries, a dialogue on the food crisis and limits to growth is essential.  The current model of growth is failing to eradicate hunger and is failing to provide opportunities for people to find productive work. Additionally, economic growth is destabilizing the climate and ecological systems and is ignoring the interests of future generations.

Martin Lees & Jim Paul

Speculation and Food: price instability and the food reserve option - A Discussion with Frederick Kaufman and Karen Hansen-Kuhn (January 20, 2011; New York)

In this discussion, investigative journalist Frederick Kaufman addressed wheat market prices, grain futures and the "financialization of food", as well as the "subversion" of market. Karen Hansen-Kuhn, International Program Director at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy discussed government food reserves as a method to confront price volatility.

Frederick Kaufman & Jim Paul

2010

 

Luncheon with Danny Chingimbu, a smallholder farmer from Zambia (December 15, 2010; New York)

The NGO Working Group on Food and Hunger met with Danny Chingimbu, a smallholder farmer from Zambia, at a luncheon cosponsored by IFAD - the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The conversation considered the experience of rural farmers in Zambia, as well as ideas about holistic solutions to promote the growth of household agricultural production.

Danny Chingimbu presents

Realizing the Right to Food - A Conversation with UN Special Rapporteur Olivier de Schutter (Luncheon, December 1, 2010; New York)

This discussion with Olivier de Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, addressed landgrabbing, speculation, biofuels and other topics. Delegates, NGOs and UN staff participated. De Schutter talked about the challenge to mobilize public opinion and the very grave implications of current trends in terms of growing poverty and hunger.

Olivier de Schutter and Jim Paul

Forum, "Must We Change the Global Economic System in Order to Eradicate Hunger and Poverty?" (September 22, 2010; New York)

This forum, organized by Church World Service and co-sponsored by the NGO working Group on Food and Hunger, was held in connection with a UN summit to assess progress on the eight Millennium Development Goals to cut extreme poverty in half by 2015. The participants, coming from a range of humanitarian, church and advocacy groups, discussed what systemic change is needed to empower impoverished people around the world. The event was followed by a reception at GPF's office.

 

Luncheon with Noel de Luna, Chairman of the Committee on World Food Security (July 19, 2010; New York)

GPF and the NGO Working Group on Food and Hunger invited Mr. de Luna, a diplomat, from the Philippines, to discuss the important recent reform of the Rome-based Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and the possible links between the Rome process and food policy activities in New York.

 

GPF Roundtable: Discussing the Outcome of the ICC Review Conference (June 24, 2010; New York)

GPF invited the convenor of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, William Pace, and assistant clinical professor at the Centre for Global Affairs at New York University, Jennifer Trahan, for a roundtable discussion on the relevance and outcome of the Review Conference of the International Criminal Court. The discussion focussed mainly on the amendment on the crime of aggression and the role of the United States during the negotiations on this issue.

Achieving the MDGs in Haiti: Food Sovereignty and Sustainable Agriculture (June 14, 2010; New York)

The Presbyterian UN Office, together with the NGO Working Group on Food and Hunger, invited Chavannes Jean-Baptiste to speak to a New York audience on Food Sovereignty and Sustainable Agriculture in Haiti. Chavannes has been on the front lines of struggle for Haitian farmers for many years as Head of the Peasant Movement of Papaye (MPP) and Coordinator of the Joining Hands Initiative in Haiti. Chavannes founded the MPP in 1974 and has been the director for the past 34 years. Chavannes is also a founding member of La Via Campesina, the largest worldwide movement of farmers and peasants.

Financing the United Nations in Times of Economic Insecurity (June 16, 2010; New York)

This event addressed the issues, challenges, and prospects of financing the operation of the United Nations. The conference consisted of two panel discussions, each followed by an engaging question-and-answer period. Ren Yisheng of the Chinese Mission, Thomas Gürber of the Swiss Mission, and Klaus Hüfner of UNA Germany and Global Policy Forum spoke on the first panel. Kaire Mbuende of the Namibian Mission, Morten Wetland of the Norwegian Mission, and Bengt Säve-Söderbergh of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ret.) spoke on the second panel. Numerous diplomats and experts attended the conference, which was co-hosted with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation.

The distinguished panelists discuss UN finance issues

Lunchtime discussion on Private Security Contractors and the United Nations (May 19, 2010; New York)

This discussion focussed on the role of private security contractors (PSCs) in contemporary politics, warfare and particuarly within the United Nations system. The panel consisted of: James Cockayne (Senior Fellow and New York Director of the Center on Global Counter-Terrorism Cooperation), Scott Horton (New York attorney and expert in military and international law) and Jeremy Schaill (Investigative journalist and Puffin writing fellow for the Nation Institute). Drawing on the expertise of our three speakers, the discussion addressed crucial questions like: does the UN use PSCs and should we strive to restrict or regulate PSCs?

2009

 

Luncheon on International Tax Policy with John Christensen (December 4, 2009; New York)

This event featured the Director of the London-based Tax Justice Network, who discussed the very large tax revenues that are evaded every year by multinational companies and wealthy individuals, using "secrecy jurisdictions" like the Cayman Islands, the Isle of Man, Luxembourg and many more. These missing funds impoverish states while enriching individuals, creating fiscal crises among both rich and poor countries. An international movement is under way to re-capture these revenues and make taxes fairer. Event co-sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, CONGO, NGLS, Tax Justice Network, and the World Council of Churches.

John Christensen presents

International Dialogue Putting People First: Social Consequences and Policy Implications of the Global Financial Crisis

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Hiroshimastraße 17, 10785 Berlin
19 November 2009

Invitation and Programme (pdf - 500kb)

Luncheon on Humanitarian Work in Iraq with John Filson (October 30, 2009 - New York)

A lunch event at Quaker House with John Filson, who worked as the Menonite Central Committee's Iraq Program Coordinator from 2007-2009, based in Northern Iraq. Filson talked about the difficulty of working as a neutral humanitarian in a highly-political context under the US occupation. Event co-sponsored with the MCC UN Office and the Quaker UN Office.

John Filson presents

Luncheon with Abdulstatar Yunis of La 'Onf (October 13, 2009; New York)

A brown bag lunch with Abdulsatar Younis, a representative from the Iraqi organization La 'Onf: meaning "No Violence." GPF sponsored this event, which provided an opportunity to listen to the winner of the Pfeiffer Peace Prize of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Younis talked about the efforts of La 'Onf to bring peace and reconciliation to war- torn Iraq.

Abdulsatar Yunis demonstrates

Luncheon on Agriculture, Food and Climate Change: the challenge of sustainable food production (September 22, 2009; New York)

This event, held during the day-long United Nations Summit on Climate Change, brings attention to the close connection of climate change with food & agricultural production. Already, climate change is having a serious negative effect on food production, as droughts, floods and water scarcity affect yields. At the same time, agriculture is contributing a substantial proportion of all greenhouse gases. The luncheon will bring together experts from the UN, NGOs, faith communities and academia to examine this pressing topic and to consider options for policy.

Ricardo Sanchez presents

Global Policy Reform of Food and Agriculture (May 11, 2009; New York)

Side Event during the Commission on Sustainable Development, co-sponsored with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Church World Service, the NGO Working Group on Food & Hunger and others. Speakers included Alexandra Spieldoch of IATP, Gerda Verberg the Netherlands Agriculture Minister and CSD Co-Chair, Monika Kalra Varma, Erika Rosenthal, Arthur Getz, Barbara Adams and others.

Gerda Verberg presents

Enabling Equitable and Sustainable Development: the IAASTD (May 7, 2009; New York)

A Side Event at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, featuring speakers who were authors of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development. Organized jointly with many others, including FAO, UNESCO, the IAASTD, the Governments of Switzerland and France, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Third World Network and Church World Service.

 

The Crisis in Haiti and the United Nations (May 5, 2009; 1:00-2:45; New York)

A brown bag lunch with lawyer Brian Concannon, Director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti and Mario Joseph of the Haiti-based Bureau des Avocats Internationaux. They presented recent developments in the country and the controversial role of Minustah, the UN peacekeeping mission in the country. In particular they talked about the flawed recent elections.

 

Breakfast Roundtable on the Global Food Crisis and the Right to Food (April 6, 2009; 8:15-9:45; New York)

Special guests: Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food and Molly Anderson, Coordinating lead author for the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development and Fellow at the Wallace Center. Organized jointly with the NGO Working Group on Food & Hunger.

Molly Anderson presents

Meeting with Prof. Daniele Archibugi - Author of the Global Commonwealth of Citizens: Towards Cosmopolitan Democracy (February 19, 2009; New York)

Daniele Archibugi teaches at Birkbeck College, University of London and serves as Reserach Director at the Italian National Research Ceouncil. Archibugi's new book, The Global Commonwealth of Citizens, considers how democracy can be built - from the local to the global - in today's world. Archibugi argues for the "central importance of the United Nations" and sets out ways the UN can be strengthened and made more accountable. He tackles many interesting questions, such as self-determination, war, multilingualism, and humanitarian intervention. This event was co-sponsored by Global Policy Forum and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

Daniele Archibugi presents

Financing the United Nations: More Effective Funding for Global Priorities (February 11, 2009; New York)

Leading practitioners and theorists reflected on the recently-passed UN Regular Budget and on the UN's financial challenges for the coming budgetary year 2009. Angela Kane, Under Secretary General for Management, gave the keynote opening remarks. Speakers included Klaus Hüfner, professor emeritus of the Freie Universität Berlin, Steve Dimoff of the UNA-USA Washington Office, Mohammad Tal of the ACABQ, and others. Hilary French of Worldwatch Institute and Jeffrey Laurenti of the Century Foundation moderated the discussions. The event was organized by Global Policy Forum and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

Meeting with Conor Foley - Author of The Thin Blue Line (February 9, 2009; New York)

Author Conor Foley has worked for UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies in a number of crises - including Kosovo, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Sri Lanka and other countries. His new book, The Thin Blue Line, develops a critique of humanitarian action and military intervention. His analysis grapples with the complexities and dilemmas of the humanitarian project. At this lunch meeting, he argueed that military intervention is rarely a good solution to the world's problems.

 

Crisis in Gaza: UNRWA Humanitarian Briefing Panel (January 9, 2009 - New York)

Co-sponsored by Global Policy Forum and the Israel/Palestine Working Group. This event included information and commentary from Andrew Whitley, Director, UNRWA Representative Office in New York, Peter Weiss, Vice President, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and many international NGO representatives, human rights advocates, and members of the public.

2008

 

International Workshop: Social and Human Rights Budgeting

9 December 2008
Berlin, Permanent Representation of Bremen

Invitation,Programme and Registration (pdf – 139 KB)

 

 

Step Up to the Plate: Ending the Food Crisis (October 16, 2008 - New York)

On the World Food day, GPF supported an event on the food crisis, organized by World Hunger Year. Speakers talked about the real causes and solutions to the crisis. The Great Hall at Cooper Union was packed with more than 500 people including activists, students, and journalists. More information on the event here. To read the Call to Action and then sign-on, click here. To watch excerpts from Stepping up the Plate please click here.

 

The Right to Food: How Can the UN Respond to the Global Food Crisis? (April 23, 2008 - New York)

Global Policy Forum and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation organized a day-long conference on the global food crisis. Representatives from the UN, NGOs and academic institutions spoke about the causes of the crisis as well as solutions, focusing on the role of the UN.

2007

 

Demystifying the Iran Crisis: Nuclear Weapons and Mad Mullahs? (November 13, 2007 - New York)

A discussion and fundraising reception to support the work of Global Policy Forum. Special guests were Ervand Abrahamian (CUNY Distinguished Professor) and John Burroughs (Executive Director, Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy) Each speaker touched upon the historical context of a nuclear Iran in relation to the United Nations and the international community.

 

Policy Luncheon on Iraq (October 19, 2007 - New York)

Iraq experts on Security Council delegations and selected UN staff members had a telephone dialogue with three leaders of major parliamentary blocs in Iraq . The parliamentarians and the delegates discussed the renewal of the UN mandate of the Multinational Force (MNF) in Iraq .

Co-Sponsors: Global Policy Forum, Mennonite Central Committee UN Office and World Council of Churches UN Office.

 

Money may not be everything, but Civil Society Perspectives on Financing the International Development Goals (October 15 - 16, 2007 - Bonn)

One year ahead of the United Nations Financing for Development Conference in Doha in 2008, Global Policy Forum Europe, terre des hommes and Social Watch hosted an international seminar on development financing. The meeting served as a brainstorming session. Participants shared experiences and expectations seeking to contribute to the formulation of civil society benchmarks for the Financing for Development Conference.
Full Program

 

Whose Partnership for Whose Development? (July 4, 2007 - Geneva)

One day ahead of the "Global Compact Leaders Summit" at the UN in Geneva, an international group of NGOs and researchers sponsored a hearing, to assess the partnership approach of the Global Compact and to propose alternatives for real corporate accountability. For more information, see the speaking notes from this event.

 

From Disaster to Peacemaking (June 12, 2007 - New York)

GPF co-sponsored two events at the UN with Worldwatch Institute and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation on how natural disasters and the subsequent international aid response can influence peacemaking in conflict areas. Worldwatch researchers Michael Renner and Zoe Chafe presented their report "Beyond Disasters: Creating Opportunities for Peace" to a group of experts from the UN and NGOs - first at a roundtable and then at a policy luncheon.

 

Luncheon on Iraq Policy Issues with Iraq Experts from the Security Council and the UN (May 22, 2007 - New York )

Kristele Younes of Refugees International, spoke about the Iraqi refugee crisis and James Paul of Global Policy Forum, introduced the new study "War and Occupation in Iraq " Co-Sponsors included Global Policy Forum, Refugees International and Mennonite Central Committee.

 

Reception to Launch the Report "War and Occupation in Iraq" (May 8, 2007 - New York )

Over fifty of GPF's friends and donors gathered in New York at the home of Board member Dinni Gordon for a pre-release party of the "War and Occupation in Iraq" report. Special guest Denis Halliday, the former UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, gave a speech and GPF's Jim Paul and Céline Nahory introduced the report and talked about the research and writing process.

 

Global Public-Private Partnerships - Privatisation of Multilateralism? (January 23, 2007 - Nairobi)

At the World Social Forum 2007 in Nairobi, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and Global Policy Forum Europe organized a joint workshop, critically assessing the development of "global partnerships" between government and private actors. The workshop aimed to trace the scale and scope of these global "partnerships," and to discuss their limits, risks and side-effects. Panel discussants included representatives from Consumer Information Network, Social Watch, People's Health Movement and Third World Network.

 

2006

 

Book Launch: Christian Fundamentalism vs. Progressive Advocacy (October 20, 2006 - New York)

GPF co-sponsored a book-launch event of Faith in Public Life's Executive Director Jennifer Butler's book on the increasing influence of the Christian Right at the UN and beyond.

 

The Global Climate Crisis (October 3, 2006 - New York)

Global Policy Forum and International Catholic Organizations Information Center organized a two-part event on global warming. After a screening of Al Gore's film, "An Inconvenient Truth," three panelists - Michael Renner from Worldwatch Institute, Mohammad Reza Salamat from DESA, United Nations and James Tripp, General Counsel at Environmental Defense - discussed global climate change and steps to address it.

 

Challenges for Reconstruction and Peace in the Aceh Province, Indonesia (April 26, 2006 - New York)

Global Policy Forum organized a Brown Bag Luncheon with Michael Renner of Worldwatch Institute. Renner talked informally about his recent trip to the Aceh province. His presentation with photos, maps, and satellite images covered the problems of the post-tsunami reconstruction, the shaky peace agreement between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Jakarta government, and ongoing challenges to the political process and democratization.

 

The Situation in Haiti and the Role of the UN (April 2006 - New York)

GPF invited Brian Concannon, Director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, to talk at a brown-bag luncheon about the situation in Haiti and the role of the UN.

 

The Challenges of UN Finance (March 22, 2006 - New York)

Global Policy Forum and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation organized a high-level meeting on the financial difficulties of the United Nations. The event focused on the current state of UN finances, including the US-imposed six-month spending cap on the regular budget, preventing the UN to spend funds beyond June 30, 2006. Our meeting also looked at the scale of assessments and longer-term trends. The meeting brought together NGOs, UN officials and diplomats to share information, discuss key issues, and consider action to strengthen the UN's finances and head off the crisis.

Enhancing NGO Relations with the United Nations - The Missing Element in the UN Reform Agenda (February 15, 2006 - New York)

Global Policy Forum, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions opened a dialogue with UN delegates and members of the UN Secretariat on the future of NGO participation at the United Nations. Participants discussed reform proposals for greater NGO participation; best practices that can be enhanced and replicated; and areas where governments are most resistant and where political progress appears possible. Discussion also centered on the role NGOs can play in future deliberations on UN reform and what steps are necessary to engage new NGO players and social movements in the work of the UN.