Hamburg summit: the end of the G20’s days as a “premier forum for international economic cooperation”?
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- Written by Jesse Griffiths / Eurodad
- Category: Articles
The strangest aspect of the G20 communiqué, and the part that has dominated media coverage, is the section on the Paris climate agreement. The strangeness arises not because of the topic – the G20 has always played second fiddle to the UN on climate issues – but because, for the first time, a whole paragraph is devoted solely to one member, the USA, explaining why it doesn’t agree with the others, followed by a paragraph by the others explaining why they will go ahead without the USA anyway, including through agreeing a “G19” action plan on energy and climate for growth.
The climate change issue is a jarring symbol of the G20’s difficulty in reaching agreement. However, the Trump administration’s ‘America first’ stance and resulting lack of movement on economic issues – the raison d’etre of the G20 – is evident throughout the document.
Global market rules hamper Africa's development
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- Written by William Gumede
- Category: Articles
The rules, institutions and operations of global markets, unchanged since the end of formal colonialism, are among the greatest obstacles to the development of individual African countries.
Global market rules are either in favour of, or are frequently bent to benefit industrial countries.
Often, different, more restrictive market rules are applied to African countries, while industrial countries are accorded more leeway to implement rules in ways that will benefit their companies, labour forces and economies.
Industrial countries have more power to determine the rules of the market than African or developing countries.
Secure Jobs and Decent Wages can Reduce Uncertainty and Stabilize the Global Economy
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- Written by ITUC
- Category: Articles
The Labour 20 Statement from workers and trade unions at the G20 sets out policies for leaders which will ensure co-ordinated action to create quality jobs for the future, reduce inequality to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and meet the commitments in the Paris Agreement.
The ITUC Global Poll 2017, covering over half the G20 countries, found that 74% of people worry about rising inequality between the richest 1% and the rest of the population, 73% worry about losing their jobs and 83% think the minimum wage is not enough to live on.
“Globalisation is in trouble because the world’s workforce is in trouble and people simply don’t trust governments which are simply offering them more of the same. People want global rules for global supply chains where multinational corporates are held to account, they want a minimum wage on which they can live with dignity, they want investment in jobs for themselves and their children and they want their governments to act on climate,” said Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation.
The road map for the G20 has been set by the G20 Labour Ministers Declaration, but it remains for the G20 Leaders to re-affirm the call from their Labour Ministers to:
Implement an integrated set of policies that places people and decent jobs at centre stage with investment in enabling green infrastructure and the care economy.
Ensure that violations of decent work and fundamental principles and rights at work cannot be part of competition, with mandated due diligence for human rights in global supply chains.
“The G20 Hamburg Summit is taking place after a year of backlash by voters against governments, institutions and the very functioning of economic systems, in particular a global system that has done far more to liberalise and de-regulate markets than to share the costs and benefits of globalisation fairly,” said John Evans, General Secretary, Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC).
“The G20 Labour Ministers agreed on policies that, if acted upon, would bring young people, women and migrants into decent work. They also underlined the role of social partners in creating a good future of work for everyone. G20 Leaders need to re-affirm this and the key role of collective bargaining and social dialogue. Business and labour at the G20 level jointly call for a lifelong learning guarantee and permanent quality jobs across sectors. It is time for the G20 to bring their Finance and Labour Ministerial outcomes in line to achieve these goals,” said Evans.
The Labour 20 is calling on G20 leaders to commit to:
A fiscal stimulus to exit the low growth trap and to engage a just transition to a low-carbon and digitalised economy;
Placing job quality and wages at the centre of G20 actions to tackle rising inequalities;
Closing the gender employment and pay gap;
Supporting youth employment and skills development;
Setting the standard for responsible business conduct with mandated due diligence for human rights in global supply chains;
Increasing tax transparency;
Ensuring a fair distribution of benefits from technological change;
A joint response to the large movements of refugees and the integration of migrants;
Translating climate change commitments into reality;
Aligning G20 policies with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda;
Mainstreaming social dialogue and ensuring policy coherence within the G20.
“G20 governments have a mandate to act from their people. 85% of people in the ITUC Global Poll say the time has come to re-write the rules to promote growth and share prosperity and 93% believe it’s important that their government take a stand against corporate abuse and stand up for the rule of law,” said Sharan Burrow.
L20 Statement Hamburg G20 Summit 2017
What to expect of the G20?
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- Written by CGD
- Category: Articles
Each of the G20 summits of the past seven years has suffered in comparison with the London and Pittsburgh Summits of 2009, when the imperative of crisis response motivated leaders, finance ministers, and central bankers to coordinate effectively with each other. Subsequent summits have lacked the same sense of urgency and have failed to deliver any kind of agenda that can be pinpointed as clearly as “saving the global economy.” This week’s summit in Hamburg, Germany promises more of the same, with the real possibility that the G20’s stock could fall even further at the hands of a non-cooperative US delegation.
EU : money-laundering negotiations failed
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- Written by Sven Giegold, MEP
- Category: Articles
Today the last negotiation (trialogue) between the European Parliament, Council of Member States and European Commission failed to strike a deal for the 5th reform of the EU anti-money laundering directive (AMLD). The European Parliament voted in February 2017 an ambitious position to curb money laundering and financial crimes like tax evasion. The Parliament has been negotiating with the Maltese presidency in order to agree an improved legislative framework.
POVERTY REDUCTION AS A GOAL SOUNDS LOVELY, BUT THIS FAIRY TALE VISION OF DEVELOPMENT AND OF HUMAN RIGHTS BETRAYS A SERIOUS MISUNDERSTANDING OF POVERTY
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- Written by Claudio Schuftan / PHM
- Category: Articles
An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics. (Plutarch, ancient Greek biographer, 46–120 CE)
-Be reminded that poverty, as such, is now classified as a human rights violation. (Francine Mestrum, CETIM)
-Poverty is part of the system, not an event! (Seth Godin)
-What if the problem of poverty is that it is profitable to other people…? (Matthew Desmond)
When people rendered poor know their rights and can act on this knowledge, long-term change becomes more likely (A. Campolina)
There are people so poor that they only have money… (Albino Gomez)
People's Health Movement Europe Meeting in Istanbul
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- Written by PHM
- Category: Articles
Final Declaration:
Defending human rights to protect health
In the last PHM Europe meeting held in London in October 2016, we agreed to stand in solidarity with our friends and colleagues in Turkey (Turkish Academics for Peace) who are suffering from severe repression by Erdogan's regime - for the only reason of defending the basic human right to health. We are meeting in Istanbul this weekend to say together that health can only be reached through peace. We will always oppose wars that oppress and kill innocent people.
In solidarity with the Turkish Academics for Peace, and all the Turkish people suffering from political oppression for standing for human rights, we call the groups and individuals of the People's Health Movement in Europe and throughout the world to take concrete actions to raise awareness and support the struggle for civil and political rights in Turkey:
Read more: People's Health Movement Europe Meeting in Istanbul
Herstory: Soweto Uprising and the Erasure of Black Women
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- Written by Thando Sipuye / Pambazuka
- Category: Articles
Very often, when 16 June is discussed or commemorated, the painful experiences, sacrifices and contributions of the young Black women of the 1976 generation in the fight against the white supremacist education are largely downplayed (mentioned in passing), or completely erased and silenced.
It is as though 16 June was the sole initiative of the prominent male students like Tsietsi Mashinini and Khotso Sethloho only (and of course, the first boy victim, Zolile Hector Peterson); as though no Black women were involved at all in the planning meetings and the subsequent protest on that fateful day and weeks after.
The names and identities of young women rarely appear even when victims of that 16 June massacre are evoked in public dialogues, intellectual discourse or media reports. These Black women are continuously rendered invisible by the entire system; they simply don’t exist; they are not regarded as worthy subjects of his-story.
Read more: Herstory: Soweto Uprising and the Erasure of Black Women
Africa's class problem. White, white, white - History repeats itself
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- Written by Douglas Schorr / Pambazuka
- Category: Articles
The judgment has been handed down on Helen Zille, leader of South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance, muzzling her from any party related communications in future. She said that colonialism wasn’t all bad. Her tweet was insensitive but true, the backlash furious and nonsensical. Why? I blame black guilt, which I understand very well, because I’m white.
The old way
‘I grew up in Rhodesia,’ I said out loud recently, whilst taking a walk with my son (he’s 35, I’m 69).
His face soured.
‘Why do you have to say that? Why can’t you say Zimbabwe?’
‘Because they’re not the same thing. Rhodesia was different from Zimbabwe. I never lived in Zimbabwe. Rhodesia is where I grew up.’
There was a tense silence.
‘Why do I still identify with Rhodesia?’ I wondered. ‘Why do I hold onto some old imperialist identity? Is there really a difference, and is that difference important enough to insist on, out loud, in the face of all the damage colonialism has done?’
Rhodesia and colonialism were wrong. Agreed. But why not talk about them? In fact, in a country reeling from a poverty crisis that is only escalating, and will tear this nation apart if something meaningful is not done (and soon), how can we not talk about them?
Because colonialism is not over, not by a long shot. That ‘wrong’ history is repeating itself.
Read more: Africa's class problem. White, white, white - History repeats itself
Business and human righjts: beyond national borders
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- Written by United Nations
- Category: Articles
States should control corporations across national borders to protect communities from the negative impacts of their activities, UN human rights experts have said in an authoritative new guidance * on the Obligations of States parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) in the context of business activities.
“States should regulate corporations that are domiciled in their territory and/or jurisdiction. This refers to corporations which have their statutory seat, central administration or principal place of business on their national territory,” the experts of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural rights say in the guidance*, officially termed the General Comment, published today.
Read more: Business and human righjts: beyond national borders
Fiscal space in developing countries: it is about revenues!
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- Written by Alexander Pick, OECD
- Category: Articles
Fiscal space is big right now. It was an important part of the OECD’s policy prescriptions in last year’s Economic Outlook and was high on the World Bank President’s agenda at this year’s Spring Meetings in Washington. It also featured in discussions at the 2017 Forum on Financing for Development in May. Yet the term has a different meaning depending on whether it is applied to a developed or a developing country, and it doesn’t appear to resonate with policy makers at a national level.
So what does fiscal space mean for developed economies? The OECD and IMF view the concept in terms of long-term debt sustainability. By this approach, fiscal space is interpreted as the distance between actual debt levels and a theoretical higher level of debt that is nonetheless safe. Fiscal space suggests how much wiggle-room national governments have to increase growth-enhancing spending, such as infrastructure investment, without raising taxes. This is important in the current context of a sluggish global economy where monetary policy has done all it can to support growth and the pressure is thus on fiscal policy and structural reform to propel the recovery.
Read more: Fiscal space in developing countries: it is about revenues!
