Eurodad

Last updated
European Network on Debt and Development
AbbreviationEurodad
Formation1990;34 years ago (1990)
Type Coalition of NGOs
HeadquartersRue d’Edimbourg, 18 – 26,
Location
Director
Jean Saldanha
Website www.eurodad.org

Eurodad (European Network on Debt and Development) is a network of 53 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and seven statutory allies from 29 European countries. [1] Eurodad and its members make up a network, this network researches and works on issues that are related to debt, development finance and poverty reduction.

Contents

The network has focussed on issues such as tracking the aid spent by European countries, multilateral debt cancellation, debt sustainability, aid quality, conditionality and harmonisation, illegitimate debt, and export credit debts.

Eurodad's main targets are organisations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, however it also targets European governments themselves.

Eurodad’s stated aims are to:

History

Eurodad coordinates the work of non-governmental organisations working on these issues, and collaborates actively with civil society in the North and South to attain these goals. Eurodad has existed since 1990 and is registered as a non-profit organisation in both the Netherlands and Belgium. It is funded by its members (about one-third of its budget) and by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and UK Department for International Development.

The members in the UK include CAFOD, Oxfam, Christian Aid, Tearfund and the World Development Movement.

Illicit capital flight

Eurodad has focused a lot of attention on the issue of illicit capital flight (or illicit financial flows) in their campaign to promote economic development in the developing world. [2] As such, they've become a coordinating committee member of the Task Force on Financial Integrity & Economic Development, a coalition of NGOs and governments working to promote transparency in the international financial system. [3]

The problem of Illicit capital flight is aggravated by the fact that it is not exactly illegal and it assumes the informal unofficial economic activities of organizations. It aims to "get around rules and processes typically not using money but favors, privileges and perks as a means of exchange." [4]

In 2009, Eurodad published a limited-edition book called Global Development Finance: Illicit Flows Report 2009. The hundreds of pages, which were expected to contain comprehensive estimates of the illicit global financial flows, were all blank. [5] According to the organization, this was to highlight a willful blindness on the part of world's most powerful institution to this transfer of wealth. This is underscored by the fact that more than 50 percent of these illicit flows originate from poor to rich countries, affecting the incidence of poverty in these locations. [6] The G20 has pledged to address "illicit outflows" but there are critics who note that the commitment cited the need to address the problem in the victim countries while it was silent on the corresponding "inflow" or the locations that receive the flow of money. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Monetary Fund</span> International financial institution

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 190 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of last resort to national governments, and a leading supporter of exchange-rate stability. Its stated mission is "working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world."

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towards long-term self-sufficiency and prosperity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Agency for International Development</span> United States government civilian foreign aid agency

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the United States government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $50 billion, USAID is one of the largest official aid agencies in the world and accounts for more than half of all U.S. foreign assistance—the highest in the world in absolute dollar terms.

The debt of developing countries usually refers to the external debt incurred by governments of developing countries.

Capital flight, in economics, occurs when assets or money rapidly flow out of a country, due to an event of economic consequence or as the result of a political event such as regime change or economic globalization. Such events could be an increase in taxes on capital or capital holders or the government of the country defaulting on its debt that disturbs investors and causes them to lower their valuation of the assets in that country, or otherwise to lose confidence in its economic strength.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millennium Development Goals</span> Eight international development goals for the year 2015 by the United Nations

In the United Nations, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 created following the Millennium Summit, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. These were based on the OECD DAC International Development Goals agreed by Development Ministers in the "Shaping the 21st Century Strategy". The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) succeeded the MDGs in 2016.

Official development assistance (ODA) is a category used by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to measure foreign aid. The DAC first adopted the concept in 1969. It is widely used as an indicator of international aid flow. It refers to material resources given by the governments of richer countries to promote the economic development of poorer countries and the welfare of their people. The donor government agency may disburse such resources to the government of the recipient country or through other organizations. Most ODA is in the form of grants, but some is measured as the concessional value in soft (low-interest) loans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Development aid</span> Financial aid given to support the development of developing countries

Development aid is a type of foreign/international/overseas aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social, and political development of developing countries. Closely related concepts include: developmental aid, development assistance, official development assistance, development policy, development cooperation and technical assistance. It is distinguished from humanitarian aid by aiming at a sustained improvement in the conditions in a developing country, rather than short-term relief. Development aid is thus widely seen as a major way to meet Sustainable Development Goal 1 for the developing nations.

The Financial Action Task Force (on Money Laundering) ('FATF, aka "Fatfee"), also known by its French name, Groupe d'action financière (GAFI), is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering and to maintain certain interest. In 2001, its mandate was expanded to include terrorism financing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">31st G8 summit</span> 2005 meeting of the G8 countries in Auchterarder, Scotland

The 31st G8 summit was held on 6–8 July 2005 at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland and hosted by Prime Minister Tony Blair. The locations of previous G8 summits to have been hosted by the UK include: London ; and Birmingham (1998). It is the first G8 summit to be held in Scotland. A sixth UK summit was held in Lough Erne in 2013; and a seventh UK summit was held in Carbis Bay in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Export credit agency</span> Intermediary between governments and exporters

An export credit agency or investment insurance agency is a private or quasi-governmental institution that acts as an intermediary between national governments and exporters to issue export insurance solutions and guarantees for financing. The financing can take the form of credits or credit insurance and guarantees or both, depending on the mandate the ECA has been given by its government. ECAs can also offer credit or cover on their own account. This does not differ from normal banking activities. Some agencies are government-sponsored, others private, and others a combination of the two.

The Monterrey Consensus was the outcome of the 2002 Monterrey Conference, the United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development. in Monterrey, Mexico. It was adopted by Heads of State and Government on 22 March 2002.

Illicit financial flows, in economics, are a form of illegal capital flight that occurs when money is illegally earned, transferred, or spent. This money is intended to disappear from any record in the country of origin, and earnings on the stock of illicit financial flows outside a country generally do not return to the country of origin.

Raymond W. Baker is an American businessman, scholar, author, and "authority on financial crime." He is the founder and president of Global Financial Integrity, a research and advocacy organization in Washington, DC working to curtail illicit financial flows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Marshall Plan Initiative</span>

The Global Marshall Plan Initiative self-report as an integrative organizational platform for a "world in balance". Composed of a network of more than 5000 supporters from all levels of society, brought together from politics, economics and civil society, the Initiative is based on five core goals for fair globalization. Through its network-like character, it is organized through even hierarchies and without a center. Everyone is invited to actively participate and take action with their circles and the accompanying opportunities to implement a world in balance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate finance</span> Type of investment in the context of climate action

Climate finance is an umbrella term for loans, investments, and other forms of financial capital allocation in the area of climate change mitigation, adaptation and/or resiliency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable Development Goals</span> United Nations 17 sustainable development goals for 2030

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They were created with the aim of "peace and prosperity for people and the planet..." – while tackling climate change and working to preserve oceans and forests. The SDGs highlight the connections between the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development. Sustainability is at the center of the SDGs.

The Financial Transparency Coalition is a group that brings together civil society and governments around the world to stem illicit financial flows that are costing developing countries nearly a trillion dollars each year. The Coalition was formerly known as the Task Force on Financial Integrity and Economic Development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable Development Goal 17</span> Sustainable Development Goal by the UN

Sustainable Development Goal 17 is about "partnerships for the goals." One of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015, the official wording is: "Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development". SDG 17 refers to the need for the nonhegemonic and fair cross sector and cross country collaborations in pursuit of all the goals by the year 2030. It is a call for countries to align policies.

References

  1. "Eurodad: Members". Eurodad web portal. Retrieved 16 June 2021
  2. Capital flight, tax havens and financial regulation. Eurodad web portal. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  3. Eurodad joins task force on financial integrity and economic development Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine . Eurodad web portal. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  4. Edelbacher, Maximilian; Kratcoski, Peter; Dobovsek, Bojan (2015). Corruption, Fraud, Organized Crime, and the Shadow Economy. Boca Raton: CRC Press. p. 12. ISBN   9781482255324.
  5. Shaxson, Nicholas (2011). Treasure Islands: Uncovering the Damage of Offshore Banking and Tax Havens. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 30. ISBN   9780230105010.
  6. Uchenna, efobi; Nnadi, Matthias; Tanna, Sailesh; Iyoha, Francis (2016). Economics and Political Implications of International Financial Reporting Standards. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. p. 291. ISBN   9781466698765.
  7. Shaxson, p. 30.