For decades, global tax rules have been shaped by a framework that favours wealthier nations, often excluding countries in the Global South from meaningful participation and decision-making. In a landmark development, the United Nations General Assembly has adopted the Terms of Reference (ToR) to begin intergovernmental negotiations on a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation. This represents a major shift in global tax governance—from a model long dominated by the OECD to a more inclusive and democratic process under the auspices of the United Nations.

This historic step opens the opportunity to build a more just and equitable global financial architecture, with developing countries participating on an equal footing. The aim is to establish international tax norms and binding agreements that can effectively combat tax abuse, curb illicit financial flows, and ensure a fairer distribution of taxing rights across countries.  

However, the road ahead will be challenging. Overhauling an entrenched and biased system and replacing it with a new, inclusive, and equitable framework is a formidable task. This process is likely to face obstruction from those who benefit from the status quo, including powerful interest groups and states opposed to structural reform.

In this context, it is critical for stakeholders across the Global South—governments, civil society, and academia—to engage proactively and constructively in the negotiation process. Building broad public awareness and mobilizing support will be essential to strengthening the G77’s negotiating position and ensuring that the outcome reflects the needs and aspirations of historically marginalized nations.

In a few weeks, Member States and stakeholders will meet at the UN in New York for the first session of the negotiations which takes place from August 4 – 16. Ahead of the August negotiations, stakeholders have submitted comments on the Convention and two early protocols. The Global Alliance for Tax Justice (GATJ) brings together civil society as a coalition of tax justice movements from around the world as well as by co-coordinating the Tax Justice Workstream of the Civil Society Financing for Development Mechanism.

In light of this, GATJ and its members from Tax and Fiscal Justice Asia (TAFJA), Red de Justicia Fiscal de América Latina y el Caribe (RJFALC), and Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA), will come together to host a discussion on how the Global South can maximise opportunities and overcome challenges.