Fundar deepens its participation in global forums intending to bring our policy proposals to international exchange spaces and capture trends that strengthen our policy suggestions at the local level. These spaces, such as the T20 or the Conferences of the Parties (COP), allow us to position Argentina in strategic debates and bring our region’s voices and needs to global scenarios. We understand that active involvement in these forums contributes to developing innovative solutions that respond to the challenges we face in our country and Latin America.
This series of papers was prepared for Think20 Brazil 2024, a G20 engagement group that brings together think tanks, research centres from member countries, and other civil society organizations. Since its creation in 2012, the T20 has maintained its independence from national governments and is committed to generating policy proposals and recommendations based on high-level analysis.
This year, Fundar’s teams forged alliances with research centers around the world to produce eight policy briefs that offer recommendations based on evidence and rigorous analysis, to bring analytical depth to the G20 discussions and influence the concrete policies carried out by its leaders.
Public digital infrastructure for electoral processes
Authors
Juan Pablo Ruiz Nicolini, Fundar 🇦🇷
Renata Ávila, Open Knowledge Foundation 🇬🇧
Summary
Disinformation in the midst of electoral processes has become a challenge for several G20 countries, undermining public confidence in the integrity of democratic processes. Recent examples in the United States, Brazil and Argentina have demonstrated how the combination of political polarization and manipulation of information about electoral processes can destabilize democracy and fuel conflict.
Against this scenario, this report proposes the adoption of a Public Digital Infrastructure (DPI) as an effective solution to strengthen electoral processes. A DPI based on open standards and international cooperation could not only increase transparency but also allow greater citizen participation and more effective control, contributing to the generation of public confidence.
Key recommendations:
- Data standardization: Implement open standards for the publication of election results, facilitating public access and verification.
- Transparency and participation: Encourage international cooperation to develop secure and interoperable digital systems, adaptable to different jurisdictions, and maintain them with community participation.
- Trusted technology: Integrate technologies that strengthen trust in democratic processes, combating misinformation and improving governance.
Institutions
Fundar | Open Knowledge Foundation
A G20 Common Framework incorporating debt swaps for sustainable development
Authors
Pablo de la Vega, Fundar 🇦🇷
Sejal Patel, International Institute of Environment and Development, 🇬🇧
Victoria Arias Mahiques, Fundar 🇦🇷
Anna Ducros, International Institute of Environment and Development, 🇬🇧
Gautam Jain, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University, 🇺🇸
Juliette Landry, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations, 🇫🇷
Paul Steele, International Institute of Environment and Development, 🇬🇧
Summary
Many emerging and developing economies face high debt burdens and lack fiscal space to meet their climate, biodiversity and sustainable development goals (SDGs). One possible solution is to integrate debt-for-SDG swaps. A creditor allows debt relief and the debtor allocates part of the savings to investments to achieve climate goals and other SDGs.
To date, the use of debt swaps has been limited and hampered by high transaction costs, institutional problems and lack of transparency. The few swaps that have taken place have been small compared to the needs of highly-indebted countries and have been conducted in upper-middle-income or high-income countries on privately held debt that was repurchased through auctions. For low- and lower-middle-income countries, whose creditors are bilateral and multilateral, such an approach is less viable and will require complex, costly and asymmetric negotiation processes, which may limit their scalability.
The G20 can enhance efforts to address debt problems through a complementary Common Framework that integrates the broader concept of debt-for-SDG swaps, establishes guidelines and supports their implementation to facilitate and promote fair negotiations.
Institutions
Fundar | International Institute of Environment and Development | Center on Global Energy Policy (Columbia University) | Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations
Sustainable value chains in renewable energies
Authors
Ana Julia Aneise, Fundar 🇦🇷
Sebastian Sahla, Iniciativa para la Transparencia de las Industrias Extractivas
Elisabeth Möhle,Fundar 🇦🇷
Carlos Freytes, Fundar 🇦🇷
Victoria Arias Mahiques, Fundar 🇦🇷
Víctor Delbuono, Fundar 🇦🇷
Esteban Manteca, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
Martín Obaya, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas 🇦🇷
Andrea Wainer, REN21
Michael Jarvis, Trust, Accountability, and Inclusion Collaborative 🇺🇸
Anabel Marin, Institute of Development Studies 🇬🇧
Antonio Andreoni, School of Oriental and African Studies 🇬🇧
Summary
Delivering the COP 28 pledge to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 is crucial to addressing the climate crisis. However, such a profound and accelerated transformation poses three challenges that the world must address to ensure the equity of the transition.
First, promoting sustainable value chains. Minerals are unevenly distributed geographically. Not only can this present supply risks, but it also concentrates environmental and social impacts in specific areas, while benefits tend to accrue elsewhere.
Second, provide equitable access to finance and technology. Insufficient financing in the Global South can delay the deployment of renewable energy, and barriers to entry into the most competitive segments of green value chains can result in an energy transition that disproportionately benefits advanced economies.
Third, strengthen institutional capacities and reinforce transparency. Weak governance mechanisms amid large financing flows, rapidly escalating investments and expectations of high returns in renewable energy projects can pose corruption risks and result in violations of the rights of surrounding communities, undermining social support for the sector.
Institutions
Fundar | Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas | REN21 | Trust, Accountability, and Inclusion Collaborative | Institute of Development Studies | School of Oriental and African Studies
Expanding fiscal space towards gender equality: the role of tax policy in securing SDG 5
Authors
Micaela Fernández Erlauer, Fundar 🇦🇷
Sandhya S. Iyer, Centre for Public Policy, Habitat and Human Development, School of Development Studies, Tata Institute for Social Sciences 🇮🇳
Sofia Berg, Council on Economic Policies – CEP 🇨🇭
Andrea Larios Campos, Fundar 🇲🇽
María Julia Eliosoff, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Argentina 🇩🇪
Margarita Olivera, Universidade Federal de Río de Janeiro 🇧🇷
Summary
In a global context of rising debt levels and slowing growth rates, the fiscal space needed for countries to sustain gender equality policies is limited. Obtaining the financing to achieve SDG 5 is a global challenge. In this context, this paper proposes redesigning tax systems to promote equality and contribute to a sustainable recovery of economies, especially in the Global South.
Three key points are essential to promote inclusive and sustainable fiscal systems. First, fostering a fiscal space framework that ensures a fairer redistribution of resources. Second, supporting the development of fiscal capacities through international cooperation to facilitate the exchange of best practices and overcome common challenges towards achieving the SDGs. Finally, promoting progressive tax systems by prioritizing fair and equitable policies and avoiding biases detrimental to women in tax expenditures and tax regulations.
It is recommended that progress be made along three lines. First, to promote a framework of fiscal space that guarantees a fairer redistribution of resources in terms of gender. Then, to build fiscal capacities through international cooperation and the exchange of best practices. Finally, to promote progressivity by prioritizing the fairest and most equitable policies that avoid harmful biases against women in tax regulations and tax expenditures.
Institutions
Fundar | Tata Institute for Social Policy | Council on Economic Policies | Fundar Mexico | Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung | Universidade Federal de Río de Janeiro
Towards a Data Protection Framework for Openness
Authors
Paula Luvini, Fundar 🇦🇷
Apoorv Anand, CivicDataLab 🇮🇳
Mariana Kunst, Fundar 🇦🇷
Sai Krishna Dammalapati, CivicDataLab 🇮🇳
Summary
Data openness is a crucial movement that empowers civil citizens and organizations, allowing them to make conscious and informed choices. Nevertheless, open data initiatives sometimes face challenges while handling personal information and privacy. This policy brief is built upon two cases where open data portals and data privacy are at a crossroads: the protection of children’s privacy in the criminal justice system and using sensitive worker information.
This policy brief outlines key considerations for implementing safe and responsible data protection policies, taking the aforementioned examples to discuss the application of this framework. First of all, governments should create protocols and benchmarks on database catalogues to guide their workers on how to deal with them. States should also have accessible and clear legislation relating to how privacy interacts with sensitive cases. These protocols should consider that not every information exchange carries the same risk, so checking the content and the potential users of the database is fundamental. In addition, it is essential to include good practices for data anonymization to avoid re-identifying individuals based on their data.
Institutions
Fundar | CivicDataLab (India)
Redefining Urban Development: Challenges and Solutions in Latin America's Informal Settlements
Authors
María Migliore, Fundar 🇦🇷
Antonia Cleide Alves, UNAS Heliópolis e Região 🇧🇷
Denis Pacheco, Red Brasileña de Urbanismo Social 🇧🇷
Agustina Rodríguez Biasone, MIT SPURS 🇺🇸
Carina Arvizu Machado, MIT SPURS 🇺🇸
María Luz Benitez, Fundar 🇦🇷
Matías Sanchez, La Esquina Hace Arte 🇦🇷
Summary
Latin America is the most urbanized region in the world, with 80% of the population living in cities. However, it faces significant challenges due to unplanned urbanization, resulting in 113 million people residing in informal settlements. This poses a substantial barrier to poverty alleviation and social inclusion.
Acknowledging this reality is essential for reframing the issue. The challenge extends beyond land occupation and construction quality; it encompasses marginalized neighbourhoods that lack access to basic services, reliable public transportation, and safety. Therefore, the pressing task is to integrate these neighbourhoods into the broader urban fabric and vice versa.
Living conditions in these neighbourhoods hinder both individual and national development. It is vital to recognize that individuals born in these environments encounter greater disadvantages. Progress is inherently more difficult for those who grow up in homes prone to flooding, devoid of internet access, safe drinking water, recreational spaces, and sufficient lighting for nighttime safety.
The socio-urban integration policy advocates for a holistic approach to tackle these challenges, aiming to establish equitable initial conditions to foster sustainable development.
Based on experiences in the design and implementation of policies to improve socio-urban integration, we propose recommendations centred on two key dimensions:
- Participatory Strategies: incorporating participatory strategies at every stage of informal settlement integration projects, from design to implementation, to achieve a more sustainable impact.
- Working comprehensively across three main areas: urban integration, housing improvement and initiatives to address socioeconomic challenges.
Institutions
Fundar | UNAS Heliópolis e Região | Red Brasileña de Urbanismo Social | MIT SPURS | La Esquina hace Arte
Strategies for fair, inclusive, and sustainable trade
Authors
María Victoria Arias Mahiques, Fundar 🇦🇷
Marcello De Maria, Trade Hub 🇬🇧
Leonardo Park, Fundar 🇦🇷
Ángeles Sancisi, Fundar 🇦🇷
Sabine Papendieck, ESTRATECO 🇦🇷
Valeria Piñeiro, IFPRI 🇺🇸
Susan Cesar de Oliveira, University of Brasília 🇧🇷
Nelson Illescas, Fundación INAI 🇦🇷
Louise Nakagawa, Imaflora 🇧🇷
Thiago Uehara, UNEP-WCMC 🇬🇧
Summary
Governments are implementing new unilateral due diligence regulations, such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), to discourage trade-induced deforestation. However, developing countries, least developed countries, and small suppliers are at risk of being excluded from international value chains, not because they have engaged in deforestation, but because they face struggles demonstrating compliance with the strict regulations.
This brief outlines immediate actions the G20 should undertake in response. Even though there is no one-size-fits-all solution, the G20 can provide guidelines to address these shared challenges in three critical dimensions:
- Participatory governance: fostering multilateralism, open participation mechanisms and polycentric institutions.
- Capacity building: funding technological infrastructure, supplying technical assistance and supporting transparency tools.
- Economic incentives: designing and implementing market mechanisms that promote sustainable production.
Institutions
Fundar | Trade, Development and the Environment (TRADE) Hub | ESTRATECO | International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) | University of Brasília (UnB) | Fundación Instituto para las Negociaciones Agrícolas Internacionales (INAI) | Instituto de Manejo e Certificação Florestal e Agrícola (Imaflora) | United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC)
The IMF Board should consider capping the interest rate it charges on its loans
Authors
Emiliano Libman, Fundar 🇦🇷
Maia Colodenco, Sudamericana Visión 🇦🇷
Anahí Wiedenbrug, Sudamericana Visión 🇦🇷
Jens van´t Klooster, University of Amsterdam 🇳🇱
Sara Murawski, Sustainable Finance Lab 🇳🇱
Sander Todoir, Centre for European Reform 🇩🇪
Michael Waibel, University of Vienna 🇦🇹
Summary
During 2024, IMF debtors will pay an interest rate of up to 8% per annum. The IMF’s rate policy is pro-cyclical, increases the effects of central country monetary policies and hinders economic recovery for countries with IMF programs.
We recommend limiting the IMF lending rate, which can be achieved by imposing a ceiling or adjusting some components of the IMF lending rate (such as the surcharges that the Fund imposes on highly indebted countries).
This policy is feasible because it does not involve any reform of the Fund’s statutes, has a similar track record, and does not affect the Fund’s ability to operate because it does not affect the Fund’s operating income.
Institutions
Fundar | Sudamericana Visión | University of Amsterdam | Sustainable Finance Lab | Centre for European Reform | University of Vienna
