UN CSO hearings ahead of 3rd FfD Conference, New York, 8-9 April 2015

By Marita González (CTA International, Argentina)

On 8 and 9 April 2015 the Trade Union Development Cooperation Network (TUDCN) took part in the Civil Society Hearings ahead of to the Third Financing for Development Conference, to be held in Addis Ababa in July this year. The TUDCN spoke to the hearings about the need to mobilise national resources for the provision of public services, and called for a more consistent approach internationally to ensure that national governments are given sufficient margin for manoeuvre to broaden their tax base progressively.

Regarding international public finance, there was consensus in the civil society group on the need to demand that Official Development Aid (ODA) commitments be met and that the tendency to reduce aid to the Least Developed Countries (LDC) be stopped. It was stressed that using public money, including ODA, as leverage for private finance carried risks. It was therefore necessary to guarantee that mixed financing mechanisms be transparent, inclusive and responsible towards the governments of developing countries and civil society. The civil society group also expressed the need to agree on an appropriate regulation and on accountability mechanisms, in view of the push for more partnerships between multiple interested parties, to ensure that they were meeting the needs of the beneficiaries.

Participants were unanimous in expressing concern about process surrounding the Financing for Development Conference, given the clear predominance of the private sector, and in particular the role of the big multinationals.

The speakers asked the Member States to state specifically in the document on Financing for Development that there was a need to draw up a United Nations framework for the restructuring of sovereign debts, and to adopt the UNCTAD’s principles on responsible loans.

This exchange of views between the TUDCN and other social movements and organisations, and the broad level of agreement, is a demonstration of the advocacy work of the ITUC. What remains now is for governments and the agencies of global governance to use these hearings to ensure that development is a democratic and participatory process that involves all actors and governments, working together for a fairer world.

Read Marita González speech here.