GI-ESCR joins conference organized by Oxfam and Al Bawsala to discuss alternatives to austerity in Tunisia

Rodrigo Echecopar, Director of Strategy and Advocacy of the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural rights joined the international conference "Tunisia in the vicious circle of debt and austerity: visions and alternatives" and presented the Chilean experience of social change and alignment of fiscal policy with human rights standards.

The past 14th and 15th or March, Oxfam and Al Bawsala organized a conference on austerity and debt policies of Tunisia within the framework of the “Yezzi Ma Rhentouna” campaign launched in December 2021. The objectives of the campaign consist in raising awareness among citizens on the impact of a possible program of Tunisia with the IMF and more globally on the choices of indebtedness of Tunisia and the issues of austerity and inegalitarian policies that result. It also aims to influence public decision makers to adopt alternative policies for the financing of the national economy.  Within this context, the main objective of the conference is to deconstruct the dominant economic narrative by analyzing the record of the policies advocated by the IMF. The conference will initiate reflection on human-centered alternatives that guarantee social and fiscal justice.

Rodrigo, an economist and lead on GI-ESCR’s work on the Chilean Constitutional Convention, participated in Session 4 of the conference titled Are alternatives possible? Focus on Comparative Experiences. Together with Adrian Falco, from Latin America and the Caribbean Tax Justice Network, and Shereen Talaat, from Aram Watch Coalition, the panel looked at other experiences of negotiation processes with the IMF and alternative domestic political pathways. The panel shared a critical view on austerity policies, arguing instead for different domestic and global fiscal policy frameworks that prioritized equality and the enjoyment of human rights.