History of the ATI

 

 

Launch of the ATI in 2015

During the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2015, the governments of Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States launched the Addis Tax Initiative (ATI) to support the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development (AAAA). 

The ATI Declaration from 2015 laid out commitments for the member countries of the initiative. Concretely: 

  1. Development partners commit to collectively double technical development cooperation for domestic revenue mobilisation (DRM) by 2020.
  2. Partner countries commit to step up DRM as a key requirement for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals and spurring inclusive development.
  3. All ATI members collectively commit to pursue policy coherence for development.

Progress made by member countries in fulfilling these commitments was monitored by the International Tax Compact (ITC) through annual monitoring exercises. The ATI Monitoring Reports helped promote peer learning through the dissemination of good practices, identified regional and thematical trends in DRM, and provided an outlook on planned future activities to improve coordination. Details about the monitoring processes and the reports from 2015-2018 are available here.

 

Constitution of the ATI Consultative Groups in 2018

On 13 February 2018, three consultative groups were established in New York to organise and implement activities supporting the ATI commitments. Each consultative group develops and implements an annual work plan under the leadership of a coordinator. 

 

ATI Declaration 2025 

Building on the first 2015 ATI Declaration, ATI members adopted a new declaration in 2020  - the ATI Declaration 2025 – to reaffirm their commitment to implementing the AAAA while reflecting changing priorities in the international tax and development landscape. The Declaration introduced four commitments, developed in a spirit of partnership and mutual accountability, to enhance collective action and achieve the ATI’s shared vision. It guided ATI members during the first half of the Decade of Action to support financing the SDGs through domestic revenues. Results of this period are documented in the ATI Monitoring Reports.

 

FFD4, the Seville Declaration on DRM, and Seville Platform for Action

To redefine the role of the ATI after 2025, a Task Force was established by the ATI Steering Committee. Following a participatory process, nine ATI members were mandated with representing the different constituencies of the ATI: The Gambia, Madagascar, the Philippines, Nigeria, the ECOWAS Commission, the OECD, the International Budget Partnership (IBP), the European Commission, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

The Task Force had a dual role to (i) engage in policy advocacy during the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4); and (ii) shape ATI’s new agenda in line with the conference outcomes.

The group met in several virtual rounds and held an in-person workshop in January 2025 in Berlin. Its work culminated in the launch of the Seville Declaration on DRM during a side event at the FFD4. The Declaration reflects a broad, participatory, and inclusive process among all ATI members. It builds on the ATI Declaration 2025, responds to the changing tax and development cooperation landscape, and reaffirms ATI members’ commitment to strengthening DRM to finance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Seville Declaration outlines four key actions, the implementation of which will be supported by the ATI Consultative Groups. Each development partner and partner country adherent carries responsibility, consistent with its role and capacity, for advancing these commitments by 2025.

The ATI and the Seville Declaration now also integrate the Seville Platform for Action (SPA) as an official mechanism to support the implementation of the FFD4 outcomes. The SPA is co-led by The Gambia, Madagascar, Germany, Norway, and the European Union.

The Addis Tax Initiative and the Seville Declaration on DRM Factsheet