Everlyn Muendo, Policy Lead for Tax and International Financial Architecture at TJNA, speaking at the Sustainable Climate Finance and Taxation in Africa Civil Society Learning Event.
This past month, members of GATJ have continued the fight for tax systems that are equitable and effective. Globally, a submission on the role of tax justice in financing for development. In Africa, a climate justice learning event to bring together activists and advocates regionally and globally. In Latin America and the Caribbean, a journalist training to increase awareness and access to information. An e-journal chronicles stories and experiences of women in Asia. In North America and Europe, continued advocacy for a UN Tax Convention. Read along to learn more about October’s activities.
Global
The Civil Society Finance for Development (CS FfD) Mechanism submitted official comments ahead of preparations for the UN’s Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) which will take place in Seville, Spain in 2025. As the co-coordinator of the Tax Justice Workstream of the CS FfD Mechanism, GATJ brought together recommendations around domestic public resources and the UN Tax Convention.
Africa
Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) organised a Sustainable Climate Finance and Taxation in Africa Civil Society Learning Event in Nairobi. The learning event brought together civil society actors across Africa and beyond on tax justice, climate justice, and natural resource justice, aiming to break down silos and foster collective advocacy for sustainable climate finance reform in the region. GATJ Global Campaigns and Policy Advocacy Coordinator, Tomás Lukin, was in attendance.
TJNA also participated at the 2024 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG), which took place from October 21 to October 26 2024, in Washington, D.C., USA.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Red de Justicia Fiscal – de América Latina y el Caribe (RJFALC), GATJ, Latindadd, and SiPreBA hosted a two-part course on tax fraud and illicit financial flows. The course discussed the effects of tax fraud in Latin America and the Caribbean and how to investigate it.
Alongside this, RJFALC has continued sharing about the state of tax justice in Latin America and the Caribbean discussing historical inequalities and recent changes in Argentina.
Asia
Tax and Fiscal Justice Asia (TAFJA) and APMDD published the first issue of Our Tax Justice Journey, an e-journal that chronicles stories and experiences of women in Asia ‘rewriting the rules’ as they fight for tax and gender justice in different fronts. It serves as a platform to drumbeat key advocacy moments or processes where women’s voices for tax and gender justice need to be heard.
North America
Canadians for Tax Fairness (C4TF) Executive Director Katrina Miller and GATJ Executive Coordinator Dereje Alemayehu published an op-ed on the need for Canada to stop standing in the way of tax fairness and to support the long-awaited UN Tax Convention process.
The UN Tax Convention is a long-awaited and promising process that can finally deliver inclusive and effective international tax cooperation. The vast majority of countries support it; Canada needs to stop standing in the way.
Dereje alemayehu & katrina miller
The Financial Accountability & Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition recently submitted official comments ahead of preparations for the FfD4 on the need for public corporate tax reporting requirements. This would “ensure actual and immediate access” to reported information for many Global South tax authorities that are frozen out of existing information exchange networks. The latest blog from FACT executive director Ian Gary also makes the case for increased multinational tax transparency following Gary’s return from Ghana, where he represented FACT at a national tax conference.
Europe
Tax Justice Europe (TJ-E) continued work around the UN Tax Convention Negotiations and support in GATJ’s Global Tax Rules Working Group under the CS FfD Mechanism.
Photos: TJNA