The Halifax Initiative would like to thank John Foster, North-South Institute, for his help in developing these FAQs 

Revised November 2007

The Halifax Initiative would like to thank John Foster, North-South Institute, for his help in developing these FAQs

Revised November 2007

For pdf, click here

April 20, 2007
 
Samy Watson
Canadian Executive Director
MC-12-175, 1818 H St. N.W.

Civil society/Industry make unprecedented joint recommendations on mining, oil and gas
Canada could become a world leader on Corporate Social Responsibility if the federal government and other stakeholders accept and act on the recommendations of a groundbreaking report released on Parliament Hill on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the Canadian extractive industry in developing countries. The Report outlines a set of consensus-based recommendations for the Government of Canada, core among which is the implementation of a Canadian CSR Framework (see “Just the Facts” below). If implemented, these recommendations would establish Canada as a global leader in CSR. The Report also calls for important reforms at Export Development Canada and the World Bank.

Mind the (Growing) Gap – Debt, Aid, and Trade
1.2 billion people are still living in abject poverty as Prime Minister Stephen Harper heads to St. Petersburg for the annual Group of Eight (G8) meetings. With new promises on energy and security waiting in the wings, it is timely to reflect on how far the G8 has moved on its pledges since last year’s Gleneagles Summit.

According to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, 2005 was to be “the year for Africa”. The Africa Commission report, the Make Poverty History campaign and the Live 8 concerts focused attention on full debt cancellation, more and better aid, fairer trade and tackling poverty. Progress on these fronts, among others, was to help Africa “make serious inroads into poverty”, and towards achieving the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals.

For pdf click here.

September 12, 2005

G8 Debt Cancellation a Major Step - But G8 Leaders Still Have a Lot of Unfinished Business

Washington DC,
December 1st 2003

Dear UN delegations active in the Second Committee;

We, the undersigned NGOs, are encouraged that the UN General Assembly Second Committee is taking the UN Financing for Development (FFD) process seriously by giving careful consideration to proposals made at the High Level Dialogue of the General Assembly (past October 29-30th, New York).

The Financing for Development conference meant an unprecedented effort to build a consensus among a broad set of stakeholders, including international organizations, civil society and the private sector, on means for financing the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals. However, as some delegations noted during the High Level Dialogue, the Monterrey Consensus was never a finished product, but rather a point of departure. In fact, the credibility of the Financing for Development follow up process hinges upon its ability to build on the broad language of the Monterrey consensus to provide concrete proposals that effectively address the key issues that hinder the availability of resources for development in our time.

NGOs respond to G8 Action Plan for Africa
NGOs are looking for commitments and follow-through in the following areas:
Bring NEPAD Home for Democratic Debate