DIIP Monthly Update – April 2018
This update provides a snapshot of the activities of the Development, Innovation and Intellectual Property Programme during the month of April 2018.
Issues
SC Side Event to the Bonn Climate Change Conference, 30 April 2018
Title: The Road to COP 24
Date: Monday, 30 April 2018, 13h15-14h45
Venue: Bonn Room
Organizers: The South Centre and the Third World Network
DIIP Monthly Update – March 2018
This update provides a snapshot of the activities of the Development, Innovation and Intellectual Property Programme during the month of March 2018.
Second Annual Developing Country Forum for Cooperation in International Tax Matters, 25-27 April 2018
Title: Second Annual Developing Country Forum for Cooperation in International Tax Matters
Date: 25-27 April 2018
Venue: Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Organizers: The South Centre and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia
SC Lunch Briefing with the Executive Director, 17 April 2018
Title: The Global South Facing a New Era of Unilateralism and Protectionism: Challenges and Prospects
Date: Tuesday, 17 April 2018, 13h00-15h00
Venue: Room XXIII, Palais des Nations, Geneva
Organizers: The South Centre
Policy Brief 48, June 2018
Collaboration or Co-optation? A review of the Platform for Collaboration on Tax
By Manuel F. Montes and Pooja Rangaprasad
The Platform for Collaboration on Tax (PCT), launched in April 2016, is an effort to intensify cooperation on tax issues among the staff of the OECD, IMF, World Bank and the United Nations. The PCT’s stated objectives include the production of joint outputs, strengthening interactions between standard setting, capacity building and technical assistance and sharing information. PCT has since produced toolkits on issues such as tax incentives, transfer pricing, and taxation of offshore indirect transfers. The PCT also held its first global conference in February 2018 at the UN where a concluding ‘conference statement’, negotiated among the four secretariats, was produced.
Policy Brief 47, June 2018
Renewed crises in emerging economies and the IMF ‒ Muddling through again?
As recognised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the global financial safety net including international reserves, Fund resources, bilateral swap arrangements, regional financing arrangements is “fragmented with uneven coverage” and “too costly, unreliable and conducive to moral hazard”. Given the aversion of emerging economies to the IMF and unilateral debt standstills and exchange controls, the next crisis is likely to be even messier than the previous ones. Some countries may seek and succeed in getting bilateral support from China or some reserve-currency countries according to their political stance and affiliation. In such cases, crisis intervention would become even more politicised than in the past and a lot less reliant on multilateral arrangements. By failing to establish an orderly and equitable system of crisis resolution, the IMF may very well find its role significantly diminished in the management of the next bout of crises in emerging economies. In other words, multilateralism, however imperfect, could face another blow in the sphere of finance after trade.
Statement, May 2018
South Centre Statement at the Meeting of Ministers of Health of the Member States of the Non-Aligned Movement
The South Centre reiterates its commitment to support the Non-Aligned countries so that there is close and effective cooperation among developing countries to strengthen a global health agenda. WHO was created as an international public agency in the service of global health. Recovering and reinforcing this role should be the work of all.
Tax Cooperation Policy Brief 2, May 2018
Transfer Pricing: Concepts and Practices of the ‘Sixth Method’ in Transfer Pricing
Many developing countries are particularly concerned with problems of transfer pricing in the extractive industries, which are often significant components of their economies. Similar to other sectors, profit attribution may be highly dependent on the valuation of commodity exports. For this reason, a number of developing countries have adopted the ‘Sixth Method’, following the Argentine experience. This method aims to establish a clear and easily administered benchmark and avoid the need for subjective judgment and discretion.
Tax Cooperation Policy Brief 1, May 2018
Ecuador and Its Fight Against Tax Havens
Taxation has been a key tool in improving Ecuador’s Gini coefficient. Ecuador has improved how it manages tax collection and implemented domestic anti-fraud regulations and international mechanisms concerning aspects such as transfer pricing and tax havens. These measures have helped to increase the tax base, which has had a positive impact on the redistribution of wealth and equality. The increase in the tax base has also led to more social investments in health care, education, the road infrastructure, etc.
Investment Policy Brief 11, May 2018
The Cooperation and Facilitation Investment Agreement (CFIA) in the context of the discussions on the reform of the ISDS system
The Brazilian Cooperation and Facilitation Investment Agreement (CFIA) model establishes an alternative approach to dispute resolution. This does not mean, however, that the CFIA is silent with regards to possible disputes arising from breaches to the agreement and/or claims by investors. Based on the premise that the investment regime between two or more countries is a positive-sum game, in which all parties involved win, the CFIA presents an approach based on the prevention of disputes.
South Bulletin 101, 18 April 2018
AMR: The gravest threat to global health
Antibiotic resistance—and the broader antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – is a silent but major killer. In fact it is emerging as the most serious threat to global health, with experts warning of a “post-antibiotics apocalypse”.
This special issue of South Bulletin focuses on the AMR crisis, especially on how it affects developing countries—and the great challenges on fighting this threat.