If you picked up a copy of Le Figaro last Friday, you’d have seen the Currency Transaction Levy (CTL) on the front cover.
You could have read about its virtues in Le Monde, Liberation and a host of other French papers, and followed its fortunes on newswires Reuters and AFP.
Bernard Kouchner – the French Foreign Minister - had just announced not only his own commitment to seeing the CTL become a reality, but France’s intention to lead a Working Group of countries to examine the details of its implementation. It is the first time such a high level public endorsement of the proposal has taken place by a nation state.
| CTL Proponent: France's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs - Bernard Kouchner |
It was the culmination of a high-octane week in which the Currency Transaction Levy appeared top of the pile on desks of Presidents and Prime Ministers around the world.
The setting for this unique series of events was the meeting of the ‘Leading Group on Solidarity Levies to Fund Development’ that took place in Paris 28th – 29th May.
At the same time Ministers convened another meeting, this time of the Taskforce on Innovative International Financing for Health Systems’, a Gordon Brown-led initiative to investigate new financing streams for health.
Following intense lobbying efforts from civil society here in Europe and in the Global South, the CTL has been shortlisted as one of the Taskforce’s recommendations to be taken forward to the G8 Summit this July in Italy.
| Stamp Out Poverty Coordinator David Hillman with DFID Minister Ivan Lewis |
As Anton Kerr, Policy Manager from the International HIV/AIDS Alliance said: “This announcement is potentially good news for the poor. Unless donors deliver on their current pledges and provide an additional $28-37 billion, the three health-related goals to cut child mortality, improve maternal care and combat HIV, TB and malaria will not be met by 2015”.
The events of the past week show that with the right mix of public sentiment, civil society action and government leadership the CTL can become a reality.
Anna Marriott, health policy advisor from Oxfam: “Prime Minister Gordon Brown's consideration of a Currency Transaction Levy is a welcome step forward in the fight against poverty. We now look for concrete commitments at this year's G8 in Italy to make this recommendation a reality”.
- To read the presentation given by Stamp Out Poverty Coordinator David Hillman to the Sixth Plenary Meeting of the Pilot Group on Solidarity Contributions for Development, click on the download tab below.
- For more information on the Taskforce announcement and Civil Society's response, please see this Press Release from a coalition of UK Charities.
- You can also read this blog on the French Government's announcement from the Tax Justice Network.
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Paris, May 09: Presentation to the Sixth Plenary Meeting of the Pilot Group on Solidarity Contributions for Development
Download this file: CTL.presentation.LG.28May2009.doc
File Format: Word
Author: David Hillman
Date added: 11 June 2009
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