ICAE announces the ICAE Virtual seminar 2017 - on the topic of “The new Skills Agenda for Europe” The seminar is free of charge, open to anyone and will start on May 2nd.

 The webinar will take place next May 2nd at 14:00 (Brussels Time) in English language.

More than eight years after the global financial crisis exploded in late 2008, economic growth remains generally tepid, while ostensible recovery measures appear to have exacerbated income and other inequalities.

Yet, despite the G-20 group of the world's largest economies raising the level, frequency and profile of its meetings, effective multilateral cooperation and coordination remains a distant dream.

Nearly 7,000 civil society organizations and trade unions have signed a letter to their respective heads of state and government calling for redoubling efforts to implement a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT), also known as the 'Robin Hood tax'. The petition was submitted on the occasion of the European summit held in Rome to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

CSOs point out that such a tax on financial transactions would entail a minimum income of € 20 billion a year, and that revenue should be used to meet social needs such as financing global public goods such as health, education and the fight against poverty and climate change. In addition, this measure would restore the stability of markets, the prevention of future crises such as the one that shook Europe and the world in 2007-2008.

Almost 22 years have passed since the Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing, marking a turning point for women’s rights activists around the world. For many, the approved Declaration and Platform for Action represented a moment of vindication for the rights, living experiences, and human dignity of women everywhere. But the promises made in Beijing regarding the indivisibility of human rights, gender equality, and the empowerment of women and girls were not fulfilled, and it is in the socioeconomic field where this deficit strikes one of its hardest blows.

Men and women are different. That shouldn’t be news, but today it is. Today, the government released the first federal budget that includes a look at the differences between men and women. Differences like the fact that women are twice as likely to work part-time, do more hours of unpaid care work, are less likely to qualify for Employment Insurance and are more likely to be the victim of a violent crime.

For public spending to be effective, we need policies and programs that respond to those differences. More targeted policy is more effective policy. Otherwise we could just divide up the budget by 37 million Canadians and send everyone a cheque.