ActionAid International G8 Interview Availability Notice

Will 2013 G8 deliver deals on tax reform and other development issues to help poor countries prosper?

With tax and other development issues top agenda items at the Northern Ireland G8 summit, international anti-poverty agency ActionAid International is available for comment on the following talking points being discussed at the Summit and the connected Open for Growth event:

• Calls for G8 leaders to reform international tax regulations that allow multinational companies to avoid paying billions of dollars of tax in the world’s poorest countries, including through their use of tax havens.

• The transparency agenda and the need for strong laws and international regulations that force governments and corporations to be open and honest and ensure that resources are used to help poor people.
• Poor farmers’ rights to the land they farm by stopping land grabs and ending the use of food crops for fuel via biofuels.

Media Events

Open for Growth: Tax, Trade and Transparency Event: Saturday 15 June. This is a pre-Summit event where discussions will take place on trade, tax, and transparency with business, civil society, some of the UK overseas territories (UK-linked tax havens), and governments. It will focus on why open governments, open societies and open economies are essential for growth, jobs and sustainable development. Discussions will centre on five distinct areas: tax, trade, extractives, open data and land. A separate lunchtime event is also likely to take place between some of the UK-linked tax havens (crown dependencies and overseas territories) and the UK government.

The G8 Summit: Monday and Tuesday 17-18 June. Leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, USA and UK will meet at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland. The UK government says that Prime Minister David Cameron wants to use the UK’s G8 Presidency to achieve change on three key issues: advancing trade, ensuring tax compliance and promoting greater transparency arguing that these issues are critical for world growth, prosperity and economic development. Cameron has said that his G8 tax focus will be on “putting our own house in order and helping developing countries to prosper”.

ActionAid International spokespeople

Pamela Chisanga, Country Director, ActionAid Zambia: Pamela leads ActionAid Zambia’s campaign calling on multinational companies to pay their fair share of tax in Zambia, where 45 per cent of children are malnourished and two thirds of the population live on less than US$2 a day. Pamela has worked in development for 15 years, including with grassroots organisations and supporting microcredit enterprises for women.

Soren Ambrose, Advocacy Manager, ActionAid International: Soren has been an activist for global economic justice since 1994. His analyses of international financial institutions and the global economy have been published and quoted extensively in US and international media.

Melanie Ward, Head of Advocacy, ActionAid UK: Melanie has worked on international aid, tax and wider development issues for the last five years, during which time tax dodging has gained greater political prominence. She is currently focused on making sure tax dodging in the world’s poorest countries is addressed by world leaders with the power to make a change.

Pamela Chisanga and Melanie Ward will be present at the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland. Soren Ambrose will be available from Nairobi, Kenya.