UN votes to Create International Tax Convention
Dec. 1, 2023
The U.N. General Assembly approved a proposal for organization to develop a global tax framework, yesterday. “In what advocates hailed as a “historic victory,” countries voted 125 to 48 to adopt a resolution tabled by Nigeria last month on behalf of African member states, calling for a U.N. tax convention that could drastically change how global tax rules are set,” reports the ICIJ.
The resolution was approved despite Western efforts to derail the plan. (See yesterday’s post.)
Earlier this year, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a report that enhancing the U.N’s role in shaping policy was “the most viable path for making international tax cooperation fully inclusive and more effective.” That language was echoed in the newly adopted resolution. (ICIJ)
“The pursuit of a fair, just and equitable international tax system is paramount”, states Sir Ronald Sanders, Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organisation of American States, in his article Breaking the OECD hold on global tax governance for Caribbean News Global. “This system should reflect the needs, priorities, and capacities of all countries, considering the unique challenges faced by regions like Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific”, he concludes.
African nations were all able to unite to champion the UN Tax Convention in an unprecedented effort to release themselves from the shackles of their (former) colonizers – at least for tax governance. But parts of the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Pacific, are not supporting the effort. The UN vote represents a unique chance to stand up to injustice, further our decolonization journey, and break free of the OECD, according to Marla Dukharan.
The Impact of Climate Change in Vulnerable Populations
The Impact of Climate Change in Vulnerable Populations by Debra D. Joseph and Roshnie A. Doon, published by MDPI, examines how climate change and urban development threaten health, undermine coping and deepen existing social and environmental inequities.
The chapters of this open access edited volume have mainly been contributed by established and emerging scholars representing social work, sociology, development studies, law, government, social anthropology, urbanism, public policy, and other social sciences
The Social and Economic Inequalities of Climate Change Events on the Elderly, Disabled and Homeless Societies in the Caribbean by Joseph and Doon states that not only do climate change events have a significant and often irreversible impact on the elderly, disabled, and homeless groups in the Caribbean, but their exclusion from climate change policies, and empirical research studies, can mask greater societal problems in the Caribbean like unequal opportunities, discrimination, ableism, gentrification, and ageism.
The Impact of Climate Change on Maternal and Child Health in the Caribbean by Joseph and Doon confirms that socially, pregnant women and children are affected by extreme heat events, increasing frequency of climate-related disasters including hurricanes and flooding, food insecurity, and risks of waterborne diseases. These stated aspects impact and exacerbate gender inequality in vulnerable groups, especially in developing countries.
A Crisis within a Crisis: Climate Change and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago: A Narrative Review by Doon and Joseph declares that many women have experienced domestic violence throughout their lifetimes and continue to do so presently. New layers of challenges tend to exacerbate this violence, such as COVID-19 and climate change. These added layers tend to perpetuate inequality and inequity concerning women and their needs.
Examining the Psychosocial Issues that Impact Female-Headed Households Post-Hurricane Maria in Dominica by Joseph concludes that female-headed households were impacted from psychological, social, educational, and spiritual points of view and are still grappling with the after-effects in those four spheres and require the intervention of the government at the macro level.
The Challenging Climate for Women in Caribbean Fisheries—From Seaweed to Seafood, and Practice to Policy by Maria Pena, Patrick McConney, Bertha Simmons and Katherine Blackman states that gender mainstreaming supports women’s participation in policy and decision-making processes. The current and future impacts of climate change require women in Caribbean fisheries to be considered in strategies and policies that will assist their adaptation and resilience across the fisheries value chain.
Factors Influencing Climate Change Adaptation Decision Making among Farmers: Case Studies and Lessons Learnt in Trinidad and Tobago by Christian Casey-Lee Virgil and Kit Fai Pun confirm that it appears a pressing need for government agencies to develop a policy that encourages farmers to grow climate-resistant crops. This holistic policy should provide support for acquiring, growing, and selling these crops. Acquiring and distributing climate-resilient species of crops to farmers is crucial.
Heat-Related Climate Change Impacts on a Small Island Developing State (SIDS): A Case Study of Trinidad, W.I. by Kerresha Khan, Ryan Assiu, Vrijesh Tripathi, Azad Mohammed, Ameerah Ali, Aashrita Mohess, Anand Mahabir and John Agard concludes that Trinidad has become significantly warmer with an increase in the maximum heat index over the past few decades, with temperatures expected to continue increasing. Looking forward, urban planning and design in Trinidad needs to be modified and adjusted in order to reduce expected heat-related climatic impacts within the most populated regions of Trinidad, which also coincide with the regions projected to be most impacted by heat.
The Caribbean and the World
“Real change for Haiti would begin with reparations. If international bodies would only listen, Haitian groups representing broad swathes of civil society have been vocal about what they want and their opposition to a Kenyan-led intervention”, states Jennifer Greenburg, Lecturer in International Relations, University of Sheffield, for The Conversation.
Many Haitians do want international security support, but “to succeed and be credible among the Haitian population, the MSS mission must adopt specific and clear procedures to prevent human rights violations, particularly exploitation and sexual abuse, and ensure accountability for transgressions,” argues Gedeon Jean in Americas Quarterly.
The rising tensions between Venezuela and Guyana over the disputed Essequibo territory, exacerbated by recent statements and actions from both sides, signal a growing risk of potential conflict. Venezuela plans a referendum on December 3rd regarding the contested area, prompting concerns over possible armed escalation due to military support hints and operational deployments by Guyana, backed by international allies. (Merco Press)
María Corina Machado, a prominent challenger to Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela's upcoming elections, is calling for the suspension of Guyana's Essequibo region referendum. Machado sees the referendum as a distraction from Venezuela's internal crises and fears it could weaken Venezuela's position in the International Court of Justice regarding the territorial dispute with Guyana. (Oil Now)
Economics and Finance
“Barbados’ missions, if well communicated and co-created across society, have the potential to transform the country, confront challenges head-on, and turn them into innovation, investment, and participation opportunities”, confirms a new report published by UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose and written by Mariana Mazzucato, Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value, University College London, Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.
Climate Justice
The Caribbean Climate Justice Alliance, a group of 40 civil society organizations from the region, has just launched the "Caribbean Climate Justice and Resilience Agenda" to urgently address the climate crisis. This comprehensive agenda, released ahead of COP28, outlines critical priorities, including curbing global temperature rise to 1.5°C, bolstering local adaptation efforts, ensuring fair access to climate finance, and advocating for just and nature-based resilience solutions, among others. (CANARI)
Latin America and the Caribbean must be recognized as crucial actors in the fight against climate change during COP28 and their importance in mitigating and adapting to climate change, highlighting their role in biodiversity, renewable energies, and sustainable food production, explains Alicia Montalvo, Manager of Climate Action and Biodiversidad Positiva, for El País.
The delicate compromise achieved in Abu Dhabi, outlining the structure and objectives of the Loss and Damage Fund, aims to provide grant-based support to developing countries affected by climate-related events, breaking the cycle of climate-induced debt by offering assistance for reconstruction, rehabilitation, relocation, and addressing non-economic losses, explained Avinash D. Persaud. (The Loss & Damage Collaboration)
“Examples of innovative financing show that there are numerous options for reducing the gaps in climate financing. A combination of additional international financial transfers, innovative tax types and money creation through SDRs, as well as the release of countries’ own budget funds through debt relief, has high mobilization potential. The hurdles that need to be overcome are mainly political in nature”, according to a new report Innovative climate financing instruments by Bodo Ellmers and Timon Steger.
The EU should “bring other countries to the table, in order to negotiate inclusively for a reasonable and effective means to cooperate to apply carbon prices to fight global warming, while respecting the situation of developing countries”, argue Joel Trachtman, professor of international law at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Dr Jan Yves Remy, WTO Chair at the University of the West Indies (Barbados), for Reuters.
Kishan Kumarsingh, head of multilateral environmental agreements at the Ministry of Planning and Development, underscores the pivotal role of the UN's Conference of the Parties (COP) in addressing climate change. Despite challenges and frustrations, Kumarsingh emphasizes the importance of COP as a vital platform for implementing global climate agreements. (Trinidad and Tobago Newsday)
The Caribbean education sector faces significant challenges in adapting to climate change. Rising temperatures are impacting schools, affecting the safety and learning environments for children. Officials across Barbados, Guyana, and St. Kitts-Nevis are focusing on creating resilient education infrastructure to mitigate these issues. However, financial constraints pose a significant challenge in implementing necessary changes. (New Room)
Small Island Developing States face critical challenges, from the climate crisis to economic and geopolitical shifts. Small island nations, though achieving higher-middle income status, struggle due to their vulnerability to external shocks. The traditional criteria for international aid based on income levels fail to consider this vulnerability adequately. (ODI)
Amy Spencer Harff, a Force of Nature consultant, climate researcher, and artist, discusses the importance of creative tools to drive the circular economy, protect our oceans and drive climate action — EcoVybz Podcast Artivism for Ocean and Climate Action
Partners of the Ocean Pavilion at COP28 and associated stakeholders are calling on world leaders to recognize the importance of the ocean in climate and support efforts to expand and improve ocean observations worldwide, including expanding coverage in under-observed regions. — Ocean Decade
The ABCs of Climate Change by The Climate Conscious Podcast.
Earth's ice sheets are melting at an unexpectedly fast rate, potentially leading to catastrophic sea-level rise. If global temperatures reach 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, scientists predict a rise of over 40 feet in sea levels over centuries. This rapid ice loss could prompt irreversible processes, drastically reshaping societies worldwide and forcing millions to flee coastal areas. (NBC News)
Reparations
“European initiatives for repair reveal a divide and conquer approach”, states Liliane Umubyeyi, co-founder and executive director of African Futures Lab, for The Guardian. “Genuinely addressing the issue of colonial violence and its aftermath requires starting from the demands for justice and reparation expressed by formerly colonized peoples and states, and from the alliances that have already been formed among them”, she concludes.
The analysis of the UK's historical emissions reveals a significant doubling of its global heating responsibility when accounting for emissions from former colonies under the British empire, reports The Guardian. This recognition moves the UK from the eighth to the fourth position in the list of nations with the most substantial historical emissions, largely driven by deforestation in past British colonies like India, Myanmar, and Nigeria
“We must expand our mainstream public historical narratives to include the complex, nuanced, and difficult stories of slavery and empire”, said Nick Merriman, the incoming head of English Heritage, for The Guardian. “This isn’t political correctness, workers, or changing history … This is simply good history, and expanding the range of narratives to introduce more complexity is better history”.
Council Ambassador to the Caribbean Chevy Eugene features at the First Accra Reparations Conference #ARC2023, under the theme “Building a United Front to Advance the Cause of Justice and the Payment of Reparations to Africans”. (Pan African Council)
Human Rights
“It is important for us to come together to discuss this topic such as gender-based violence. I am looking forward to getting some measurable tools that we can implement in the King Islands to make sure that we have expressed our concerns for this topic and implement the changes needed to eradicate it”, expresses Vanessa Burke, CARICOM Youth Ambassador, Cayman Islands on her experience at Caribbean Youth Summit 2023
In Cuba, there is no specific law addressing gender violence, which has led to frequent requests from civil organizations to establish concrete protection measures for women. (Cuba Lex)
Public Security
INTERPOL's Secretary General, Jürgen Stock, highlights the alarming surge in transnational organized crime as a global security crisis, stressing its pervasive impact on communities worldwide. He underscores the urgent need for unified, coordinated action among nations to combat this issue, emphasizing the necessity of global cooperation, information sharing, and technological investment to counteract this expanding criminal threat. (Caribbean News Global)
Events
From 30th November to 12th December, a virtual space Island Voices @COP28 will share key insights and developments related to island communities, hosted by Island Innovation. Register.
December 2nd, online webinar What are treaties and how do they protect human rights? featuring Cherisse Francis, Lawyer, and Ph.D. Candidate. Register.
Resources
Attending the COP 28? Here is a useful Whatsapp group link for those Caribbeans who will join the event.
Devex introduces their new Better Conversations guide about ethical storytelling. Due to the wider impact of communications, the sector is now at an impasse, having to confront and change practices that were once considered standard, without always having a clear roadmap for a better way forward.
Participate in the survey to test how much you know about Climate & Gender Justice in the Caribbean and join the Caribbean Call to Action campaign #TruthToBeTold for gender-responsive climate action, an initiative by The Climate Conscious Podcast and The Breadfruit Collective under the Caribbean Climate Justice Alliance - Gender Working Group.
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