5 August 2015: The Permanent Missions of Bolivia and Ecuador sent letters to the Secretary-General of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3), Wu Hongbo, regarding their respective reservations on the outcome. The two UN Member States requested that the letters and their annexes, containing reservations and explanations of national position (EOP), be included in their entirety in the report of the Conference.

Bolivia’s reservations, which were submitted on 5 August, pertain to paragraphs 31, 60 and 69 of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA), on fossil-fuel subsidies and innovative financing mechanisms. It says it will interpret these paragraphs in accordance with the reservations that Bolivia expressed to the outcome of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) in 2012. The letter further informs that Bolivia will interpret the final sentence of paragraph 5, reaffirming all the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, as follows: “We further reaffirm all the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, particularly the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR).”

Ecuador, in its submission of 3 August, expressed disagreement and reservations pertaining to AAAA paragraph 31, which “reaffirms the [governments’] commitment to rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies.” According to Ecuador’s letter, this is contrary to its Constitution and national laws and, therefore, impinges on its national sovereignty. Ecuador also noted reservations on AAAA paragraph 113, which resolves “to strengthen the coherence and consistency of multilateral financial, investment, trade, and development policy and environment institutions and platforms, and increase cooperation between major international institutions, while respecting mandates and governance structures.” Ecuador notes its belief that the UN should pursue reform of the international financial architecture as highlighted in paragraphs 52 and 53 of the Monterrey Consensus.

Ecuador further offered EOPs on 17 paragraphs of the AAAA, including: paragraph 5 (principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development) – calling for reaffirming CBDR; paragraph 9 (respecting each country’s policy space and leadership to implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development while remaining consistent with relevant international rules and commitments) – noting that it should not introduce conditions for the conduct of States; paragraph 14 (establishing a new forum to bridge the infrastructure gap) – requesting to note the importance of regional development banks for infrastructure; paragraph 19 (the relation between the AAAA and the post-2015 development agenda) – noting that the two are completely separate; paragraph 20 (recognizing that civil society, independent media, and other non-State actors play important roles in domestic resources mobilization) – stressing that “independent media” have no role whatsoever in mobilizing domestic resources; and paragraph 29 (international tax cooperation) – calling for upgrading the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters to an intergovernmental agency.

FfD3 took place on 13-16 July 2015, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Its outcome document, the AAAA, was endorsed by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on 27 July 2015. [Bolivia Letter] [Ecuador Letter] [IISD RS Story on UNGA Endorsement of AAAA] [Addis Ababa Action Agenda] [IISD RS Coverage of FfD3]