The Jubilee Blog

Jubilee Massachusetts Focuses on MDG #8

By Neeka Stanley, Jubilee Massachusetts

Jubilee Massachusetts, one of the newest Jubilee Chapters, held its first official event as part of Stand Up, Take Action on September 17, 2010.  This was a thrilling opportunity to build our team as we prepared for our free outdoor showing of the film “The Debt of the Dictators,” to which twenty people came!   

It was a privilege for me to be able to introduce the film and share my passion for the message of Jubilee.  As a Christian, I have tried to remember that Jesus said that what we do to the least of those among us, we have actually done to Him. Jesus talked about feeding and clothing people, welcoming the stranger, and visiting the sick and imprisoned as ways to see the divinity in another person and love them.  (Matthew 25:35-40)  I have tried to do this in a variety of ways, but extreme poverty always seemed overwhelming for me. 

A Reason to Stand Up

By Nate Kratzer

On September 17th and 19th Nate Kratzer, Jubilee USA’s Outreach and Congregations Fellow, spoke at Stand Up events in DC and NYC.  He reports back about the inspiring people he met and messages he heard.

As delegates at the U.N. Summit discuss progress on the Millennium Development Goals this week, I wonder how much good will come out of it, or if it will just be another round of grand speech making and empty promises. I’m not the only one concerned: the latest projections indicate that worldwide we will fall 21 billion dollars short of agreed upon targets. Of course, throwing money at the problem will not make it disappear, but the budgetary shortfall is one of many signs that fighting poverty might not be at the top of most nations’ agendas. 

This makes it all the more important that people remind governments and international institutions that poverty is at the top of our agendas.  It was certainly at the top of Jesus’, as there’s nothing he mentions more in the Gospels than money and poverty. All over the world people gathered for Stand Up, Take Action, a weekend of action to remind world leaders of their commitments to achieve the Millennium Development goals.  I was privileged enough to take part in two Stand-Up events in Washington D.C. and in New York City.  During my time in these cities, I met a lot of the wonderful people who spend much of their time showing governments that they want more than empty promises to result from the UN Summit.  

Dispatch from the MDG Summit

Jubilee USA Deputy Director Melinda St. Louis is attending events surrounding the UN Millennium Development Goal Review Summit in New York September 20-22.

Sept 20, 2010: An Analysis of the Summit Outcome Document

80 Heads of State and 30 Heads of Government have gathered at this week’s summit to review progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which aim to cut global poverty in half by 2015.   Early Monday morning, civil society organizations came together before the Summit to explore opportunities to influence the outcome of this critical meeting.   

The outcome document of the Summit, which will most likely be officially adopted on Wednesday afternoon, is not the true break-through plan to achieve the MDGs by 2015 we were hoping for. Although the plan contains affirmations of previous commitments to end global poverty, there are no new commitments, despite the fact that 50 million more people have been forced into extreme poverty because of the economic crisis.  

On the up side, the outcome document recognizes the challenge poor countries face because of unsustainable debt levels.  As Jubilee USA has emphasized time and time again, debt is a hurdle in achieving the MDGs; the document suggests that broader debt relief and restructuring would be helpful in fighting poverty.  Even  still, no concrete commitments to debt relief have been made.

What do we want out of the Summit?  Our hope is that some Heads of State will use the Summit as an opportunity to announce commitments that go beyond the outcome document. 

In his remarks, French President Sarkozy announced his strong support for a financial transactions tax (FTT), which would raise critical funds to reach the Millennium Development Goals. France will be the leader of the G8 and G20 next year – they will set the agenda and could seriously move forward the FTT.  

Jubilee Sunday/ Stand Up Weekend: September 17th–19th

By Will McKitterick, with excerpts courtesy of Reverend Chuck Currie

In the struggle for social justice, spirituality can be a powerful weapon of the poor: an inspirational catalyst for collective action. This past Sunday, September 19th, religious activists across the US proved this true when they gathered in reverent prayer and support of the billions of people worldwide being crushed by foreign debt. Once again, members of Jubilee Congregations held special services for the annual Jubilee Sunday to pray for global economic justice, spread awareness about debt issues, take concrete action for debt cancellation for all impoverished countries, and receive a special offering to support the work of the Jubilee USA Network.

What does Jubilee Sunday signify? In the Jubilee year, as quoted in Leviticus, those enslaved because of debts are freed, lands lost because of debt are returned, and communities torn by inequality are restored. Jubilee Sunday is a day dedicated to the promotion of these principles, principles that are as important today as ever before. Today, international debt has become a new form of slavery. Debt slavery means poor people working harder in a vain effort to keep up with interest payments on debts owed to rich countries, including the US and international financial institutions such as the IMF and World Bank. Jubilee Sunday represents a moral rejection, one that is currently being echoed throughout the country, of this noxious form of economic injustice.

Another Disaster for Pakistan as More Loans Announced: Jubilee USA Network Condemns New Loans as a Threat to Pakistan’s Future

By Will McKitterick

On Tuesday September 7th, Jubilee USA joined a host of global advocacy groups in outcry against the IMF’s decision to impose new loans on Pakistan, noting the ineffective and potentially disastrous effects this “aid” will have on the Pakistani people.

Like many heavily indebted countries, Pakistan will quickly find itself in financial peril by the end of the year when it finishes paying previous loans back to the IMF. The Fund is loaning $450 million to Pakistan while simultaneously demanding they pay $500 million plus interest by the end of the year to service their current debt. Inevitably, this new commitment will add to the country’s already crushing  $54 billion debt burden at a time when funds are desperately needed to provide relief for millions of flood victims.