COMBATTING ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS (IFFS) AND ENHANCING DOMESTIC RESOURCE MOBILISATION (DRM) FOR FINANCING DEVELOPMENT: A DECADE UNDER REVIEW
Hosted by the South African G20 Development Working Group and the South Centre, funded by the International Economic Partnership Programme
Date: 30 April 2025
Time: 13:15 to 14:30
Venue: Room CR-D United Nations Headquarters, New York
The side event focuses on the importance of reducing illicit financial flows (IFFs) and enhancing domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) to support the financing for development initiatives.
STATEMENT BY DR. CARLOS CORREA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTH CENTRE, TO THE MINISTERS AND GOVERNORS MEETING OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL GROUP OF TWENTY-FOUR (G24)
22 April 2025, Washington, D.C.
The South Centre statement to the G24 Ministerial Meeting highlights the risks of a darkening global economic outlook and need for collective action at UN and FfD4 for addressing systemic issues & reforming the international financial architecture, especially for taxation & sovereign debt.
What Is Driving the BRICS’ Debate on De-Dollarisation?
By Ding Yifan
Ahead of the 2023 BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, there was much discussion amongst the member countries about whether negotiations would take place at the meeting regarding the development of a BRICS currency and the acceleration of de-dollarisation, that is, the promotion of currency cooperation and reduction in the use of the US dollar. In the end, the country leaders did not specifically discuss the issue of a BRICS currency but passed a resolution on expanding the organisation’s membership. Nonetheless, from both historical and realist perspectives, it is in the interest of the BRICS countries to promote de-dollarisation.
General Statement at the 2nd Preparatory Committee for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development
New York, 3-6 December 2024
At the 2nd Preparatory Committee for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, South Centre emphasised the important opportunity FfD4 presents for developing countries to address significant shortfalls in resource mobilization necessary to implement SDGs & to reform the international financial architecture to align with Southern priorities.
South Centre Inputs to FfD4 Elements Paper – Debt Sustainability, Business and Finance, Taxation
By Yuefen Li, Danish, Abdul Muheet Chowdhary
The upcoming 4th conference on financing for development (FfD4) represents an important opportunity for developing countries to achieve a deep reform of the international financial architecture so that it meets their sustainable development needs and enhances the scale of development finance to fully realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Based on the inputs provided by the South Centre to the FfD4 process, this policy brief highlights some of the key messages, problem statements and policy solutions in the areas of sovereign debt, private business and finance, and international tax cooperation that should be considered by the countries of the global South in their deliberations towards achieving ambitious outcomes at FfD4.
Undue High Expectations of the G20 Common Framework: Urgent Need to Reform the International Debt Architecture
By Yuefen Li
This article stresses how international debt architecture reform requires innovative solutions beyond the G20 Common Framework, and should be addressed at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development.
STATEMENT BY DR. CARLOS CORREA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTH CENTRE, TO THE MINISTERS AND GOVERNORS MEETING OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL GROUP OF TWENTY-FOUR (G-24)
21 October 2024, Washington D.C.
The South Centre participated in the G-24 Annual Meeting of Ministers and Governors in Washington D.C. See our statement:
Analysis of Imbalanced Tax Treaties of Developing Countries
Insights From the Tax Treaties Explorer Database
By Aiwei Feng, Shristi Joshi and Quinn McGannon
This report will start from exploring the historical background, theoretical frameworks, and practical implications of tax treaties, with a specific focus on their impact on developing countries. Utilizing diverse literature and datasets, including the Tax Treaties Explorer (TTE) from the International Centre for Tax and Development, it aims to identify restrictive tax treaties and provisions disadvantageous to developing nations. The methodology involves desk reviews, data analysis, and case studies to offer insights into challenges faced by developing countries in international taxation. By scrutinizing key provisions like those concerning permanent establishment and withholding taxes, it aims to highlight how treaties affect revenue generation, economic sovereignty, and development outcomes of South Centre Member States. South Centre Member States have been chosen for the purpose of this study due to their status as developing countries with much to gain from renegotiating their existing tax treaties.
Ultimately, this study intends to fill the gap in terms of treaty research and development of tax treaties of South Centre Member States by identifying their restrictive tax treaties and provisions therein with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The choice of OECD countries reflects their status as mostly developed countries. At the same time, the study also intends to supplement tax treaties literature so far dominated by legal and economic analyses by focusing specifically on identifying specific restrictive provisions.
STATEMENT BY DR. CARLOS CORREA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTH CENTRE, TO THE MINISTERS AND GOVERNORS MEETING OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL GROUP OF TWENTY-FOUR (G-24)
16 April 2024, Washington D.C.
At the G-24 Ministers and Governors meeting, South Centre highlighted the many economic challenges facing developing countries and called for the urgent reform of the international financial architecture.
Side Event to the 46th Session of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group III (WG-III) on Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Reform
“Cross-cutting issues at the centre of developing countries’ concerns during the 46th UNCITRAL WG-III Session: Developing Countries’ Efforts Towards ISDS Reform”
Co-organized by the South Centre, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, the Columbia Centre on Sustainable Investment and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Side Event to the 46th Session of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group III (WG-III) on Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Reform
“Cross-cutting issues at the centre of developing countries’ concerns during the 46th UNCITRAL WG-III Session: Damages at the Core of Discussion”
Co-organized by the South Centre (SC), Columbia Centre on Sustainable Investment, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
