8th STRATEGY MEETINGCAPACITY FOR RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY FOR FAIR TAXATION (CRAFT) PROJECTMarch 10 March 12, 2015Dhaka, BangladeshCONCEPT NOTE

CRAFT PROJECTThe CRAFT project was developed through collaboration between Oxfam Novib and Tax Justice Network-Africa (TJN-A), SUPRO and other country based partners. The project reaches out to mobilize civil societies in several countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia (Uganda, Mali, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana and Egypt, Bangladesh) on fair taxation.

The CRAFT project has the following focus areas:

1. Research: Building vital research capacity to gain good insights in the tax justice dynamics. The project will research the existing taxation policy and practice, detect the underlying trends and formulate a vision on what pro-poor and fairer taxation should look like in each country specifically.

2. Training: Increasing the knowledge base of civil society, parliamentarians, journalists and others related to tax collection and evasion and avoidance issues. Enhancing subject-matter competence to create a critical mass of activists with proper knowledge on tax revenue and strategic advocacy.

3. Civic Education: Popular mobilization and civic awareness programmes, to provoke social pressure to change tax policies and practices wherever these are ineffective or unjust.

4. Policy Advocacy: Engage in targeted policy advocacy to change tax systems: policies and practices. The project engages with the state in political lobby and builds national and inter-national partnerships by participating in (global) policy networks.

5. Alliance Building: Alliance and coalition building to gain strength and synergy within civil society as change agents, both within countries and to gain in learning capacity through linking up regionally and globally.

OBJECTIVESIn order to strengthen the CRAFT coalition, learn from each other and jointly strategize and discuss program development between the various stakeholders, TJN-A, SUPRO and Oxfam Novib propose to hold the 8th Stakeholder meeting for the CRAFT project in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 10-12, 2015, with the following objectives:1. Internally (2nd and 3rd day)

To take stock of the main achievements of our CRAFT work and the main constraints we encounter and identify steps for the future (including priorities for advocacy and fundraising). Sharing lessons learned on implementation of CRAFT project. Looking back since the last meeting.

Strategizing for the coming period.2. Externally (1st day)

To deepen our knowledge on new developments in the field of Fair Taxation and facilitate cross fertilization between CRAFT members, INGOs and regional CSOs in the areas related to Fair Taxation.

Networking and alliance building. Knowledge sharing on the latest development in the area related to fair tax.AGENDAThe meeting will be a three day event with both internal and external focus. The first day will be an open conference with government representatives, INGOs and CSOs and the other two days will be devoted to a closed session for internal stakeholders only (all stakeholders who are part of the Memorandum of Understanding of the implementation phase) and shall be a focused discussion on practical project implementation. Interactive discussions with input from all participants will be encouraged. The languages of the meeting shall be French and English.DAY 1 (March 10)

Chair: Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, Chairperson, SUPRO

9:00 9:30Welcome speech

Mr. Ahmed Swapan Mahmud (Chairperson - SUPRO) and Oxfam country office CD/ACD (Chair of the opening session).

9:30 10:15Speech from the Guest of HonorDutch Ambassador/Representative (TBC).Inaugural Speech from Chief Guest

Mr. M A Mannan - State Minister, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Bangladesh

10:15 10:45Coffee/tea break

10:45 12:451st Panel Discussion Tax incentives & exemptions, double taxation agreementsPanelists

Mr. Fazle Hossain Badshah - Member of Parliament and Member of Parliamentary Causcus on National Planning and Budget

Dr. Muhammad Abdul Mazid - Former Secretary & Chairman of National Board of Revenue and Chairman of Chittagong Stock Exchange

Dr. M Abu Eusuf - Professor, Dept. of Development Studies and Director, Center on Budget & Policy Institute, University of Dhaka

Moderator: Ms. Marion Nelly Busingye, Programme Officer, SEATINI Uganda

12:45 13:45Lunch

13:45 15:452nd panel discussion Financing for developmentPanelists:

Mr. Ushatan Talukder - Member of Parliament and Co- Chair of Parliamentary Caucus on National Planning and Budget

Dr. Shamsul Alam - Member, General Economic Division, Planning Commission, Bangladesh

Mr. KAM Morshed - Assistant Country Director, Policy, Innovation, and Communications, UNDP, Bangladesh

Moderator: Mr. Abdul Awal, Executive Board Member and Founder Chairperson, SUPRO, Bangladesh

15:45 16:00Coffee/tea break

16:00 16:30Closing (Kolawole Banwo, CISLAC Nigeria)

DAY 2 (March 11)Chair: Sandra Kidwingira (Tax Justice Network Africa)

8:45 9:00Opening of CRAFT workshop

Oxfam Country Director

9:00 13:30Countries presentations

Presentations on concrete progress made by individual countries, including specific gains and topics. Presentations will be delivered in two blocks (1st block 6 countries, 2nd block 5 countries + TJNA + Oxfam), each block to be followed by small groups discussion and plenary Q&A session.15min coffee/tea break between the two blocks.

Facilitators: Elimane Haby Kane (Oxfam in West Africa) Celestine Okwudili Odo (Oxfam in Nigeria)

13:30 14:30Lunch

14:30 15:4514:30 14:45

14:45 15:15

15:15 15:45Presentation of results of the preliminary research on FTI indicatorsWhere we stand (Ilse Balstra)Presentation of results (Cephas Makunike)Q&A

15:45 16:00Coffee/tea break

16:00 17:00Concept note/Theory of change update (Ilse Balstra)

19:00Dinner/culture

DAY 3 (March 12)Chair: Chafik Ben Rouin (Tunisian Observatory of the Economy)

9:00 13:009:00 10:00

10:00 10:3010:30 10:45

10:45 11:30

11:30 12:30

12:30 13:00Fair tax index (Facilitators: Marketa Drozdkova, Cephas Makunike)Capacity building session

Discussion over specific areas/indicators

Short summary of the areas so far included in the FTI

Short discussion in pairs about what fair tax is and what areas are missing

Plenary discussion over the areas that needs (not) to be included in the indexCoffee break

Small groups discussion about indicators(each group will be assigned 2 areas previously discussed)

Sharing the results of discussions of the small groups, open plenary discussion

Planning of next steps

13:00 14:00Lunch

14:00 15:00Advocacy strategyFacilitators: Kolawole Banwo (CISLAC Nigeria)

15:00 15:30Coffee/tea break

15:30 16:30Fundraising strategyFacilitator: Ilse Balstra (Oxfam Novib)

16:30 17:00ClosingClosing panel: SUPRO, TJN-A, Oxfam

TBCInformal discussion, Parking lot of key topics

EXPECTED OUTCOMESThe expected outputs of the meeting will be: A clear update of the status of the project to date. An overview of our main achievements and constraints and steps for the future. Strengthen capacities of CRAFT members to conduct the FTI research. Agreement on specific FTI indicators and on further steps in the development of FTI. Agreement on advocacy and fundraising focus areas.6