The Conference will be centred around three key pillars:

Lessons learning from Debt Negotiations: This includes looking back at what did/did not work well during previous debt relief initiatives, including HIPC, and more recent initiatives, such as DSSI. Through experience-sharing, Ministers, policymakers, and experts can draw lessons on how to derive better debt terms and deals.

Reform of existing debt relief instruments/initiatives: DR, in collaboration with other major African organisations, has hosted dialogues on the need to reform major elements of the IFS, including reforms required to the Common Framework alongside the need to reform the IMF-World Bank Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA). This Conference will provide space for Ministers and policymakers to come together to discuss these reforms and share ideas.

African coordination for fresh financing: The IFS is overwhelmingly creditor-centric and is not considerate of the borrower’s needs. Creditors are often organised through “clubs” or “committees”, such as the Paris Club, which exclude the Borrower from negotiations. Subsequently, there is an urgent need to increase Borrower Coordination for countries to share experience and negotiate practices to get more out of the IFS and to avoid further challenges and delays in creditor negotiations.