New York, NY — Part of the Society for International Development's (SID) Economic Justice team was present at the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78) in New York. Led by Pooja Rangaprasad, SID's Policy Director, and Marisol Ruiz, Senior Communications Officer from the Financing for Development Programme, the team participated in various events as part of the Civil Society Financing for Development Mechanism.

During the SDG Action Weekend, they attended the event "Building partnerships to leave no one behind" where CS FfD Mechanism member Dereje Alemayehu participated highlighted: "This is about the global structure that is keeping those who are poor to protect the privileges of the rich." You can see the full recording of the event here. 

They also followed the conversation: "Towards a Rights-centred Gender Transformative Economy, Including a New International Financial Architecture" hosted by the Women's Major Group and UN Women where CS FfD Member Chenai Mukumba explored the gendered implications of the current financial architecture and highlighted the possibility of a UN Tax Convention to make Taxes Work for Women. See full recording of the event here

Civil Society's voice was heard loud and clear during the People's General Assembly, where Pooja Rangaprasad took on the role of  moderator. She presided over a thought-provoking panel discussion titled "Which International Financial Reform for Economic Justice?" The panel explored critical questions surrounding economic justice and the urgent reforms necessary to achieve it on a global scale.(Recording here)

Furthermore, the team closely followed the High-Level Panel on Financing for Development, (see recordings here) where key outcomes from governmental discussions were unveiled. A major announcement came from Mexico, which expressed its interest in co-hosting the next Financing for Development Conference alongside Spain. This commitment underscores the importance of centering the UN as the only democratic process where all countries have equal say and equal vote.The decision on a potential 4th FfD conference will be taken during the upcoming 2C negotiations. More updates soon!

Additionally, the Africa Group's call for a UN Tax Convention received significant support, with various nations endorsing the initiative. You can visit a database where the CS FfD Mechanism has been documenting the statements from different countries supporting this initiative. This development represents a significant step toward establishing an international framework for fair and equitable taxation, further promoting economic justice worldwide.