Public Policy & Advocacy Briefs/Reports
InterAction’s G8/G20 Task Force urges G8 leaders to implement the following recommendations at the May 26-27 summit in Deauville, France. As the largest association of U.S.-based, non-profit organizations, InterAction and its members deal daily with the impact of global poverty. The current financial crisis has had a serious impact on commitments made by G8 members to developing nations. Through strong actions and a commitment to greater transparency, the G8 should leverage good governance efforts by its partners and remove impediments to economic growth. In a bid to maximize the outcomes of the Deauville summit, the following steps should be taken: Food Security, Agriculture, and Nutrition1. Fully fund the L’Aquila $22 billion pledge.2. Rebalance donor funds to improve nutrition and reach small-scale producers.3. Integrate resilience to climate change and civil society partnerships into food security plans. Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH)1. Implement MNCH commitments made under the 2010 Muskoka Initiative and ensure much needed international engagement, coordination, accountability and investment to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 through active support of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Strategy on Women’s and Children’s Health.2. Coordinate donor funding to support integration of services within the health and other development sectors, and ensure equitable access to health services across the full continuum of care. Accountability1. Direct the G8 Accountability Working Group (AWG) to seek outside input to inform its reporting.2. When the AWG establishes a new expert group, make public its terms of reference and the names and affiliations of all of the experts; then update the information in a timely and transparent fashion.3. Require that the AWG conduct a comprehensive evaluation of all G8 commitments, make it publicly available 30 days before each summit and hold a public comment period.4. Publish the report schedule (with probable topics) through 2015
The G8 is committed to aid effectiveness in the areas of global health and food security. Food security is central in the G8's development concerns as the countries focus on financial aid as well as research. The G8 has also mobilized over 40 percent of the $60 billion that was pledged towards global health in 2007.The complete report is available at: http://www.g20-g8.com/g8-g20/root/bank_objects/Rapport_G8_GB.pdf.
The April 2011 issue of Monday Developments Magazine
InterAction Statement: U.S. NGO alliance InterAction calls on Congress to pass the 2011 spending agreement today and work with the Obama administration to agree on a 2012 budget that invests in building a more stable and prosperous world.
In preparation for the November G20 summit’s consideration of innovative financing a number of leading institutions have produced analyses of financial transaction tax options (the IMF having done two). Other innovative financing options include expanding Special Drawing Rights at the IMF, advance market commitments, tax haven reforms, and shipping and aviation levies. The following G20 summit background brief summarizes six studies of financial transaction tax options.
NGO alliance InterAction calls on Congress and the Obama administration to think long-term and preserve our government’s 2012 investment in international development, diplomacy and humanitarian assistance.
Policy brief from InterAction partner MFAN that makes the case for foreign assistance reform in this challenging budget environment.
President Obama’s proposed 2012 budget calls for a modest increase—1 percent—in spending on foreign affairs and development.
Americans think they give far more aid than they actually do, and are clamorring to cut it. But aid isn't just about compassion, it serves our security and economic interests too.
As the United States seeks to get its fiscal house in order, Congress must realize that cuts to foreign assistance now will only cost our country more later. Such a strategy would-–in the most basic terms-–be penny-wise and pound foolish.
