Civil Society Forum officially opens at the 14th UNCTAD Conference

The international civil society is calling upon governments to uphold commitments made during the 2012 UNCTAD Conference in Doha. This came as the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, opened the Civil Society Forum on 15 July 2016 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.

In the recent past, Western member states of UNCTAD have come under intense criticism for their sluggishness in supporting the Agency’s initiatives and expanding its roles to cover other areas crucial for the advancement of developing countries.

Negotiations in the lead up to UNCTAD XIV have continually exhibited a desire to curtail UNCTAD’s independence and the much needed-balance between the wants of the global North and South.

Over 7,000 delegates are expected to attend the Nairobi Conference of which the Civil Society Forum comprises. This year’s theme is ‘From Decisions to Actions’ and comes on the back of the ratification of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in December 2015. Member states have since made important commitments during the Financing for Development (FfD) process and the 10th Ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

While opening the Civil Society Forum, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, challenged CSOs to maintain the momentum in making their demands as delegates engage in negotiations in the coming week. “There must be greater efforts made towards inclusion of all stakeholders, especially women and youth, if at all we are to achieve the SDGs. There can be no Sustainable Development Goals without the Least Developed Countries,” said Dr. Kituyi.

However concerns have been raised concerning the role that UNCTAD will play in influencing global trade and development in the future as it is gradually relegated to an implementation mechanism for trade agreements.

In a letter signed off by 331 global civil society organizations including trade unions, farmers’ organisations and public interest groups, CSOs reiterated that “UNCTAD can play a unique role in the panorama of international economic institutions thanks to its focus on the interdependence of trade, finance, investment, macroeconomics, and technology as they affect the growth and development prospects of developing countries. However, to live up to its name and promises, its role must be development-centred, and not tied to the liberalization goals of other institutions.”

The organisation has also been touted as an invaluable apparatus in providing support to developing countries in using trade for their own development purposes.

“As negotiations begin, we are calling for a mandate that addresses specific constraints of developing countries, adoption of gender-sensitive policies on trade and development, institution of measures that curb the illicit transfer of economic resources from developing countries,” said Alvin Mosioma, Tax Justice Network-Africa’s Executive Director.

“UNCTAD policies are geared towards ensuring unified trade language to curb disparities. It is important that in the coming days, we remind the delegates of the UNCTAD conference of the role of UNCTAD; not only to preserve it but strengthen it as well,” said Eric Le Compte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA Network.

Civil society organisations have over the course of the year attended two hearings at the UNCTAD headquarters in Geneva to which they have made their contributions into the Negotiating Text of the Conference. Final submissions into this document will influence actions post-UNCTAD14.

On Sunday 17 July 2016, CSOs will release the final statement on their standpoint going into the main negotiations as the conference progresses from 17-22 July.

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331 Global Civil Society Organizations demand that Members affirm development mandate

Members of 331 civil society organizations (CSOs) including trade unions, farmers, development advocates, and public interest groups from over 150 countries wrote an urgent letter to members of UNCTAD to express concern regarding the current negotiations towards the quadrennial mandate of the agency during the UNCTAD 14 Conference which starts July 17th in Nairobi, Kenya.

The letter was coordinated by the International Steering Group of CSOs towards the UNCTAD 14, which includes: ActionAid International, Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), Center of Concern, European Network on Debt and Development (EURODAD), FEMNET, Financial Transparency Coalition, Global Alliance for Tax Justice, Jubilee USA, Latin American Network on Debt, Development and Rights (LATINDADD), Our World Is Not For Sale network (OWINFS), Public Services International (PSI), Regions Refocus, Society for International Development, Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Initiative-Uganda, Tax Justice Network Africa (TJN-A), and the Third World Network – Africa.

The CSOs highlighted that “UNCTAD can play a unique role in the panorama of international economic institutions thanks to its focus on the interdependence of trade, finance, investment, macroeconomics, and technology as they affect the growth and development prospects of developing countries. However, to live up to its name and promises, its role must be development-centered, and not tied to the liberalization goals of other institutions.”

The letter makes specific policy recommendations, noting that “[t]rade and investment agreements do not support development without the right policy environment (Paras 12 and 48), which necessitates policy space (Para 14 bis), an effective and developmental state able to sustain its own resource base responsible for safeguarding people’s human rights (Para 71), and a more coherent, inclusive and representative global architecture for sustainable development.”

The letter addresses the full range of developmental issues which have been affirmed by member states as crucial to UNCTAD’s mandate, but which developed countries are attempting through the drafting process, to diminish, including on key issues of tax and debt. It highlights that the mandate of UNCTAD “The document must continue and strengthen UNCTAD’s mandate on curbing tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance including in commodities markets (Para 27) and through investment policies (Para 55 (bis)).” It further notes that “UNCTAD’ s work on debt workout mechanisms and responsible lending and borrowing (Paras 15, 20, 32, 33, 40 (e), 40 (e) bis, 40 (f), 53, and 107 (e)) has been uniquely useful and should be strengthened, including by supporting further work on these issues at the UN General Assembly level.”

CSOs also make recommendations regarding UNCTAD’s mandate on the “integrated approach of UNCTAD to the evolution and management of globalization and on the interdependence of trade, finance, investment and technology as they affect the growth and development prospects of developing countries;” as well as on issues of Least Developed Countries (LDCs); regional integration; monitoring the role of the private sector rather than promoting Public Private Partnerships (PPPs); technology transfer; and the Financing for Development (FfD) process.

UNCTAD’s role on investment is also addressed: “Given UNCTAD’s long history encouraging developing countries to sign International Investment Agreements (IIAs) and the negative impacts developing countries have experienced, particularly due to the Investor to State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms, UNCTAD’s mandate should be intensely invested in helping developing countries craft investment policies that will contribute to development (Paras 60 (p) and 60 (w)), rather than just ‘balance the interests’ of investors and development (Para 21); as well as to unwind and reform these agreements (Paras 26 and 60 (ii)).”

The letter concludes: “We believe that the further UNCTAD moves toward seeing developing countries mainly as engines to increase trade — and thus deviating from its mission to support the use of trade for development, the more it risks redundancy and irrelevancy. As civil society organizations deeply committed to human rights and social justice, the achievement of the SDGs and sustainable development for all, we urge you to adopt the above positions and ensure that UNCTAD continues and strengthens its role in trade, finance, investment, macroeconomics, and technology as they affect the growth and development prospects of all developing countries.”