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The Global South Debt Strategy and Civil Society FfD4 Coordination meetings in Manila focused on strengthening collective advocacy for a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt and the cancellation of unsustainable and illegitimate debt. Participants identified Paragraph 50(f) of the FfD4 Outcome Document as a strategic window to address structural gaps in the international debt architecture over the next two years. Agreed strategies include intensifying grassroots mobilization targeting Ministries of Finance and Parliaments, and building cross-movement alliances linking debt advocacy with climate, tax, and trade union justice. The coordination mechanism will target global spaces such as the UN General Assembly, COP31, and IMF/WB Annual Meetings to position debt justice within a geopolitical context of war and aid retrenchment, with AFRODAD leading the African framing on debt cancellation.

The African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) asserts that Africa's water insecurity is a systemic issue linked to a global financial architecture that traps the continent in costly debt cycles. With an annual funding gap of at least 30 billion USD for water infrastructure, the document highlights how high borrowing costs and austerity measures prevent investment in climate-resilient water systems. AFRODAD calls for a comprehensive reform of the global financial system, including a UN framework on sovereign debt and the recognition of historical injustices through reparations, to enable the achievement of Agenda 2063 and SDG 6.

The African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) asserts that Africa's water insecurity is driven by a global financial architecture that imposes high borrowing costs and austerity on African nations. The statement highlights a significant annual funding gap of at least $30 billion for water infrastructure and links this shortfall to a debt crisis where African governments spend an average of 18.7% of public revenue on repayments. AFRODAD calls for systemic reforms, including a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt and the recognition of historical injustices through the Africa Decade of Reparations (2026–2036), to enable sustainable investment in water and sanitation.

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The statement argues that unsustainable sovereign debt and unfair global tax rules are stripping public budgets of funds for education, healthcare, and climate resilience, thereby hindering the potential of Africa's youth. It highlights that Sub-Saharan Africa's youth NEET rate of 21.9% in 2023 exceeded the global average, putting young people at risk of poverty and forced migration. To address this, the authors demand the conclusion of a robust UN Tax Convention to curb illicit financial flows and the establishment of a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt to provide a human-rights-based system for resolving debt crises.

The Youth For Tax Justice Network and AFRODAD argue that unsustainable sovereign debt and unfair global tax rules hinder the potential of Africa's youth, demanding a UN Tax Convention and a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt to prioritize people and the planet over creditors.

The statement emphasizes that while Africa possesses significant natural and financial capital, power imbalances in the international financial architecture hinder its mobilization. It highlights the severe impact of illicit financial flows and debt servicing on public services and calls for a collaborative approach between the African Development Bank, governments, and civil society to ensure transparent, sustainable, and equitable financial governance.

The Sevilla Commitment outlines a comprehensive global strategy to mobilize resources for the 2030 Agenda, focusing on domestic resource mobilization, private capital, international cooperation, and debt sustainability. It calls for systemic reforms to the international financial architecture to increase the representation of developing countries and lower the cost of capital. Key initiatives include the creation of a global central debt data registry, the operationalization of the Africa Credit Rating Agency, and the expansion of blended finance to catalyze sustainable investments.

The statement criticizes the 2024 IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings, asserting that the global financial system is extractive and neo-colonial. It highlights that over half of African countries are in debt distress, with many spending more on debt service than on health and education. The document condemns IMF-mandated fiscal consolidation and austerity, arguing these measures crowd out essential social investments and disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. It further claims that the G20 Common Framework is ineffective and exclusive, favoring Paris Club creditors, and calls for African leadership via South Africa's G20 Presidency to seek sovereign debt solutions through the United Nations.

The Civil Society FfD Mechanism calls for a fundamental overhaul of the global financial architecture through the establishment of several UN-led conventions and regulatory bodies. Key proposals include a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation to create a fairer tax system, a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt to resolve debt crises, and a UN Convention on International Development Cooperation to shift the narrative from charity to justice and reparations. The submission advocates for the cessation of Investor-State-Dispute-Settlement (ISDS) provisions, the regulation of Credit Rating Agencies via an ECOSOC Commission, and the immediate cancellation of unsustainable and illegitimate debts. Furthermore, it demands a transition away from GDP-centric growth models toward ecological stability, urging Global North countries to provide additional, grants-based climate finance rather than loans.

The document advocates for a progressive tax agenda to address extreme poverty and wealth concentration, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. It proposes several instruments: Financial Transaction Taxes (FTTs) to curb speculation and raise billions annually; net wealth taxes to target the super-rich; property taxes to leverage immobile assets; and Resource Rent Taxes (RTT) for the extractives sector. Using South Africa as a case study, the brief demonstrates that a combination of these taxes could generate substantial revenue to fund social protection, healthcare, and a Universal Basic Income Guarantee, potentially increasing GDP growth.

The statement emphasizes the need for African solidarity to combat a severe debt crisis and a 'colonial and extractivism modus operandi' in the international financial system. It calls for an overhaul of the Global Economic and Financial Architecture and urges Parliamentary Committees to utilize the SADC PF model Public Finance Management law to enhance oversight and accountability. The text highlights efforts by the Africa Group in the UN to establish a Framework Convention on Tax Rules and a Global Legal Framework for debt, asserting that Africa must set the rules for global economic governance to ensure sovereignty and regional prosperity.

The document is an event notice for a discussion featuring representatives from SEATINI UGANDA, Christian Aid, and AFRODAD. The participants aim to provide a CSO perspective on the outcomes of the sixth EU-AU summit in Brussels, specifically evaluating the "Joint Vision for 2030" and its goal to consolidate a "renewed partnership" between the two continents in relation to Africa's needs.

The Maputo Manifesto 2024, issued following the 4th African Conference on Debt and Development, calls for a radical shift toward a feminist lens on debt and development in Africa. It highlights how rising debt servicing costs—which increased by 132% between 2010 and 2021—crowd out essential spending on health and education, disproportionately impacting women who comprise nearly 90% of Africa's informal employment. The document advocates for debt cancellation, the dismantling of patriarchal and neocolonial financial structures, and the implementation of gender-sensitive budgeting to ensure social justice and economic autonomy for the continent.

The African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) expresses concern that the African Development Bank's (AfDB) focus on mobilizing private sector financing for climate and green growth prioritizes profit over people and increases country debt vulnerabilities. While AFRODAD supports AfDB President Dr Akinwumi Adesina's calls to reform the global financial architecture, it warns that such calls remain rhetoric without strategic action to address high interest rates and limited financial access. The document highlights a significant disparity in climate finance, noting that Africa accounts for 3% of global carbon emissions and loses $7-15 billion annually to climate change, yet receives only about 3% of global climate finance (USD$18.3 billion). AFRODAD advocates for debt solutions including suspension, restructuring, and cancellation, support for a UNCTAD-proposed International Developing Country Debt Authority, and measures to resolve illicit financial flows.

AFRODAD supports the New York Taxpayer and International Debt Crises Protection Act as a necessary tool to ensure private creditors contribute to debt relief for African nations. The organization notes that 23 African countries are currently in or at high risk of debt distress, a situation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate emergency, and the Ukraine-Russia conflict. AFRODAD argues that commercial credit via sovereign bonds is a primary driver of these crises, particularly in countries like Ghana, Zambia, and Kenya, and advocates for a reformed global debt architecture to prevent widespread defaults.

A congratulatory letter from the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) and the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) to the President of Zimbabwe and other high-level officials following the 2nd High-Level Structured Dialogue Platform Meeting on February 23, 2023. The letter expresses support for the Arrears Clearance Programme and provides recommendations on economic reforms, debt transparency, creditor responsibility, and civil society participation to address Zimbabwe's debt crisis.

The training, conducted by the Tanzania Coalition on Debt and Development (TCDD) and AFRODAD, addressed public debt sustainability, the role of Parliament in oversight, and the complexities of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). Key recommendations included improving the business environment to reduce external borrowing, enhancing tax collection from online businesses, and urging Members of Parliament to exercise their powers under the Loans Act No.34 of 1974 to hold the government accountable.

The document argues that current debt management frameworks used by the IMF and World Bank are insufficient and often counterproductive, contributing to a 'New Debt Crisis' in Africa. It highlights that Africa's total debt reached US$1.13 trillion by 2024, with a shift toward costlier non-concessional loans from private creditors and China. The analysis finds that tools like the Debt Sustainability Framework (DSF) rely on faulty premises, ignoring national assets and human rights obligations while promoting austerity. The brief concludes with recommendations for a UN-led debt workout mechanism, improved transparency, and the establishment of an African Financial Stability Mechanism.

The document analyzes the complexities of African sovereign debt contracts, highlighting power imbalances in negotiations, the risks of non-disclosure clauses, and the dangers of collateralizing public assets. It argues for the development of Africa-specific model contracts and the inclusion of flexible clauses to handle crises, such as climate-resilient debt clauses, to protect the interests of African citizens and governments.