XVIIth International CIFA Forum
May 06 - 07, 2019
HOW TO MOBILIZE PRIVATE FINANCE TOWARDS FUNDING THE UN-SDGS?
MONDAY, MAY 6
10:00
Official opening ceremony by Jean-Pierre Diserens
Secretary-General of CIFA
10:10
Tribute to the memory of H.E. MR. VIRACHAI PLASAI
Late Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the United States, Chair of the Group of 77 for 2016
10:30
Welcome address by Tony Mahabir
President of CIFA
11:00
Keynote Speaker: H.E. Mr. E. Courtenay Rattray
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations, Member of the Group of Friends of SDG Finance.
11:30
Keynote Speaker: Ferghane Azihari
Chargé d’études, Institut de recherches économiques et fiscales (IREF), Paris
THEME 1: POVERTY, INC.FIGHTING POVERTY IS BIG BUSINESS. BUT, WHO PROFITS THE MOST?
12:00
Keynote Speaker: H.E. Mr. Courtenay Rattray
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations, Member of the Group of Friends of SDG Finance.
12:30
Keynote Speaker: Navid Hanif
Director, Financing for Sustainable Development Office, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations
THEME 2: Financing for Development (FFD)
At the UN “the Financing for Sustainable Development Office” through the FfD Forum plays a critical role for financing the 2030 Agenda. In addition, the FfD Office monitors the SDG implementation, promotes a competitive SDG Investment Fair and facilitates a dialogue on international cooperation in tax matters through the Tax Committee.
The recommendations adopted by member states last month at the fourth ECOSOC FfD Forum and transmitted to the HLPF (High Level Policy Forum) 2019, will be presented in this opening session.
CIFA will lean on the emerging economic trends as they offer hopes for economic growth and review the keys messages in relation to sustainable finance.
13:00
Networking Lunch Break
THEME 3: ECOSOC 2019 SESSION“ONE WORLD FOR ALL: EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO BUILD EQUAL AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES” “ADDRESSING INEQUALITIES AND CHALLENGES TO INCLUSION THROUGH FISCAL, WAGE AND SOCIAL PROTECTION POLICIES”
At the UN “the Financing for Sustainable Development Office” through the FfD Forum plays a critical role for financing the 2030 Agenda. In addition, the FfD Office monitors the SDG implementation, promotes a competitive SDG Investment Fair and facilitates a dialogue on international cooperation in tax matters through the Tax Committee.
The recommendations adopted by member states last month at the fourth ECOSOC FfD Forum and transmitted to the HLPF (High Level Policy Forum) 2019, will be presented in this opening session.
CIFA will lean on the emerging economic trends as they offer hopes for economic growth and review the keys messages in relation to sustainable finance.
15:00
Confirmed Moderator: Hanifa D. Mezoui
Member of CIFA’s Executive Committee, Former Senior Advisor Humanitarian Affairs and Civil Society, United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)
Confirmed Speakers:
Daniela Bas
Director, Division for Inclusive Social Development Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations
Chantal Line Carpentier
Chief, UNCTAD New York Office of the Secretary General
Louise Kantrow
Former International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Ambassador to the United Nations
Lila Karbassi
Chief, Programmes, United Nations Global Compact
Stephanie Kelton
Professor of Public Policy and Economics, Stony Brook University, USA
H.E. Mr. Horacio Sevilla Borja
Ambassador, Former Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the UN, Chair of the Group 77 for 2017
16:30
Concluding Remarks:
Francois Loriot
Human Rights Advocate-President, Bar Association for NGOs
Reda Mezoui
Docteur d’Etat en Sciences Politiques, Algiers University
17:00
End of first day
20:00
17th CIFA Forum Patrons’ Gala Dinner
The Metropolitan Club New York, 1 East 60th Street, New York, ‘by invitation only’ (Black tie suggested)
20:30
Confirmed Keynote Speaker: H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser
Former High Representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), former President of the United Nations General Assembly (66th Session)
10:00
Welcome address by the Chairperson for the day
Afaf Konja
Communication Specialist, former Spokesperson for the President of the United Nations General Assembly and UN Resident Global Correspondent
THEME 4: GLOBAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM REGULATION AND THE IMPENDING NEED TO FINANCE THE UNITED NATIONS’ SDGs
10:30
- Global financial markets’ deregulation in 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s allowed for the introduction of highly sophisticated financial instruments, which caused an overt misallocation of savings and impaired the efficient allocation of financial resources towards real economic growth. How to create the needed funding of ‘common good’ goals, such as the SDGs?
- In the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2008, enhanced financial regulation aimed mainly at the stabilization of the financial system (as a pre-condition to economic growth and job creation) and the protection of investors. Should regulators now focus on directing the global financial system towards becoming the leading funding source for achieving the SDGs by 2030?
- Are these goals (financial system stability and SDGs) compatible or incompatible?
- How to improve regulation of the financial system in order to reduce/eliminate speculative investments?
- How to align the global financial system with sustainable development? Which investments are really relevant and efficient for the SDGs as opposed to financial instruments basically packaged/structured to generate fees/income benefitting the financial system dominant players and asset managers?
- How to align the financial system interests with the ‘common good’ goals: SDGs? What is urgently needed: increased liberalization and deregulation, allowing for enhanced competition, stronger regulation across all sectors (financial and economic), selective nationalization process…?
Confirmed Moderator: William K. Black
Member of CIFA’s Advisory Board, Associate Professor of Economics and Law, University of Missouri-Kansas City, USA
Confirmed Speakers:
Thierry Bonneau
Professor of Law, Director of the doctoral school of private law, University of Panthéon‐Assas (Paris 2)
H.E. Mr. Mohamed Fathi Ahmed Edrees
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN, Chair of the Group 77 for 2018
Joe Oliver
Canadian Corporate Director, former Minister of Natural Resources (2011) and former Minister of Finance (2014)
Olaf Webe
Research Chair in Sustainable Finance, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
THEME 5: taxation and the SDGs How to achieve the SDGs through a tax system aimed at enhancing private wealth creation?
12:15
- Rethinking taxation in a globally integrated liberal economy: how to finance public spending without impairing competitiveness, innovation and growth?
-
Who should bear the burden of direct taxation in a world where a State cannot tax:
- capital/capital income (free movement of capital) :
- corporate profits too heavily (risk of delocalization) :
- the rich (who can transfer their residence to low tax jurisdictions) :
- the poor:
- the middle class exclusively that consumes and drives demand? :
- How to achieve tax compliance (fight against tax fraud) without excluding vast amounts of undeclared funds from financing economic development? Are tax compliance policies going too far and playing against economic development especially in emerging countries? How to unlock the financial resources available in offshore accounts?
Confirmed Moderator: Daniel Mitchell,
Member of CIFA’s Advisory Board, Chairman, Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Confirmed Speakers:
Allison Christians
Full Professor Associate Dean (Research) H. Heward Stikeman Chair in Tax Law, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Peter Egger
Professor of Applied Economics, ETH Zurich, KOF Swiss Economic Institute
Stephanie Kelton
Professor of Public Policy and Economics, Stony Brook University, USA
14:00
Networking Lunch Break
THEME 6: QUANTUM POLITICS AND SDGs
How to achieve the SDGs in the new political era of quantum politics characterized
by the populist intrinsic opposition to regulation, taxes, globalization and
multilateralism, along with the rejection of political elites and mainstream media?
15:00
- In the current global political environment, could SDGs be achieved through multilateral agreements, increased regulation, heavier taxation of the carbon content of fuels, bureaucratic politics approach?
- In a newly designed global political environment, could the answer be: diminished State intervention and regulation, reduced tax pressure, increased trust in the capacity of citizens, corporates, investors to come up with the best solutions to face the challenges of achieving the SDGs?
Confirmed Moderator: Francois Loriot,
Human Rights Advocate-President, Bar Association for NGOs
Confirmed Speakers:
Joe Oliver
Canadian Corporate Director, former Minister of Natural Resources (2011) and former Minister of Finance (2014)
Henry Olsen
Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC
16:30
End of second day
TUESDAY, MAY 7