The Financing for Development Office (FfDO) of UN-DESA and the International Tax Compact (ITC) organized, jointly, a technical meeting on “Tax treaty administration and negotiation”. The meeting was held within the context of a capacity development project, undertaken jointly by the two organizations, aimed at strengthening the capacity of Ministries of Finance, National Tax Authorities, and other competent authorities in developing countries to effectively identify and assess their needs in the area of double tax treaty negotiation and administration.

The purpose of the New York meeting was to present, discuss and revise a series of draft papers on selected issues in administration and negotiation of tax treaties prepared by selected experts. These papers were to address the actual skills gaps and challenges faced by developing countries in administering and negotiating their tax treaties, which had been identified during a meeting held in Rome on 28-29 January 2013, with the participation of 25 national experts from developing countries. Following the meeting, the papers on administration of tax treaties will be revised and will comprise the UN Handbook on Selected Issues in Administration of Double Tax Treaties for Developing Countries.

Participants in this meeting were also invited to participate in the Special meeting of ECOSOC on international cooperation in tax matters (29 May 2013, New York).