A statement calling upon governments not to take procedural arguments as an excuse to further delaying the substantive negotiations on the urgently needed global policy responses to the current crisis is being circulated to negotiators at the UN.
Statement on the negotiations about the outcome of the UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development
Choike.org May 15, 2009
Download: Draft outcome document for the June UN Conference on the crisis
1. We are facing a global systemic crisis, which originated in the rich countries of the North, their unsustainable consumption and production patterns and the irresponsible economic behavior of their dominant social actors. The crisis affects billions of people all over the world, pushing many millions of them into unemployment and poverty, and violating their economic, social and cultural rights.
2. The response of the G20 was not sufficient to address the root causes of these multiple crises of food, climate, financial markets and sustainable development.
3. The global crisis needs a global response involving all societies that are affected by crisis. Therefore, the United Nations is the only legitimate forum through which the crisis can be resolved. This is the reason why we highly welcomed the decision of governments in Doha to hold a UN Conference on the world economic and financial crisis and its impact on development.
4. Since the Doha Conference it has taken diplomats in New York more than 16 weeks to agree on the modalities of the “Crisis Conference“. They are responsible for the delay, they are responsible for the lack of time for the substantive negotiations on the outcome of the conference.
5. Civil Society Organizations and Networks produced comprehensive statements listing their recommendations and demands on how to address the current crisis, starting with the “Civil Society Benchmark Paper” in the run-up to the Doha Conference 2008.
6. Many of our demands are reflected in the recommendations presented by the “Stiglitz Commission” in March 2009. For this reason we regard these recommendations as a good basis on which to build a new global economic and financial system .
7. Many of our positions are also reflected in the first draft outcome document presented by the President of the General Assembly (PGA) on 8 May 2009. We understand that the recommendations in this document contain short-term measures that have to be implemented immediately as a response to the current crisis, such as the sufficient funding for a global stimulus package, and long-term measures, such as the establishment of a new Global Reserve System or the proposal for a Global Tax Authority. We agree that the UN conference in June has to come up with immediate responses to the crisis and simultaneously decide on an intergovernmental time-bound process towards the long-term reforms.
8. In contrast, the draft document by the Co-Facilitators, dated 6 May 2009 neither specifies the necessary short-term actions nor does it contain concrete commitments for longer-term structural reform measures. It mainly reconfirms – by recycling already agreed language – decisions taken at the Doha Conference and the G20 Summits. The policy recommendations in this document lack any sense of urgency. The recommendations on institutional reforms (para. 47) are interesting but, according to the Co-Facilitators, they only “might be considered”. Such a diplomatic phrase makes any recommendation completely useless. If governments agreed on such an outcome document, they would further weaken the UN as the global forum for economic policy coordination and decision making and would completely fail to find meaningful answers to the current crisis.
9. We understand that under the current time pressure it will be difficult for governments to agree on a comprehensive set of radical reform measures as outlined in the draft of the PGA. But, a consensus on many concrete reform proposals that are on the table can still be reached. Among the decisions that are of high priority and could be taken at the UN Conference without any further delay are the following:
- The initiative to establish a Global Panel on Systemic Risks in the World Economy, following the model of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, bringing together academics, civil society and policy makers.
- The decision to upgrade the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation on Tax Matters to an intergovernmental Commission on Tax Matters as a functional commission of ECOSOC by the end of 2009.
- The political commitment to introduce an internationally coordinated Financial Transaction Tax in order to mobilize additional resources for a short-term Global Stimulus Fund and the longer-term implementation of the Internationally Agreed Development Goals, including the MDGs.
- The establishment of a Global Economic Coordination Council within the UN system.
- The decision to review the Agreement between the UN and the Bretton-Woods-Institutions (BWIs) in order to enhance coordination and policy coherence by integrating the BWIs as specialized agencies completely into the UN system.
10. We call upon governments not to take procedural arguments as an excuse to further delaying the substantive negotiations on the urgently needed global policy responses to the current crisis.
Signatures
Jens Martens and James Paul, Global Policy Forum
Roberto Bissio, Social Watch
Beverly Keene, Jubilee South
Andrea Baranes and Antonio Tricarico, Campagna per la Reforma della Banca Mondiale
Mirjana Dokmanovic, Women and Development Europe (WIDE)
Gigi Francisco, Development Alternatives wirh Women for a New Era (DAWN)
Patricia Blankson Akakpo, Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT) and ABANTU for Development (ROWA)
Josep Xercavins i Valls
Philo Morris, Medical Mission Sisters
Aldo Caliari, Center of Concern
Rudy De Meyer, 11.11.11
Verena Winkler and Simon Stocker, Eurostep
Eva Friedlander, IWAC, the International Women’s Anthropology Conference
Luke Fletcher, Jubilee Australia
Anne Jellema, Action Aid
Mark Herkenrath, Alliance Sud, Switzerland
Klaus Schilder, terre des hommes Germany
Magaly Pineda, CIPAF, Rep.Dominicana
Feminist Task Force of the Global Call to Action against Poverty
Arjun Karki, LDC Watch
Sarba Khadka, South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication-SAAPE
Mana Dahal Rural Reconstruction Nepal-RRN
Edward Oyugi, Social Development Network, Nairobi, Kenya
Oksana Kisselyova, Liberal Society Institute, Ukraine
Cartas A. Kapele, Children Education Society (CHESO), DAR ES SALAAM – TANZANIA
Fernanda Carvalho, IBASE – Brazilian Institute for Social and Economic Analysis
European Network on Debt and Development (EURODAD)
ATTAC Hungary
Milan Smrz, Czech section of Eurosolar
Joseph M. Sammut, Social Watch, Malta
Christine Andela – COSADER (Collectif des ONG pour la Sécurité Alimentaire et le Développement Rural) – Cameroun
Marta Benavides – Instituto Internacional de Cooperación entre Pueblos (IICP) – El Salvador
GCAP – Sudan
Jubilee Debt Campaign (UK)
Tom Kucharz, Ecologistas en Acción (Spain)
Transnational Institute
Institute for Policy Studies, Global Economy Project
Dr. Hassan Abdel Ati – National Civic Forum – Sudan
Malgorzata Tarasiewicz – Network of East-West Women, NEWW-Polska
AWID (Association for Women¹s Rights in Development)
Rede Brasil sobre Instituições Financeiras Multilaterais
Marek Hrubec, Centre of Global Studies, Czech Republic
Zelená Pro Planetu, Czech Republic
Henri Valot, Policy Advisor CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
Professor Aijaz Qureshi: Social Watch Pakistan- IDF
Zulfiqar Halepoto- Sindh Democratic Forum (SDF) and Social Watch Pakistan
Nazeer Memon- Sindh Agriculture Forum
Abrar Kazi – SDF- water expert and technocrat
Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN)
Public Finance Monitoring Center
Women’s Working Group on Financing for Development
Egyptian Association For Community Participation Enhancement (EACPE)
CARDET, Cyprus
National Social Watch Coalition – India
Action for Economic Reforms
Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM)
Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND)
Ziad Abdel Samad
Mariama Williams, Integrated Policy Research Institute (IPRI)
Yves Conze, Integrated Policy Research Institute (IPRI)
Carla Bakboord, MSc Cultural Anthropologist, Executive Director Equality & Equity for Gender&Social Development, Suriname
El Amel Association For Social Development in Algeria
Women for Change
Genoveva Tisheva- Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation
Development Network of Indigenous Voluntary Associations (DENIVA), J.B. Kwesiga
Network of Ugandan Researchers and Research Users (NURRU), David Obot
Tomas Tozicka – Jubilee Czech
Hanaa Edwar, Iraqi AlAmal Association
David Obot (NURRU), Kampala-Uganda
J.B.Kwesiga (DENIVA), Uganda
Hamarneh, Vanda, Syria
Consumers Association of Penang
Friends of the Earth, Malaysia
KOPIN (Koperazzjoni Internazzjonali) Malta
Instituto Latinoamericano de Servicios legales Alternativos (ILSA) – Colombia
Klaus Heidel, Werkstatt Ökonomie e.V., spokesperson Social Watch Deutschland/Forum Weltsozialgipfel (Social Watch Germany)
International Gender and Trade Network (IGTN).
Rene Suša, Humanitas, Society for human rights and supportive action, Slovenia
Africa Development Interchange Network (ADIN)
Sanayee Development Organization (SDO). Kabul, Afghanistan
UK Coalition Against Poverty. Eileen Devaney
Baudouin Schombe, Coordonnateur National Reprontic
Bretton Woods Project (UK)
FOCO – Foro Ciudadano de Participación por la Justicia y los Derechos Humanos
DECIDAMOS, Campaña por la Expresión Ciudadana, Paraguay
Social watch Mocambique
Jiri Silny, Ecumencial Academy Prague, Czech Republic
Vagn Berthelsen, Secretary General of IBIS
Sisters of Mercy (of the Americas)
Marta Scarpato, Consultora sindical, Italia
Mayalu Matos Silva, Brazil
Carlos Martinez Garcia, Presidente de ATTAC España
Martín Pascual, Fundación Cenda, Chile
CIDEP, Asociación Intersectorial para el Desarrollo Económico y el Progreso Social (El Salvador)I
Reseau Marocain pour le Droit a la Sante, Dr Aziz RHALI. Maroc
Antonio J. González Plessmann, Activista venezolano de Derechos Humanos
WEDO (Women’s Environment and Development Organization)
Red de Control Ciudadano, Costa Rica
Secours-Catholique/Caritas France
Instituto de Estudos Sócioeconômicos – INESC, Brasil
Lunaria, Italy
War on Want
Carlos Martinez Garcia, Presidente de ATTAC España
Socio Economic Rights Initiaitive/Social Watch Nigeria
Global Economy Program
Coordinación de ONG y cooperativas – CONGCOOP
Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development
SLUG – The Norwegian Coalition for Debt Cancellation
African Women’s Development and Communication Network/FEMNET Africa
K.U.L.U.-Women and Development, Denmark
Plataforma 2015 y más, España
Third World Network
CAP
SAM
Red Latinoamericana sobre Deuda, Desarrollo y Derechos – LATINDADD
Women Headed Households Empowerment (PEKKA)
Further Resources:
UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development
Official Website of the Conference
Breaking News: UN postpones summit over crisis
UN General Assembly postponed the celebration of the UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development, to happen in late June, sources reported Friday. According to UN spokesperson Spanish Enrique Yeves, recently many delegations asked the President of the Assembly Miguel D Escoto to postpone the already scheduled date of the encounter, since it coincided with other several international events. He also stressed the delegations to participate are still involved in the negotiations on the project of the event, convened by D Escoto, so that the crisis can be intensively debated by the 192 UN member countries. The Summit, previously scheduled for Jun.1-3, will take place on June 24-26, as it stated a missive sent to UN countries member, from the Head of Cabinet of the President of General Assembly Norman Miranda
