Noticias
13 October - The IMF and Social Protection, Washington
DFI chaired a panel discussing the report of the IMF Independent Evaluation Office into the IMF and social protection. Held in the CSO Forum at the BWI Annual Meetings, the event allowed CSOs to hear more about IMF social protection policy, as well as social safeguards (spending floors) in IMF programmes.
Two key issues emerged: the need to include social protection spending in IMF social spending floors (it is often currently excluded) and the need to ensure that IMF spending recommendations are compatible with reaching the SDG aiming for universal social protection floors for all citizens (rather than targeting mechanisms at a small group of the poorest citizens).
12 October - BWIs Must Reduce Costs and Risks of PPPs
DFI helped convene the Meeting of Finance Ministers of Low-Income Francophone countries in Washington, DC on 12 October 2017, in the margins of the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank. Under the aegis of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, the meeting was chaired by Mrs. Vonintsalama ANDRIAMBOLOLONA, Minister of Finance and Budget of Madagascar and co-chaired by Mr. Ousmane Alamine MEY, Minister of Finance of Cameroon.
10 October - Washington Launch of Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index
Oxfam America hosted a Washington roundtable on the CRII, focusing on findings relating to the USA as well as broader findings for developing and developed countries. DFI presented key findings, especially the negative impact of planned Trump administration tax, spending and labour policies on the US position in the index. Approximately 30 senior experts on US and global policy attended and made excellent suggestions for improving the next round of the Index, as well as for applying it at a state-by-state level in the United States, and for maximising the policy impact of the Index in a US context.
21 September - Call for More Climate Finance To Help Developing Countries
The USA’s withdrawal from the Paris Accord has made climate change mitigation for developing countries even more uncertain, according to an article by two professors of economics published by the Inter Press Service. Of the USD$ 100 billion pledged by the international community to fund the Green Climate Fund (GCF), only just over USD$10 billion have been disbursed and it is unlikely the US will contribute the remainder USD2 billion of its USD$3 billion pledge.
The authors also claim that the USD$ 100 billion for the Green Climate Fund (CVF) won’t be enough to finance rapid transition to renewable energy and that much more climate finance and international cooperation will be needed to help countries, especially the vulnerable developing nations. They single out two solutions proposed by the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the UN which could help mobilise more finance: Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) and quantitative easing (QE).
18 September - CRII Discussed in UNGA Global Deal Meeting, New York
The DFI/Oxfam Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index featured at the High-Level Follow-Up Meeting at the UN General Assembly for the Global Deal, the initiative launched by the Government of Sweden in 2016 to promote Social Dialogue as a means of reducing inequality.
Oxfam International’s Executive Director Winnie Byanyima spoke about the huge need to enhance social dialogue given that the CRI Index showed how most governments are doing very little to fight inequality. Bilateral meetings also confirmed the enthusiasm of the Swedish government to host a CRI launch soon.
A video of the event is available to view here.
- 4 August - African Caucus: Fiscal Policy for Agricultural Development
- 17 July - DFI and Oxfam Launch the Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index, New York
- 17 July - DFI, New Rules and FES Launch "Are The Multilateral Organisations Fighting Inequality?", New York
- 8 June - African Economic Outlook 2017
