Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung:
Call for a “Mapping study to advance CSO advocacy towards a global wealth tax for climate finance”
Published on August 16th, 2024.
Invitation to tender for a study; deadline for applications: September 19, 2024
The Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung intends to award a contract for fee-based services to carry out the study under the working title “Mapping study to advance CSO advocacy towards a global wealth tax for climate finance “.
The contract for the study will be awarded as a contract for work and services with a fee of USD 15,000 (gross, including project-related expenses).
The contract will be awarded by October 1st, 2024.
The final manuscript should be completed by December 6th, 2024.
About the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation
The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation is one of the six major political foundations in the Federal Republic of Germany, whose main task is political education in Germany and abroad. The Foundation is closely linked to the Left Party in the German Bundestag. The foundation promotes critical social analysis and links emancipatory political, social and cultural initiatives in Germany and around the world. Within the foundation, the International Climate Justice Program established in New York City focusses on supporting social movements to influence climate-relevant dialogue and decision-making at the UN and other relevant multilateral spaces.
Aims of the study
- contribute to the heightening public discourse in the Global South and North on innovative approaches to mobilizing resources to finance climate action
- identify advocacy opportunities, entry points and possible demands for civil society organizations to advocate for global wealth tax to achieve climate justice
- identify necessary transformations of the global tax architecture beyond a global wealth tax, along with advocacy opportunities and entry points for civil society organizations in the Global North to advocate for global wealth tax to achieve climate justice
Background
Financing climate action is an obligation of the Global North enshrined in the Paris Agreement. This finance should stem from public sources, be new, additional, and needs-based, as well as non-debt-incurring. To supplement public sources, experts have proposed a wealth tax to generate revenue, which could in turn be provided to those most affected by the impacts of climate change. With wealth inextricably linked to fossil fuel emissions, this form of progressive taxation is seen as a critical means of redistribution and combatting inequality. Therefore, a global wealth tax is also increasingly being demanded by climate justice advocates.
With the inception of the UN Tax Convention, in addition to the Brazilian President’s call for a global wealth tax to combat hunger and climate change, there is currently significant momentum behind efforts to introduce a global wealth tax. However, it is unclear how civil society organizations operating at the intersection of climate and economic justice advocacy should engage meaningfully in this emerging space. The aim of this study is therefore twofold.
Firstly, key opportunities and entry points need to be identified for civil society organizations to engage in and build global solidarity, as corporate wealth is siphoned off from the Global South to the Global North. The focus therefore is on civil society organizations which operate in the Global North, not only because of the historical debt owed, but because the potential tax revenue is also highest. This in turn means that resistance to a global wealth tax is greatest in the Global North, with German officials being one of its most vociferous opponents. Hence, a focus on the German political landscape would be particularly welcome. International policy processes in which to engage could include (but are not limited to) the UN Tax Convention; UNFCCC climate change negotiations; the G20; and others. As a timeframe, the study is intended to cover policy-making proceedings up until the end of 2025.
Secondly, necessary transformations need of the global tax architecture beyond a global wealth tax need to be identified to achieve climate justice, along with advocacy opportunities and entry points for civil society organizations in the Global North. This is necessary, as it is unclear whether a wealth tax is the most effective proposal, or needs to be advocated for to achieve climate justice alongside a suite of other progressive tax initiatives, such as a consumption tax or an inheritance tax for example.
Requirements for applicants:
- Applicants should preferably have a university degree in a thematically relevant subject area or a comparable qualification
- Good knowledge of international climate policy, tax policy, as well as left-wing approaches to the respective topic
- Good knowledge of relevant decision-making structures and/or legislative procedures in the field of climate and tax policy
- Proven experience in the preparation of a comparable study or investigation
- Applicants have a strong interest in left-wing and emancipatory perspectives of transformational alternatives as pursued by the applicant organization. They are able to actively communicate the study results developed in the context of these positions
Tasks
The applicant
- Creates a table of contents and adapts it according to the requirements of the client
- Is available for consultation and queries during the research and writing process
- Produces a study in English or German on the above-mentioned topic with a minimum length of 40 pages
- Prepares a policy brief (max 4 pages) of the results for the publication of the study
- Agrees to participate in an event for the publication of the study and to present the results there
Applications
Please apply with a letter of motivation (max. 500 words), concept proposal (max. 1,000 words), work plan with milestones, CV, certificates and references if applicable.
We ask applicants to break down their fees according to the table below:
| Fee for (Position within the study) in USD | |
| 1 Day | |
| 1 Week | |
| 1 Month |
If applicants are subject to VAT, this information must be included in the application. VAT is paid in addition to the fee. If we do not receive any information, the fee is the gross amount. The budget available for the overall study, including taxes and ancillary costs, amounts to 15,000 USD. This budget must not be exceeded.
Please send strong applications by September 19th, 2024 to David Williams (david.williams@rosalux.org) and Tetet Lauron (tetet.lauron@rosalux.org).
The receipt of applications will not be confirmed. The contract will be awarded on October 1st.
By submitting your application to us, you consent to the processing of your data for the purposes of the application process in accordance with our privacy policy.
