The Jubilee Blog

On Debt & Oil

Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf spent the past two weeks in Washington, D.C., discussing Liberia’s future. During the first week of her visit we launched our two-day Call-In to World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz October 16 and 17.

The article, published in The Analyst, a publication in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital, detailed the president's agenda during her tour here.

One of her major talking points was the cancellation of the Liberia’s $3.7 billion debt burden.

The World Bank’s Heavily Highly Indebted Poor Countries initiative (HIPC) is requiring Liberia to repay $1.5 billion in arrears before it qualifies for any debt relief.

It’s not only unjust to hold Liberia responsible for debts and bad lending practices accrued under dictatorships and cruel regimes, but the debt is impossible for Liberia to pay.

EURODAD’s figures from the Central Bank of Liberia list Liberia’s arrears to three multilateral institutions at $1.47 billion.

• $735.4 million to the IMF
• $396.3 million to the World Bank
• $256.9 million to the African Development Bank

The Real Cost of Oil
In other news, the leader of Senegal, another West African country, speaks about the affects of fluctuating oil prices on African economies in the op-ed “Africa Over A Barrel” in today’s Washington Post.

Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade makes the argument Jubilee USA has begun to make this year that high oil prices are hurting African economies.

Senegal is a HIPC and has seen debt cancellation, but only to see its oil bill skyrocket.

If you’d like to write a letter to the editor of the Washington Post, see our handy guide at Jubilee’s website, but be sure to see the Post’s submission guidelines.

For more information on the link between debt and oil, see our policy brief released in July 2006, "Time For a Clean Energy Revolution".

Pittsburgh Stop an Opportunity to Inform

"To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us and He has given us everything."
Thomas Merton

October 25, 2006--Greetings from Pittsburgh! The Thomas Merton Center, an active religious and peace organization in Pittsburgh, is the current stop on Jubilee’s Global Connections Tour.

Being on this tour helps me remember that people are good and that there are definitely enough resources in the world for everyone to live sustainability and peacefully. This is the second year in a row that we've come to the historic city of Pittsburgh and our goals remain the same: to visit and talk with people who may not be familiar with debt cancellation or international poverty.

The interest from participants has been very good and hopefully will spark some greater interest in the conservative areas of Western PA.

Just two weeks ago at Jubilee’s annual meetings Drop the Debt Pittsburgh, the local Jubilee grassroots group here, formally joined the Jubilee USA Network Council.

A little over a year ago, I met with the group's coordinator, Gene Tibbs, and some of his students at the University of Pittsburgh, where he leads the Coalition for Christian Outreach. It's great to see their enthusiasm and fruits from the seeds we planted last year.

Brian Thomas, the local ONE Campaign organizer has also helped coordinate this tour stop and has been our tour guide. On Tuesday we met with his colleague, Buky Williams, at Global Solutions, an internationally-focused education and advocacy organization with chapters around the country.

Our tour speakers are the best, each with their own strengths.

Charity, currently a doctoral candidate in international studies at a university in Germany and debt activist from Zambia, adapts her presentations to each audience and encourages participation. Romulo is an economist, so he has a depth of knowledge about the issue and many years of experience working on development. They are both committed to building solidarity with U.S. groups.

Sunday, we spoke at three churches who are very interested in becoming Jubilee Congregations: Church of the Redeemer Episcopal Church, spiritual home of longtime Jubilee supporter Wanda Guthrie; St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, led by Pastor Janet Grill; and the Open Door Church at Union Project, led by Pastor B.J. Woodworth.

The Episcopal and Lutheran churches national offices have been great allies in the Jubilee movement, and we are blessed to have local involvement from their congregations.

We had a lively public event on Monday night at Pitt (as University of Pittsburgh is affectionately known here) co-sponsored by several student groups: Amnesty International, the Department of Africana Studies, and the African Student Organization.

On Tuesday, we also spoke to two American Government classes at North Allegheny High School and to LaRoche College.

We’ve also been doing media interviews - first on KDKA with Chris Moore, a prominent African-American talk show host, which was followed by an interview by students at Pitt's radio station, WPTS.

Today we're off to two Christian colleges, Westminster and Grove City.

Of course it's not all work and no play! While enjoying many eateries in town, we’ve noticed the strong sense of community among the diverse people who live here.

We have also been blessed with two host families: Johanna and Chad Collins and their three beautiful girls, and Eileen and Nick Kraus-Dobratz. Eileen works with Building New Hope, a fair trade organization specializing in coffee grown in Central America.
Tomorrow it's off to Michigan for the presentation of a new Jubilee Congregation in Ann Arbor.

Stay tuned!

post by Abbey Fisher, National Tour Coordinator

What Is Odious Debt? Yes, we have the answer.

We were having a conversation in the office a few weeks ago at our annual board meetings about the meaning of odious debt.

For those who'd like to know exactly what it means, Soahib has a most excellent explanation. Next Monday, we'll discuss the meaning of "illegal debt".

Staying Active (in the activist sort of way)

I'm back in the District for a short respite, but so much happened in Colorado!

I've lost my speaking voice due to a cold and the dramatic change in weather in Colorado, so I'm resting it before I drive to Pittsburgh to start the second leg of the tour!

The New Energy for Debt Cancellation part of the tour is co-sponsored by our environmentally-focused partner organizations, Rainforest Action Network and Oil Change International. And during Tuesday and Wednesday's events we were happy to have Scott Parkin from RAN with us. Scott is the organizer for the Global Finance Campaign, which focuses on the role of private banks in contributing to extractive industry projects in developing countries.

He was great at connecting the issues of climate change and global poverty.

At our final event at the University of Denver, The Raging Grannies, an international organization of women speaking and singing out against war and injustice, performed for us! I hope I have half as much passion for changing the world when I'm their age as they do!

The best part of the tour, of course, is making personal connections with our speakers. I've been touched by the graciousness Lidy and Asume have shown toward Jennifer, the local tour coordinator, and me, as well as every group we've spoken to. They both make dynamic presentations, but are so personable and are able to adapt their messages to various audiences.

Jennifer and I have been pretty stressed with the tour planning and making sure we get where we need to be, but Lidy and Asume remind us to take a minute and ENJOY this privilege of traveling the country, educating and mobilizing people around the issue of debt cancellation and creating right relationships in our world.

And speaking of people, I was really excited to be able to catch up with my friend Joellen Raderstorf, who lives in Boulder and who traveled to South Africa with me and over 30 other women from the U.S. on Jubilee USA co-sponsored delegation in 2003.

Joellen works with Mothers Acting Up, a group that encourages mothers who have a unique place in societies around the world to act on behalf of children's rights, including healthcare and education.

I also got to (finally!) meet Nick Jackson, a longtime Jubilee supporter in Denver, a doctoral candidate at the University of Denver and an all-around great guy!

Just one more shout-out to Lidy's hostess, Darla Bartos, who has visited and worked in and continues to support educational projects in South Africa.

Our own Kristin Sundell is now with Lidy and Asume in Idaho, so look for her post in next week!

post by Abbey Fisher, National Tour Coordinator

Greatest Inspirations

October 12-13

“Revolution: I think it’s called inspiration”
the band Inquisition

We all have a something that inspires us to fight for social justice.

We come from different places, physically, mentally, spiritually, yet we are united by our commitment to create positive change.

This unity was strong at our Network Council meetings last Friday and Thursday. It was the first time I'd seen the faces of these people who were the heart of Jubilee. For three months I had wondered: who are these people that care about debt cancellation?

Turns out that as a group they don’t really have any discerning similarities—maybe we should have given out T-shirts or fake mustaches.

The meetings weren’t only our local folks, but activists from all over the country, from Portland to Pittsburgh, Chicago to San Diego.

The two-day meetings were packed with speakers, workshops and discussions (about as packed as the California Tortilla burritos we had for lunch).

Jubilee activist extraordinaire Lidy Nacpil began with a great talk about the achievements and challenges of the international community’s debt work, celebrating Norway’s precedent-setting debt cancellation for their irresponsible lending.

We talked about the dire situation in Liberia, the successes of our Haiti actions, and the reintroduction of the JUBILEE Act next year.

Other highlights included a dynamic workshop by mónet cooper, Nathan Fishman, Abbey Fisher, and Rita Jankowska-Bradley who discussed the relationship between art and advocacy (which is fast becoming a common theme around here as a growing number of our Jubilee staff roam the D.C. streets with poetry and politics in hand).

We also had a heartfelt and thoughtful discussion on the critical issue of climate change and its relationship with debt and oil.

Friday, we discussed Sabbath Year events, our spring grassroots conference. It’s rare to see a crowd actually eager to volunteer, but the Jubilee folks were ready and willing to help in anyway they could.

In all, we continued our quest to expand and challenge our capacities to reach our lofty yet essential goals. It was a fun, invigorating and inspiring two days.

As someone relatively new to the scene, I’m so impressed by the commitment, passion, and knowledge of the people who are the Jubilee USA Network. And now I know what they look like.

post by Hayley Hathaway, Policy Intern

Jubilee Honors Its Own

Thursday, October 12, 2006

When I think of Jubilee USA’s First Annual Celebration Dinner, the words of Moses from Deuteronomy 12:7 in the Bible come to my mind: “There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the LORD your God has blessed you.”

On the evening of Thursday, October 12, 2006, Jubilee family and friends gathered to celebrate the success of Jubilee USA Network over the past nine years. We all gathered in the Langston Hughes Room at Busboys and Poets for a time of eating, drinking, reminiscing and honoring.

The evening began with music from the new Jubilee Break the Chains CD, produced by Rita Jankowska-Bradley of Jubilee Montana and her son Damian Bradley, along with a slideshow remembering longtime Jubilee leader and supporter, Carole Collins.

As the night progressed, there was a time of sharing poetry. Rita and I opened the ceremony by sharing our gifts of poetry. Read my poem here.

Rita later commented that this showed that advocacy for debt cancellation has crossed generations. The night was brought to a triumphant close when Nathan Fishman and monét cooper delivered and electrifying poem they co-wrote that featured back-and-forth bursts of passionate exposition. Read their poem.

Throughout the evening many wonderful people were honored for their commitment and work with Jubilee USA.

The outstanding Lidy Nacpil, International Coordinator of Jubilee South’s Freedom from Debt Coalition received the Jubilee Global Leadership Award.

We also honored the Honorable Maxine Waters, U.S. representative from California, and the Honorable Spencer Bachus, U.S. representative from Alabama, who were given the Jubilee Congressional Leadership Award for introducing the JUBILEE Act to Congress and their overall support for debt cancellation.

Four Jubilee members were honored as Outstanding Jubilee Grassroots Leaders: Dick Heidkamp and Dan McGuire, who represented the Mary Seat of Wisdom Parish in Illinois; Rita Jankowska-Bradley; of the Jubilee Montana Network; Jean O’Leary from Jubilee San Diego; and Pat Rumer, who represented the Jubilee Oregon Network.

The evening was a huge success. There was time to catch-up with friends and meet new people.  The atmosphere was one of joy for past accomplishments and hope for future successes. It was a celebration no one will soon forget.

post by Joshua Case, Grassroots Intern

The Greenest Show on Earth

October 14-15, 2006

We had the great pleasure of exhibiting at Green Festival at the D.C. Convention Center on 9th St. N.W. this past weekend, October 14 and 15.

Green Festival is a huge trade show organized by Global Exchange and Co-op America and focuses on bringing together local and national socially responsible businesses, environmental, social justice, community organizations, and an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 concerned individuals for two days of events aimed at forging a just, sustainable, and inclusive economy, a green economy.

We set up in the Community Action Section, sharing a booth with Witness for Peace, a Jubilee Network Council member who works to support peace, justice and sustainable economies in the Americas.

Our national director, Neil Watkins, and policy intern, Hayley Hathaway, will be a part of the Jubilee delegation traveling to Nicaragua with Witness for Peace November 11 to 19 to see the impacts of debt and IMF policies. The trip follows on the heels of Nicaragua’s elections and in the midst of Jubilee’s campaign to cancel Nicaragua and other nations’ debts to the InterAmerican Development Bank. Hayley will be blogging from Nicaragua.

Staff who tabled at Green Fest talked to many wonderful and creative attendees and exhibitors, ate great food, and learned about the Endangered Cuban Crocodile (kind of).

We were among more than 300 exhibitors and it appeared that we got the 20,000 or so attendees we were expecting. It was a great success in that the folks we talked with showed genuine interest in our mission and asked great questions.

Debi had an interesting conversation with a very friendly woman from the World Bank and her more critical husband.

I met a man who did not share “green” political views but had an interest in Annie’s Organics foods.

Monét spoke with a man who refused to answer any questions about the Endangered Cuban Crocodile sweatshirt he was wearing and instead urged Jubilee to “get in Condoleezza Rice’s face” and talk about debt cancellation. 

I also got to know some of our D.C. volunteers better (thanks Sandra and Lorena!!), and I got to meet Amy Goodman, and hear myself talk ga-ga language (because I am in awe of her).

On Saturday afternoon, Lidy Nacpil, one of our Global Connections Tour speakers, led a seminar discussing debt and the environment.  Attendees posed many provocative questions - so many that the seminar ran over time and they had to kick us out!

Jubilee also made friends with some exhibitors including: Vegetarian Society of D.C., Global Consciousness Press Inc., and the United States Campaign to Ban Landmines.

I felt privileged to represent Jubilee at the festival, and my friends Aaron and Nell, who were down visiting me from my Jersey hometown thought I had an exciting job and enjoyed talking to people they met about debt cancellation to earn their volunteer badges!

It was great to see some of our existing Jubilee friends like Food and Water Watch, Public Citizen, and Craig from Mobilization for Global Justice. I’m looking forward to sharing more barbequed tofu meals and songs of peace and justice.

Reporting from utopia….

post by Nate Fishman, Outreach and Congregations Fellow

Colorado: A Restart & the Conflict Within

Wednesday October 17, 2006

Hello, from snowy Denver!

Monday was beautiful, a sunny 70 degrees to be exact, but Tuesday we woke up to colder weather and snow later in the day!

Lidy Nacpil and Asume Osuoka, our guest speakers from the Philippines and Nigeria, respectively, were not at all used to this cold, cold weather but were real troopers. We had made a special trip to a local department store for Asume to buy a warm coat because he's never owned one due to Nigeria’s warm weather.

I'm excited to be in Denver for the first tour stop on the 2006 Global Connections Tour. 

The Jubilee movement in the U.S. started here in 1997, when Jubilee 2000 USA was formed. 

In 2001, I was privileged to be part of the Jubilee 2000 meeting in Denver where we became Jubilee USA Network. I've been a Jubilee volunteer (recently voted to Jubilee’s Coordinating Committee a few days ago) for six years and that 2001 trip to Denver was my first ever plane ride, so this town holds a special place in my Jubilee life.

One of the main goal’s of the tour stop in Denver is to re-spark interest in Colorado, especially in advance of the 2007 Sabbath Year.

Our local tour coordinator, Jennifer Braga, is keeping us busy!

On Monday we had two “events”: a presentation at the Global Leadership Academy, a private high school in Denver, and a meeting with Senator Ken Salazar's Counsel, David Hiller.

Sen. Salazar voted against legislation that would have authorized the use of International Monetary Fund (IMF) gold sales to finance debt cancellation. We spoke to Mr. Hiller about the experiences of Asume and Lidy, asking him to encourage the senator to retract his position on gold sales. 

We are also asking constituents in the three states on this part of the tour (Colorado, Idaho and Utah) to write their senators to support IMF gold sales. 

Newmont Mining Company is based here in Denver, and Mr. Hiller smirked when I started discussing gold sales, so we’re in a bit of an uphill battle here, but when the office starts getting a lot of letters from constituents, they may change their minds!

Tuesday, we traveled to nearby Boulder, Colo., but first we took a side trip to the breathtaking Red Rocks Park and Ampitheater. Lidy, Asume and I were in awe of the park’s beauty and the world-renowned performance venue.

In Boulder, we spoke to the Engineers for a Better World student group at the Colorado School of Mines.

The school receives a lot of funding from the state government and oil companies, but many of the students in this group are trying to reconcile their chosen fields with the environmental degradation that occurs with so many mining and extractive industry projects.

Asume was interviewed for Free Speech TV, a socially-conscious TV production company that provides programming to satellite providers and cable companies across the company. 

The staff was so friendly and generous, and of course Asume did a great job, so please check out their website and we'll post information about when Asume's interview will nationally air.

In the evening we had a public event at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Even though it was snowy, there was a good turnout and many thanks to Sigma Iota Rho Honors Organization for sponsoring us!

Many of the people who we've spoken with have been very receptive to the debt cancellation issue. They recognize that this is a matter of justice, not politics, so we will work hard to stay in touch with everyone and provide ways for them to take action in the future.

Today will bring an exclusive tour of the newly-opened Denver Art Museum, a luncheon with local religious and activist leaders, and a public presentation at the University of Denver. 

Onward we go!

—post by Abbey Fisher, Jubilee USA Tour Coordinator

On Liberia & Fighting AIDS

Liberia is a country of renewed hope as more than 20 years of dictatorship and civil war have come to an end.

Democracy has returned to the West African nation in the form of new president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first African female president. 

In some ways, Liberia’s future looks bright. New president, new economic policy, an end to corruption, democratic rule. Yet, over 75 percent of the country's population is forced to live on $1 a day and life expectancy is less than 50 years. 

As Liberia attempts to move forward, the people are still suffering with an external debt of $3.7 billion. 

Though Liberia has been added to the IMF and World Bank’s Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative, HIPC is requiring that Liberia pay back all of its estimated $1.5 billion in arrears before it sees any debt relief. 

Much of the debt was acquired under brutal dictatorships that didn't use the money to benefit the Liberian people. 

Therefore, we at Jubilee USA believe that it shouldn't be the Liberian people’s responsibility to pay back this debt. 

Please join us for our Call-In Day on Liberia as we make calls Monday and Tuesday to the World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz.

During his recent visit to Liberia, Wolfowitz promised to support Liberia in its new government and acknowledged the responsibility of creditors in Liberia’s debts. 

Help us hold Wolfowitz to his word.

The correlation between debt and HIV/AIDS is apparent in Liberia, as 8 percent of the country’s population is currently infected with HIV/AIDS and healthcare suffers while Liberia works against its debt.

Here's another stat: 85 percent of countries with high HIV rates also possess high external debts.

KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives recently released Global Justice Report: G8 Betrays People with AIDS, which discusses the unfulfilled promises of the 2005 Gleneagles Summit, including the shortcomings of their pledge to cancel some low-income countries’ debts. 

Thus far, of the countries most ravaged by HIV/AIDS, poverty, and debt, only one-third, let me repeat that, one-third have seen any cancellation of debt. Conditions enforced by the IMF and World Bank in order to see debt cancellation actually create obstacles for countries in providing necessary healthcare to their citizens. 

These conditions have also kept Uganda from realizing the full potential of its $201 million grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria due to “IMF-imposed ceilings on public spending.”   

Here at Jubilee we’ve been working to connect the issues of debt and AIDS. One way is through our partnership with AIDS Vote, an organization that educates candidates for public office about HIV/AIDS issues and calls for 100 percent access to AIDS prevention & treatment by 2010. 

One of the planks in their platform is debt cancellation to free up resources to fight AIDS. 

This has been a great chance for us to connect with different organizations, such as the Health GAP, and the Student Global AIDS Campaign.   

AIDS Vote has great resources we can all use — not only about AIDS issues but also info on how to interact with candidates, how to birddog, and other important organizing activities. 

We’ve partnered with AIDS Vote to link our activists in Pennsylvania and Chicago with different candidate events so they can raise the issues of AIDS and debt wherever the candidates stump.

Also, this Wednesday we’re having a small Jubilee AIDS Vote Conference Call for people on the Left Coast. We thought it’d be a great way to connect and engage some of our members in a different way. 

If you want to be on the call (anyone can join!) it’s on Wednesday, Oct. 18 @ 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time (so if you’re on the East Coast it’s at 10 p.m.). The call-in number is 1-800-391-1709 and the access code is: 750990#.

post by Jennifer Westrate and Hayley Hathaway

Stand Up Against Global Poverty (and a busy week @ Jubilee)

The Jubilee staff was out of the office Monday for Indigenous People’s Day — some people call it Columbus Day — and are rounding out today with a hectic but wonderfully busy work week.

We’re running late on updating you about some important things from last week and what we did this week. I know, I know, things are busy around here as we finish up our annual Network Council meetings this week and closed our first Celebration, which happens this Thursday at the one of the flyest places in the District the Langston Hughes Room at Busboys and Poets. The Celebration SOLD OUT in about four weeks!

Also, Take Action Oct.15-17 as we Stand Up and Speak Out Against Global Poverty during the Stand Up day with our partner the ONE Campaign on Sunday, Oct. 15 and our Liberia call in days on Oct 16-17.

Last Tuesday, Debi Kar, our policy chieftan, sat on a UNDP panel about the “progress” made thus far toward accomplishing the UN Millennium Development Goals by the 2015 deadline. If you don’t know about the MDGs, you’d better ask somebody!

The MDG halfway point arrives next year and now is as good a time as any to challenge the ways economic policies in developing countries—often heavily influenced by international financial institutions that loan the money to these countries—hinder civil society, good governance, political autonomy, and economic growth in the very nations they’re trying to help.

Speaking of MDGs, we updated our Debt and MDGs primer if you’d like to take a look…and you should want to take a look.

Debi’s juicy first-person tidbits are below and we’re still reeling from the moderator’s “gadfly” appellation. Of course, the only gadflies we love live here and there:

• I was continually referred to by the moderator as the NGO “gadfly.”
• I was able to cite UNDP studies to give evidence for the lack of policy space countries have to determine their own individual national development strategies towards achieving the MDGs, which gave credibility to my fairly critical assertions.
• The moderator labeled my comments as provocative. The audience must have resonated with these “provocative” comments because afterward I spoke with many audience members who approached me and gave me positive feedback.
• A former IMF research economist was one person who approached me and thanked me for my comments. Someone involved with the Clinton Global Initiative was another person who thanked me for my comments and wanted to talk further.
• I even received a job offer from one audience participant, which was quite flattering!

Next Monday, get the inside story on our Network Council 2-day meeting, Celebration, and our Liberia Call In.

In other news, check out another perspective on the obstruction of civil society by the Singapore governement at the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings. Here's an excerpt:

To the bankers and government officials who descended on the city state for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings in September, Singapore may have looked like the perfect model of a globalized consumer society. Tellingly, for the first time, the annual meetings took place inside a giant shopping mall. Corporate logos dominated the venue, shoppers went happily about fulfilling their consumer duties, and the delegates were shrouded in a constant cloud of Muzak.

Dissident voices have no place in a Singapore-style consumer paradise. At the World Bank's annual meeting, civil society protests were restricted to a small stage inside the shopping mall. And Singapore's government banned close to 30 experienced civil society activists from entering the country altogether. The media frenzy that followed the reprisals overshadowed the fact that the ban was just a pale reflection of the repression which poor people in the underbelly of global consumer society -- and often at the receiving end of World Bank projects -- experience.

post by monét cooper