ECOWAS Commission and the South Centre Congratulate the Liberia Revenue Authority and National Revenue Authority of Sierra Leone on the Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding Operationalizing the Simultaneous Tax Examination
Abuja and Geneva, 22 June 2026
The South Centre and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission congratulate the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) and National Revenue Authority (NRA) of Sierra Leone on the signing of an MoU operationalizing the Global South’s first Simultaneous Tax Examination.
This landmark exercise, where two national tax administrations join forces to audit the same Multinational Enterprise, has significant revenue potential for Liberia and Sierra Leone, common Member States of the South Centre and ECOWAS.
Annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights
62nd Session of the Human Rights Council
Geneva, 19 June 2026
During the Annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights at the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council, the South Centre delivered a statement.
Climate action must be anchored in the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) and supported by adequate, predictable, and accessible finance. The statement outlines four actionable pathways:
Grant-Based Public Finance: Advanced economies must provide new grant-based public finance rather than relying on profit-driven private-sector solutions.
Binding Climate Reparations: Following the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion, providing climate reparations is a binding legal obligation. The Loss and Damage Fund must recognise historical emissions and be funded.
Dismantling Barriers: We must address intellectual property monopolies blocking technology transfer, Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanisms penalising climate regulations, and Unilateral Coercive Measures crippling domestic resilience.
Right to Development: Climate finance must facilitate the Right to Development. It must not be weaponised by restrictive conditionalities that block vulnerable communities from accessing funds.
Realising human rights demands climate justice, requiring equitable, accessible, and rights-based finance to repair historical harms.
South Centre Statement on the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health: Health As an Enabler of Dignity, A/HRC/62/66
Geneva, 17 June 2026
The South Centre welcomed the Special Rapporteur’s report on the right to health and emphasized three priorities for developing countries: health equity, international cooperation and solidarity, and maternal and sexual and reproductive health rights.
26TH COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SOUTH CENTRE: COMPILATION OF STATEMENTS
June 2026
This is a compilation of the statements at the Twenty-sixth Meeting of the Council of Representatives of the South Centre held on 23 April 2026, which includes the following:
opening statement by H.E. Mr. Ajit Kumar, Convenor of the Council of Representatives
Spanish and English versions of the report presented by Dr. Carlos Correa, Executive Director of the South Centre under agenda item 4 “Activities and Finances of the South Centre: Report by the Executive Director”
statement of H.E. Mr. Thabo Mbeki, Chairman of the South Centre Board under agenda item 5 “Statement by the Chairman of the Board of the South Centre”
interventions made by member countries under agenda item 9 “General Statements from Representatives”
Statement by the South Centre: WIPO ACE 18th Session
June 2026
At the 18th Session of WIPO’s Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE), South Centre called for intellectual property enforcement grounded in development, that is balanced, proportionate & consistent with TRIPS flexibilities. Not just counterfeiting: preventing the misappropriation of genetic resources & traditional knowledge belongs on the agenda too.
Promoting Trade in Services to Advance Global Development Cooperation
Presentation of Dr. Carlos M. Correa, South Centre Executive Director, at the Seminar “Promoting Trade in Services to Advance Global Development Cooperation” organized by the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations in Geneva, 28 May 2026
With world services exports surpassing 9.5 trillion USD in 2025, we are living through a boom of trade in services largely supported by the growing use of digital technologies. But many developing countries risk being left behind due to persistent gaps in digital infrastructure, skills, and regulatory frameworks.
Statement Delivered by the South Centre to the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79)
Agenda Item 12.5 Primary Healthcare Agenda Item 12.8 Report of the Expert Advisory Group on the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel
Primary healthcare (PHC) is the backbone of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), health system resilience and the right to health. It is our first line of defense in emergencies and pandemics. Bold investment in PHC is overdue. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), the health workforce, integrated services and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) response cannot wait.
27 TH SESSION OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL WORKING GROUP ON THE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT (21 MAY 2026, PDN-TEMPUS)
Panel: Tax-related illicit financial flows and the right to development
South Centre Intervention
The South Centre’s spoke at the United Nations’ 27th Session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development on a panel discussion on tax-related illicit financial flows and the right to development.
Key points:
– The UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation (UNFCITC) must include tax avoidance in the definition of tax-related illicit financial flows (TIFFs)
– UNFCITC must also include an effective monitoring mechanism so progress on reducing TIFFs can be measured
– Public Country by Country Reporting (pCBCR) of tax paid is a key component of the fight against TIFFs and the South Centre is taking various actions to promote pCBCR
– UNFCITC’s second protocol’s tools on dispute prevention like joint audits have huge potential to reduce TIFFs
– UNFCITC’s Conference of Parties will play a central role in ensuring effectiveness and must be well designed.
Statement by the South Centre on the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement
Geneva, 18 May 2026
The South Centre welcomes the one-year extension to finalise the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex.
Developing countries showed remarkable unity and put forward concrete proposals. Had these been the basis of work, negotiations could have concluded sooner. Now all Parties must rise to the moment and deliver an Annex that meaningfully advances equity in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
Statement by the South Centre to the Forty-eighth Session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR 48)
Geneva, 18 May 2026
Limitations and Exceptions (L&Es) must be the priority. The Broadcasting Treaty must not expand beyond its mandate. Copyright in the digital environment must serve Global South creators. Technological Protection Measures (TPMs) studies are premature without development safeguards. See our statement to the Forty-eighth Session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights.
Jointly build peace, stability, and development for a new win-win future
Intervention by Dr. Carlos Correa, Executive Director, South Centre at the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum, Cairo, Egypt, May 12-23, 2026
The need to jointly build peace, stability and development for a win-win future is both timeless and urgent. The recent military aggression against countries of the Global South represents a major setback for decades of diplomatic work towards a peaceful coexistence and respect for national sovereignty. See the intervention by Dr. Carlos Correa, Executive Director, South Centre under the theme ‘Jointly build peace, stability, and development for a new win-win future’, at the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum, Cairo, Egypt, May 12-23, 2026.
