The 2012 Global Forum had two main objectives:

 To support shaping the new OECD Strategy on Development (as it was called by OECD Ministers in May 2011);

 To identify best practices in making public expenditure more effective for development.

The event turned out to be much more focused on the second item. Only one presentation in the initial session was dedicated to the future OECD Strategy on Development, without any real consultation or interaction with the public. However, the four sessions on various aspects of domestic resources mobilization and public expenditure have underlined and deepened the current international debate on funding for development.

I have noted a worrisome lack of mention of trade unions or social dialogue, as the issues of fiscal policies and public investments policies are not considered a matter that concerns labour, employers and employees. We know that national collective bargaining can have a strong impact on these policies, for instance affecting the level of personal income (and thus enlarging the fiscal base) or negotiating the salaries increase against investments (even public investments) in specific sectors.

Unfortunately, there was not opportunity to raise the issue of social dialogue relevance in financing for development.

TUDCN should continue its engagement in the OECD-DAC debate, in a phase where new actors – i.e. emerging countries – become to exert influence on the debate about development trends. The private sector involvement in the debate is more wished than effectual. Even worst - the role is played mostly by lobbies and private interest groups and not by real legitimate representatives of employers, and perhaps TUDCN and TUAC should try to raise awareness in BIAC and encourage them to engage more in the debate.

Article by Gemma Arpaia, ISCOS