Africa’s growing influence in shaping global tax policy will be in focus this week as senior policymakers and tax experts convene in South Africa to discuss the future of international taxation under the proposed United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.
At the center of the discussions will be Ramy Mohamed Youssef, Egypt’s Deputy Minister of Finance for Tax Policy and Reforms and Chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, who is leading negotiations on what could become one of the most significant reforms of the international tax system in decades.
Youssef is scheduled to headline a high-level fireside chat in Pretoria on June 26, where he is expected to provide insights into the progress of negotiations, the key issues dividing member states, and the roadmap toward a new global tax framework.
The event comes as negotiations move beyond procedural discussions into substantive talks that could reshape how taxing rights are allocated between countries and redefine international tax governance for years to come.
The proposed UN convention seeks to address long-standing concerns from developing countries that existing international tax rules disproportionately favor wealthier economies. African countries have played a leading role in advancing the UN-led process, arguing that a more inclusive framework is necessary to ensure fairer taxation of multinational corporations and stronger domestic resource mobilization.
Key areas under negotiation include the taxation of multinational enterprises and cross-border economic activity, digital economy taxation, exchange of information to combat illicit financial flows, and reforms to tax dispute resolution mechanisms.
Supporters of the initiative argue that the treaty could help developing countries secure a larger share of tax revenues generated within their borders while strengthening efforts to combat tax avoidance and illicit financial flows.
Joining Youssef at the Pretoria event will be Mary Baine, Executive Secretary of the African Tax Administration Forum, and Annet Oguttu, Chair of the African Tax Research Network Advisory Board and Director of the African Tax Institute.
The discussion is expected to examine how emerging international tax rules can support sustainable development objectives, strengthen domestic revenue collection, and improve tax administration across the continent.
ATAF, which represents tax administrations across 45 African countries, has been a key advocate for greater African participation in global tax policymaking and has consistently called for reforms that reflect the interests of developing economies.
The fireside chat, titled “The United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation: Process, Progress, and the Road Ahead,” will take place at the Javett Art Centre and is being hosted by the African Tax Research Network in partnership with the African Tax Institute and the University of Pretoria.
The event is expected to attract policymakers, academics, tax administrators, development partners, and members of the media interested in the future direction of global tax governance and Africa’s role in shaping it.
As negotiations gather momentum, the outcome of the proposed UN tax convention is increasingly being viewed as a defining test of whether developing countries can secure a stronger voice in setting the rules that govern the global economy.
