Today, more than 6 billion people are suffering from austerity, so-called “fiscal consolidation” according to a recent study by the EndAusterity Campaign. We demand that governments immediately stop harmful public budget cuts in essential areas like education, health and social protection, and halt damaging reforms such as the privatization of public services and social security rights, which are exacerbating gender inequality, as women are the shock absorbers due to the subsidy they provide to the global economy through their unpaid domestic and care work. Instead of austerity cuts/reforms, governments must seek new sources of fiscal space to meet their Human Rights obligations and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

However, there are alternatives to austerity measures.   Progressive taxes is a key alternative, including taxing wealth and corporations to raise more revenue.  Yet, corporations dodge capital gains taxes when they sell their ownership of assets via tax havens, and also use tax havens to dodge their corporate tax payments. Very few countries still plan to raise taxes on the wealthy even if they've increased their wealth since the pandemic exponentially in many cases.  Also tackling Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) would be an important source of revenue if governments, and much needed international cooperation was there to help this for instance via the proposed UN Framework Convention on Tax.  Also the debt crisis needs to be resolved by providing debt cancellation of unpayable debts among other alternatives.

Spekers:

Isabel Ortiz (Global Social Justice)

Amitabh Behar (Oxfam International)

John Lazaro (APMDD)

Matti Kohonen (Financial Transparency Coalition)

Uddhab Pyakurel (University of Kathmandu)

Kathmandu Statement to End Austerity:
A better world is possible with public education, health, social security, decent jobs and a fairer economy for all
 

The World Social Forum in Nepal is an Open Space of social movements, NGOs, civil society organisations, trade unions, citizens who demand that “Another World is Possible”.  We believe that ending austerity is central to the aims of this assembly gathered in Kathmandu 15-19 February, and this is why we call for immediate attention to the crisis of austerity that is only getting worse, and demand for immediate action on many alternatives that exist to austerity.

Today, more than 6 billion people are suffering from austerity, so-called “fiscal consolidation” according to a recent study by the EndAusterity Campaign. We demand that governments immediately stop harmful public budget cuts in essential areas like education, health and social protection, and halt damaging reforms such as the privatization of public services and social security rights, which are exacerbating gender inequality, as women are the shock absorbers due to the subsidy they provide to the global economy through their unpaid domestic and care work. Instead of austerity cuts/reforms, governments must seek new sources of fiscal space to meet their Human Rights obligations and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Specifically, we, the undersigned social movements, civil society organisations, trade unions and academics demand that governments, regional organisations and multilateral organisations urgently:

1. Stop cutting much needed social protection, education, health, public transport, housing and other social programmes;
2. Stop cuts to the public sector wage bill, in particular for the number and salaries of teachers, health and social workers, as well as civil servants at the local level;
3. Stop reducing subsidies that support households;
4. Stop pensions and social security reforms that result in lower support, and avoid reducing employers’ contributions to social security to ensure that systems are equitable and sustainable;
5. Stop labour flexibilisation reforms;
6. Stop privatisation and public-private partnerships in socially relevant areas;
7. Stop adherence to private finance first approaches;
8. Stop any other budget cuts or reforms with negative social impacts, particularly on women.

Instead, we urge governments, regional organisations, and multilateral organisations to implement financing alternatives, mainly:

1. Increase progressive taxation on corporations, the financial sector and the rich, including corporate and personal income and wealth taxes, excess profits taxes, taxes on windfall profits, digital services taxes on corporations, and financial transaction taxes; instead of regressive taxes such as VAT/ Sales taxes;
2. Fight Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs), tax abuses, and financial secrecy especially in tax havens that contribute to IFFs by opening up beneficial ownership registries for public access, publishing all tax reporting by corporates on a public country-by-country basis, and ending the impunity of tax havens and enablers who facilitate financial secrecy, and tackling trade mispricing;
3. Review, cancel and stop signing harmful tax agreements such as bilateral tax treaties and harmful tax incentives to corporations and wealthy individuals;
4. Reduce / eliminate sovereign debts, so debt service does not reduce social expenditure. 
5. End harmful fiscal ceilings or fiscal rules that don’t allow investing public resources to fight the climate emergency or inequality;
6. Increase employers’ contributions to social security to ensure the sustainability of social security systems, and formalize workers in the informal economy with decent contracts;
7. Tap into fiscal and foreign exchange reserves, so that national savings are invested in people, realisation of human rights, and sustainable development today;

We, members of civil society organisations and social movements feel that these changes are not only urgent and necessary, they are also realistic to implement here and now at all levels.  These decisions affect the lives and livelihoods of billions of people, but decisions are often taken behind closed doors in international financial institutions (IFIs), and in ways that do not engage the public, and more over those marginalised.   Similarly, negotiations concerning international tax treaties, international tax governance, debt governance and debt restructuring also lack transparency, participation and effective citizen engagement.  

To endorse the Kathmandu Statement to End Austerity, SIGNUP FORM.

FIRST SIGNATORIES:

ORGANISATIONS:

Financial Transparency Coalition (FTC), https://wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/1639

Global Social Justice (GSJ), https://wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/976

Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR), https://wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/3268

Oxfam https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/180

ActionAid https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/1162

Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt (CADTM), https://wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/940

Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC), https://wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/1292

World Social Movement (WSM) https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/2189

March For Our Planet (MFOP)

HomeNet Nepal  https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/70

Madeshi Dalit NGO Federation https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/2385

Bangladesh Rural Economic Development (BRED) https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/3430

Socialist Trade Union Confederation of Nepal https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/3594

HomeNet Thailand https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/2306

Nepal Health, Education, Awareness and Rights (HEAR)

Pusat KOMAS Malaysia https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/3336

Asian Cultural Forum on Development (ACFOD) https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/4978

Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF) Thailand https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/1933

Literacy Organization Lokvidya San Andolan, India

Equality Foundation Organization

Centre for Agroecology and Development Nepal

Mass Development Centre, India

Social Protection Civil Society Network (SPCSN) https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/433

Children & Women in Social Services and Human Rights Nepal (CWISHR)

Navjiveen India

WOREC Nepal https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/326

Bihar Child Rights Forum AKKS, India

Good Shepherds Sisters

Jeyen Nepal

Keustubh Tamil Nadu, India https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/3974

Patriotic Education Foundation of Nepal

Leo Club of Kathmandu https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/5114

Deep Jyoti Kalyan Sansthan (DJKS), India

Nepal Entertainment Sector Union

Rainbow Home of the Seven Sisters, India

CWIN Nepal https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/540

Youth Pioneer Organization https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/872

Working People's Coalition (WPC) https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/449

Progressive Plantation Worker's Union, India

Food Sovereignty and Climate Justice Forum, Nepal https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/2060

Public Services International (Asia Pacific) https://www.wsf2024nepal.org/organization-registered-in-wsf/1138

Women Workers Protection Union, Nepal

PMRS Palestine

Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd

Movement for Advancing Understanding of Sustainability and Mutuality (MAUSAM), India

INDIVIDUALS:

Jomo Kwame Sundaram,  former economics professor, was UN Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development
Walden Bello, former Executive Director of Focus on the Global South
Eric Toussaint, Spokesperson of Cadtm International Network
Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, Co-GeneralCoordinator, Progressive International
Anselmo Lee, Coordinator Asia Civil Society Partnership for Sustainable Development 
Leo Gabriel, Assembly of the World Social Forum
Tord Bjork, Coordinator EU-Committee, Friends of the Earth Sweden
Thomas Wallgreen, Professor, Finland 

Pierre Johnson, France
Danny Singona, DR Congo Social Forum

Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Independent Expert, Vietnam

To get in touch, please visit our website, https://endausterity.org/, or write us an email: mkohonen@financialtransparency.org and/or iortiz@globalsocialjustice.org