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“The Changing Face of Global Development Finance – Impacts and implications for aid, development, the South and the Bretton Woods Institutions” - Final Conference Report. For the past four years the Halifax Initiative Coalition has produced an Annual Report Card on Finance Canada's 2007 Annual Report to Parliament on the World Bank and IMF | A statutorily-mandated review of the Export Development Act, the legislation that governs operations at Export Development Canada (EDC), is currently underway. A submission to the review prepared by HI argues that in several important areas, the standards that EDC employs to assess project acceptability fall significantly short of “best practice.” These findings are worrisome given that EDC continues to receive requests to support projects that have the potential to generate adverse social, human rights and environmental impacts... |
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What's New
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Halifax Initiative Submission to the 2008 Review of the Export Development Act - 2008/07/02
The Export Development Act, which came into force in 1969, established Export Development Canada and continues to govern its operations. Section 25... -
Monthly Issue Update - June 30, 2008 - 2008/06/30
Every month, the Halifax Initiative produces a monthly update on various issues related to the international financial system and its institutions. This month: *EDC in the spotlight – beyond responsible to accountable *Canada at the heart of mining conflict in the Americas *IMF watchdog tackles broader accountability debate *Notice Board, new publications and upcoming events
*JUST THE FACTS: Export Development Canada’s legislative review – what’s at stake? -
Press Responses: June 27, 2008 - 2008/06/27
The Kindness of Corporations - Globe and Mail, Report on Business -
Policy Brief: Implications of the "better aid bill" for the BWIs and EBRD - June 2008 - 2008/06/24
On May 29, Bill C-293 or the “better aid bill”, received royal assent, now legally requiring Canadian official development assistance (ODA) to contribute to poverty reduction, take into account the perspectives of the poor, and be consistent with international human rights standards(see our "Issue Update" for more). Finance Canada, among others, is in the process of developing plans on how to implement the Bill in practice. These comments are intended to help Finance Canada in its interpretation of the Bill for the various international financial institutions (IFIs) for which it is the lead agency. -
The Invisible Hand - How the IMF undermines health systems in developing countries - 2008/06/13
This powerpoint presentation was made by Paul Jensen, Global Research Coordinator with the Results Educational Fund, at the Halifax Initiative member's meeting and workshop. It explains how the IMF puts in place policies that essentially fix the size of government's budgets and determine how much of that budget they can dedicate towards their own national development priorities. -
Letter to Minister Flaherty re cancelling Haiti's bi-lateral and multi-lateral debt - 2008/06/11
This letter from 28 groups urges all G8 Governments, as officials head to Japan for the G8 Finance Minister's meeting, to support immediate multilateral and bilateral debt cancellation for Haiti or a moratorium on all debt service payments until such a time as the debt is cancelled. -
Monthly Issue Update - May 30, 2008 - 2008/05/30
Every month, the Halifax Initiative produces a monthly update on various issues related to the international financial system and its institutions. This month: *NGOs applaud adoption of “better aid bill” *EDC eyes Peru despite Ombudsman concerns *World Bank at fault for food crisis, critics charge *Notice Board, new publications and upcoming events*JUST THE FACTS: The Better Aid Bill – what it may mean for the IFIs
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Canadian Government Reports on IFI Activity Get Good Grade - 2008/05/16
The Canadian government’s annual reporting on its activities at international financial institutions is getting better, according to the authors, and to a Canadian civil society group which recently gave the latest report its best grade ever. -
Monthly Issue Update - April 30, 2008 - 2008/05/01
Every month, the Halifax Initiative produces a monthly update on various issues related to the international financial system and its institutions. This month: *Global food crisis, Bank and IMF respond *US Congress passes new bill on debt cancellation *Ruggie focuses spotlight on export credit agencies *Notice Board, new publications and upcoming events
JUST THE FACTS: The new IMF quota deal – much ado about nothing? -
Response from EDC on Tenke project - June 5, 2008 - 2008/04/26
EDC thanks us for raising concerns around the project, and indicates that should they choose to support it, it would only be if they were fully compliant with their policies. -
Letter to Eric Siegel, President and CEO, Export Development Canada, regarding the Tenke Fungurume concession in the DRC - 2008/04/25
The Mining Contract Review Commission, an inter-ministerial body established by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to review numerous contracts that were awarded to mining companies between 1996 and 2005, recently released its assessment. The Commission concludes that the mining contract governing the Tenke Fungurume project is illegal and calls for its annulment. EDC is currently considering backing the project. This letter calls on EDC to immediately dismiss the application for support. -
Final Report: Changing Face of Global Development Finance (April 2008) - 2008/04/24
This Final Report on "The Changing Face of Global Development Finance - Impacts and implications for aid, development, the South and the Bretton Woods Institutions", includes a summary of the presentations and discussions from the Halifax Initiative conference on February 1st and 2nd, 2008.
Background reading, glossary of terms, the final agenda, speaker biographies, participants’ list, and presentations and speeches for the meeting are also available on the conference web site .
