Breaking the Chains of Unsustainable Debt Burdens in Africa

Side Session at the 11th Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) 

The 11th Session of the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development provides a unique opportunity to produce a collective position on demanding real structural changes of the international debt architecture that will provide the continent fiscal space to achieve the priorities in the second phase of implementation of Agenda 2063 and 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). AFRODAD and partners including Akina Mama wa Afrika, SEATINI, Uganda Debt Network, Tax Justice Network Africa and Trust Afrika working on debt, tax, trade and economic justice issues align with AFRSD’s forum objectives and intends to bring other CSOs, government and other stakeholders together to concretely outline Africa’s position on dealing with Africa’s debt conundrum. 

 The purpose of the side event will therefore be to: 

1. Discuss the opportunity of the UN Financing for Development process for the establishment of a fair and transparent multilateral sovereign debt resolution mechanism in order to deliver on sufficient debt restructuring and cancellation for all countries in need to be able to fulfil its international human rights obligations, achieve the SDGs, ensure gender equality, and implement the necessary climate actions;
2. Conceretise Africa’s position amidst calls of reform of the Global Financial architecture: Validation Presentation of AFRODAD’s research paper on Global Architecture Reform
3. Discuss the link between reparations to ongoing global initiatives such as Financing for Development, the Second World Summit for Social Development and explore how these processes can be better aligned to support Africa’s structural tranformation transformation needs  and its aspirations for reparative justice 

View the concept note!