International Forum for Developing States
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| File:IFDSlogo.png Logo of the IFDS | |
| Abbreviation | IFDS |
|---|---|
| Motto | "Cooperation, Development, Sovereignty" |
| Formation | 2016 |
| Type | International body |
| Purpose | Internationalism, trade, cross-border cooperation |
| Headquarters | Estanban, Nautasian Union |
Region served | Esquarium |
Membership | Full members |
President |  Ganbaatar Altangiin Züngar |
Secretary-General |  Luo Wenjing |
Deputy Secretary-General |  Osman Türkan |
Main organ | Forum-General |
| Website | www.ifds.org |
The International Forum for Developing States an international grouping for promoting international cooperation among participating countries. It aims to galvanize South-South cooperation and greater understanding between the three important continents of the developing world namely, Borea, Nautasia and Velkia. The forum provides the countries with a platform to engage in discussions for cooperation in the field of agriculture, trade, culture, poverty reduction and defence among others.
It was jointly founded by Ankoren and Xiaodong and currently includes Kheratia, Alatistan, Lecia, Namor, Nunalik and Razaria as full members.
History
Objectives
The International Forum for Developing States aims to promote South-South cooperation and build consensus on issues of international importance. It also aims at increasing the trade opportunities among members, as well as facilitate the multilateral exchange of information, technologies and skills to complement each others strengths. Subsequently, it promotes the international poverty alleviation and social development with main focus being on equitable development. It also aims to explore avenues to promote cooperation in broad range of areas, which include agriculture, climate change/global warming, culture, defence, education, energy, health, information society, science and technology, social development, trade and investment, tourism and transport. The IFDS also seeks to establish a series of regulations and rules that regulate the role developed states play within the economies of the developing world, in a program known as the "Sovereignty Project".
Areas of cooperation
Agriculture
The Sub-Forum for Agriculture aims to improve production, promote and develop small-scale agro-industry in participants. It also seeks to improve and diversify horticultural crops across the developing world.
Education
The IFDS recognises education as a vital instrument for achieving social equity and laying the foundations for a modern labour force. Three major areas of cooperation have been identified for collaboration namely, Open and distance education, higher and professional education and finally, universal education with a focus on gender equality. The IFDS also seeks to establish formal student exchanges between the participants based upon areas of strength, as such Ankoren for example seeks to offer thousands of places for students in engineering and medicine.
Energy
The working group aims to promote clean and efficient sources of energy such as bio-fuels. It also gives an opportunity to exchange information about renewable energy and use of non-conventional energy sources. There is also an argument towards establishing an "energy circle" in that the poorest participants can receive energy at discounted prices to ensure energy supplies.
Science & technology
Science & technology has been identified as one of the key areas of multi-lateral cooperation. The following is a list of desired areas of research cooperation:
- HIV/AIDS and Nanotechnology
- Malaria and Oceanography
- Tuberculosis and Biotechnology
- Communications and Computing
- Robotics and Financial Technology
Trade
Will wait until the first Forum-General Summit...
Sovereignty
The IFDS was created by Ankoren and Xiaodong in partial response to fears of globalisation's effect on the sovereignty of developing economies. Both Ankoren's and Xiaodong's governments cited the Loup-CGT Scandal as an example of globalisation's negative consequences on poorer economies. However as far back as 2011, both Ankoren and Xiaodong had communicated shared wishes for a body that would bring together the developing economies to insulate them from the erosion of sovereignty, whilst also offering genuine support for outright South-South cooperation.
According to Xi Yao-tong, who was Foreign Minister from 2001-2009 stated in 2006 that "imagine a world where the developing countries support each other, exchange ideas, exchange successful policies and plans, while warning against failed ones, where they exchange technologies and expertise, rather than seeking this from the developed world which only leads to the introduction of malignant multi-national corporations who treat workers poorly and have little respect for political institutions - corruption happens. By working together can you get the protection of sovereignty among the developing nations."
As such, Ankoren and Xiaodong want to introduce a "blacklist" of multi-national corporations known to be engaged in criminality or corruption, this blacklist would be shared among all developing nations, whilst a "Gold standard list" would be used to identify the most successful partners among the developed world's most prominent multi-national corporations.
Organisation
The IFDS is currently made up of seven developing or newly industrialised economies, of which each has an equal stake in the IFDS' running and maintenance. The IFDS is centered around the Forum-General, which meets annually in alternating member states. It is attended by either member's heads of governments or state, Foreign ministers who senior diplomats. The Forum-General is the platform where systemic agreements are made, or exclusive issues are settled. These issues and proposals are sent to Sub-Forums, of which there are six; Agriculture, Education, Energy, Science and Technology, Trade and Sovereignty. These Sub-Forums are made up members' specific ministers related to those areas.
Each member is given leadership over a specific sub-forum, usually based upon their individual economic strengths in the area. However, this was scrapped before the First Forum-General, in the view that all member-states should share equally in areas of cooperation.
Developed states are permitted to take up observer membership, a non-voting position that allows developed economies to address the Forum-General, the IFDS hopes that this will allow lines of cooperation and collaboration to open between the developing and developed world.
Members
| Name | Capital | Currency | GDP (PPP) ($) | GDP Per Capita (PPP) | GDP (nominal) ($) | GDP Per Capita (nominal) | Population | HDI | GINI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Country data Alatistan | Kışla | Alati Kuruş | $62.321 billion | $8,532 | $34 billion | $4,704 | 7,304,490 | 0.698 | 29.8 |
| Kheratia
|
Ulankhot | Seber | $730.212 billion | $16,331 | $315 billion | $7,048 | 44,712,228 | 0.693 | 32.4 |
 Lecia
|
Szimóngôcz | Grywna | $72.695 billion | $13,761 | $67 billion | $12,815 | 5,282,690 | 0.705 | 17.9 |
 Namor
|
Namo | Ramon | $14,956 billion | $28,668 | $8,780 billion | $16,837 | 521,714,237 | 0.72 | 45.75 |
 Nunalik
|
Illoqarfik | Kigut | $9.07 Billion | $13,092 | $6.2 Billion | $9,012 | 692,894 | 0.682 | 18.24 |
 Razaria
|
Čiragrad | Marka | $375.97 billion | $8,990 | $96 billion | $2,310 | 41,821,045 | 0.686 | 39.9 |
| UNIR
|
Estanban | Toman | $1,516 billion | $12,003 | $941 billion | $7,455 | 126,323,104 | 0.766 | 37.4 |
| Xiaodong
|
Rongzhuo | Renjin | $1,201 billion | $8,685 | $402 billion | $2,906 | 138,360,000 | 0.744 | 36.8 |
Expelled observers
Luziyca (expelled March 12th, 2018)
Katranjiev (expelled April 26th, 2018)
Summits
| Summit | Host | Location | Date | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | State President Evren Volkan | Template:Country data Ankoren Lankaran | 20-23 March 2016 | Formally opened the IFDS, with focus on formalising the IFDS Charter and the distribution of positions to member-states and establishment of procedures. The Forum-General agreed that the next summit would lay the ground-work for further economic cooperation and negotiations over the reduction of trade tariffs and barriers. The official statement read, "with the opening of the International Forum for Developing States, all member-states declare their intention to collaborate toward a new world order based on mutually-beneficial partnerships, respect of sovereignty and self-determination of peoples and states. Through cooperation, respect and dedication to win-win results, the developing world shall gain its force and voice." |
| 2nd | State Chairman Yuan Xiannian | Rongzhuo
|
10-14 March 2017 | Formally established the International Academic Circle for IFDS member-states, creating the world's largest student exchange programme. This was followed by the creation of annual science and technology conferences to expand cooperation in R&D, medical research, and information technology. The Second Summit also heralded the first Policy Exchange Forum in which ministers from member-states exchanged successful policies from their domestic spheres. |
| 3rd | President-General Antelope Shohai | Namo
|
11-16 March 2018 | Was dominated by growing tensions between Namor and Luziyca over Nantai, while the closure of the summit coincided with the proposal by the Aucurian government to the Esquarian Community to impose tariffs against IFDS member-states. The Summit agreed to enhance trade, security, and diplomatic cooperation between members and supported a Namorese proposal for a future IFDS free trade area. The UNIR proposed the creation of an International Development Bank funded and used exclusively by the IFDS. The UNIR also made some progress toward formalizing its so-called "Solidarity Energy Provision", in which the poorer members of the IFDS would receive energy exports at a below-market price. The summit formally received a membership application from Nunalik and expelled Luziyca as an observer following the failed Katsarou-Vasiliev Act. |
| 4th | Supreme Leader Ganbaatar Altangiin Züngar | Ulankhot
|
TBD |