In a groundbreaking joint statement the Working Group on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Chairperson of the Working Group on Extractive Industries, Environment and Human Rights, of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) have joined the wave of support to the Africa Group calling for a legally binding UN Tax Convention which would foster the sustainable financing social and public services.

The letter highlights: “It is our collective view that this is the time to negotiate a new reform on international tax cooperation based on human and peoples’ rights and where all the stakeholders involved, including governments and civil society, can participate fully and in a democratic manner.”

In particular, the ACHPR called all member states of the United Nations, to actively participate in the current discussions at the 78th UN General Assembly and to advance the proposals made by the African group under Nigeria's leadership towards a UN Tax Convention.

This crucial call has also been part of a much broader human rights engagement process, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (REDESCA), and 31 UN Special Rapporteurs who have also requested States to incorporate a human rights-based approach into fiscal negotiations and drive new global tax rules under a UN Tax Convention. This collective advocacy underscores the critical importance of embedding human rights considerations and impact assessments in deliberations on global economic policies, to ensure that fiscal decisions build in more legitimacy, fairness and equality.

You can find the UN Special Rapporteurs statement here and the REDESCA (ICHR) statement here.