Media advisory: CIDSE at the Addis Ababa conference on Financing for Development – CIDSE

Media advisory: CIDSE at the Addis Ababa conference on Financing for Development

FFD should support the Sustainable Development Goals and coordinate tracking progress on all sources of finance for development

How will governments be held accountable for their financing commitments? The Addis Ababa Third International Financing for Development Conference (FFD3), taking place on 13-16 July, presents an opportunity to improve how these commitments are followed-up on.

The conference will need to secure multilateral strategies to ensure that the financial, trade and monetary systems contribute to the new international consensus on sustainable development, and should address climate change, according to CIDSE– the network of 17 international catholic development agencies. In the briefing note “Some reflections on the structure of the Third FFD Conference Outcome Document” CIDSE argued that the structure of the Monterrey Outcome Document (Outcome of the 2002 Monterrey Conference on FFD) should be maintained in the Addis Ababa outcome document, however, this has not been the case. The agenda has been worryingly expanded and is increasingly being seen in the global North, solely as the means of implementation for the Sustainable Development Goals.

According to CIDSE, FFD must play two roles: to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to coordinate and track progress on all sources of finance for development. CIDSE proposes the creation of an autonomous intergovernmental body – counterpart to the Secretariat’s Financing for Development Office in order to ensure follow-up to finance specific concerns. All international conferences have had dedicated bodies to ensure an effective follow-up, but FFD does not.
According to CIDSE the current process is not working in tracking the progress of implementation of existing agreements on FFD. This year the international community will embark on a very ambitious global agenda in the form of the SDGs. Ensuring a strong follow up mechanism for critical means of implementation while safeguarding the space to monitor broader discussions on financing for development will be a clear signal of how serious governments are. We urge governments in Addis Ababa to step up to the challenge.

CIDSE is co-organising the side-event “Strengthening Follow-up and Accountability: what options for FFD’s future?”, which will take place on Wednesday 15 July, 13:15 – 14:45 at the Classic Hall, Hotel Elilly, Guinea Conakry St, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (See invitation attached). This side-event will provide an opportunity to discuss the challenges concerning FFD follow-up.

CIDSE is also contributing to facilitating international and European civil society’s advocacy on FFD and will be active in the Civil Society Forum (11-12 July) in Addis Ababa. A Civil Society Declaration will be handed over at the opening session of the official conference. Jean Saldanha, Senior Policy Officer at CIDSE play a key role in the drafting process and the Civil Society Forum. At the European level she chairs the CONCORD European Financing for Development Task Force. She will be on-site and available for interviews.

Other CIDSE delegates who will be in Addis and available for interviews include:

Hildegard Wipfel (KOO, Austria), Graham Gordon (CAFOD, UK), Klaus Schilder (Misereor, Germany), Lucie Watrinet (CCFD-Terre Solidaire, France), Izabella Toth (Cordaid, Netherlands), Simone Filippini (Cordaid, Netherlands), Aldo Caliari (Center of Concern, United States), Lorna Gold (Trócaire, Ireland).

Find out more about CIDSE views on FFD:

CSO Forum website: https://csoforffd.wordpress.com/cso-forum/

To arrange an interview with Jean Saldanha or another member of the CIDSE delegation please contact:

Leila Arnold
arnold@cidse.org
T: +32 (0)2 282 4071

 

Event’s flyer: Applying Common but Differentiated Responsibilities in a Financing Sustainable Development Context

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