A high-level international conference & a call for papers
Cape Town, South Africa    |    11-13 May '10

With the onslaught of the financial crisis, governments in the wealthier parts of the world sought to grapple with the challenges imposed on their economies by the plummet in trade and the crash of the financial sector after the unprecedented heights of the 1990s and 2000s. As the boom years advanced, inequality of wealth distribution and the exigencies of climate came to bear ever more severely on less developed economies, resulting in a severe localisation of poverty while wealth became globalised for a small minority. This was seen most obviously in various parts of Africa.

This conference aimed to address the complex issues raised by the financial crisis in the context of seeking a new paradigm for development economics in Africa. FEPS brought together African and European leaders and policy makers with experts from global institutions and academia to face head-on the most pertinent issues facing Africa in the aftermath of the crisis.

Speakers include Ben TUROK, economist and MP for the ANC; Zita GURMAI, MEP and President of PES Women; Mamadou FAYE, former Minister for Water Resources, Senegal; Pär NUDER, former Minister for Finance, Sweden; Babacar NDIAYE, former President of the African Development Bank; as well as participants from Columbia University, New York and numerous academics and experts from African and European think tanks, universities and NGOs.

In addition, FEPS invited speakers to submit [written contributions] to the discussion to contribute to the renewal of economic theory for developing countries in a new multipolar world. Indeed, it seems that the deep roots of the current crisis lie in major imbalances both within and between countries. On one hand, progressives must critically assess the basics underlying the tendency towards deregulation of markets. On the other hand, it seems necessary to develop a new analytical framework for more environmentally and economically sustainable models of production, trade and finance.

This is an ambitious project which seeks to address the economic bases for a renewed vision of society in a globalised world. It is hoped that the conference in Cape Town will have been a small but positive beginning in this process. As such the participants released a [FINAL STATEMENT] to begin this process.

For further information, please contact David Kitching, FEPS Junior Policy Advisor at [david.kitching(at)feps-europe.eu].

Programme

11th May: Coping with global imbalances

Opening & Welcome address
A Progressive Agenda for Africa: Keynote speeches from African and European leaders

Session 1:
Africa in a multipolar world: a progressive agenda for global governance

Session 2:
Post-Copenhagen conditions: agriculture, natural resources and climate justice

12th May: Re-shaping the economics of development

Session 3:
Migration and "Fortress Europe"

Session 4:
Finance, trade and the real economy

Closing session:
The Way forward: A New Social Contract for Development

Click here to download the conference booklet with the full programme, itinerary of activities and list of participants.