Development Finance International
28 February - Inequalities and the Essential Role of Fair Taxation
Christian Aid and Tax Justice Network Africa have released “Africa Rising? Inequalities and the essential role of fair taxation”, a report which explores the link between tax policy and inequality. Focusing on 8 African countries (Kenya, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa), the report reveals that despite a robust growth rate and some positive progress in essential services such as health and education in recent years, income inequality in sub-Saharan Africa is set to worsen without a strong set of tax policy reforms at national and global level. To address this issue, the paper makes four recommendations: (i) at a national level, sub-Saharan African Governments should focus on raising tax revenues; (ii) a pan-African coordination of tax policies among sub-Saharan Governments and enhanced regional cooperation and information sharing; (iii) global reforms where the international community tackles financial secrecy and tax havens; and (iv) optimise the opportunity of the new post-2015 framework replacing the MDGs by ensuring that fairer taxation is at the core of the new forthcoming system of targets and indicators.
15 February - Investing in Children
Building on the earlier work of Government Spending Watch, Save the Children have commissioned DFI to write their flagship Child Rights Governance Initiative report on what governments worldwide are Investing in Children, and how to increase the quantity, equity, impact and accountability of this investment. The work involves constructing the first ever multi-country Index of Investment in Children tracking spending on education, health and child-oriented social protection, as well as six case studies of Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, South Africa, Spain and Uganda. The report will be launched globally in the second half of 2014.
14 February - Leading Group Meeting in Abuja
The 12th Plenary Session of the Leading Group on innovative financing for development took place on January 17th in Abuja under the Nigerian presidency. Among the various issues discussed, the day-long plenary event clarified the categorisation of existing initiatives of innovative financing and discussed the state of the international mobilisation in favour of solidarity taxes. It also started a debate on initiatives of innovative financing for climate change. Finally, it was announced that a workshop of international experts aiming to follow up on the various issues discussed in Abuja is planned for the Spring 2014 in Paris. The agenda, event summary, keynote speeches and related documentation are all available on the Leading Group website.
27 January - Preparations for the 2014 Africa Progress Report
Experts from the private sector, academia, NGOs, UN agencies and government gathered in November 2013 for a consultation meeting in preparation for the 2014 installment of the Africa Progress Report. A central question underpinned the meeting: what kind of development finance does Africa need to build a sustained and inclusive growth? The consultation panel discussed a variety of topics: transforming agriculture and fisheries; developing infrastructure; mobilising investment; improving taxation; and better use of aid. A summary publication details the framework of the discussion and provides some background papers.
16 January - Call for Urgent Reform of Concessional Lending Conditions
A report published by Eurodad urges for a comprehensive review of the reporting DAC system which allows concessionality to be assessed as ODA. It highlights a growing trend among EU donor states who try to meet their aid commitments while making a profit with high interest loans to developing countries. The paper discusses the main developments in the concessionality debate over the past decade and proposes recommendations on how to optimise the developmental benefits of this reform.
