Where: Third World Network
Come join a discussion with esteemed colleagues from the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) and the United Nations Development Program.
Collins Magalasi, Executive Director, AFRODAD
Tirivangani Mutazu, Program Officer, AFRODAD
Gail Hurley, Policy Specialist on Development Finance, UNDP
Greece’s dramatic debt crisis earlier this year drew attention to the failure of the international financial architecture to deal with sovereign debt crises in an orderly, fair, and transparent way. Yet, Greece’s problem is not new. Many impoverished nations struggle under crushing debt burdens, risking default or paying debts at the expense of critical domestic needs. However positive, past debt relief initiatives were far from a panacea for dealing with entrenched debt challenges for impoverished countries. Many countries struggling with massive poverty were excluded from these initiatives and the underlying issues that created the debt crises remained – and in some cases worsened due to the economic crisis. Current frameworks available to countries struggling with crushing debts are modeled with creditors to be both judge and jury, and do not allow for arguments surrounding illegitimate or odious debts. This timely roundtable discussion will explore alternative proposals for fair and transparent arbitration, as well as strategize on ways that civil society can influence the renewed debate on how to approach sovereign debt workouts.
Please RSVP to Julia Dowling at julia@jubileeusa.org or 202.783.0214
*Feel free to bring your own lunch. Light refreshments will be provided.
This event is sponsored by Jubilee USA Network and Third World Network
Roundtable Biographies
Collins Magalasi is the Executive Director at AFRODAD. He has served as Commissioner for the Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) for four years and as a member of the Trade Negotiation Team for Malawi for over seven years. He is also the International Coordinator for the German-Partnership-with-Africa Young Leaders’ Network, a member of the Economists Association of Malawi (ECAMA), President of the Catholic University of Malawi Parents and Guardians Association, and founding member of the Civil Society Action Against Corruption.
Tirivangani Mutazu is the AFRODAD Program Officer responsible for Fair and Transparent Arbitration mechanism on debt campaign (FTA). He has been with the organization for ten years, half of which have been spend working on the FTA campaign, as a researcher, campaigner, advocate, and lobbyist. He has presented papers on FTA, regionally and internationally.
Gail Hurley is a Policy Specialist on Development Finance at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in New York. She has also worked as a Policy Advisor on sovereign debt issues for the European Network on Debt and Development (EURODAD). She has extensive research and advocacy experience on developing country debt and has most recently assisted the Government of Jamaica to restructure its domestic debt and the Government of Ecuador to audit its bilateral debt.