In recognition of the 5th anniversary of the G20 London Summit, the Overseas Development Institute, in cooperation with Development Finance International and New Rules for Global Finance, is hosting a public discussion on “Is Global Governance Fit for Purpose?” on Tuesday 1st April. The event will launch the Global Financial Governance and Impact Report published by New Rules in collaboration with ten additional organisations. This report assesses how well the G20, IMF, World Bank, FSB and global tax system are governed, and whether they are having the desired positive impact: have they achieved their goal and made global financial governance fit for purpose, so that it is having a positive impact on the world’s citizens? Find registration and more information about the event here.

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.