Comment & Features

• Opponents of debt cancellation invariably cite corruption as a reason why debt relief should not be granted. Yet in Uganda, anti-corruption campaigners also lead the Jubilee 2000 campaign. Television for the Environment filmed their activities and reports on them in this summary and full transcript .

• Can you credit it? Marie Claire magazine joins Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of Bush, as they visit Tanzania and see for themselves the devastating impact of debt (2 November 2000)

• Southern Voices Grow Ever Stronger. Leaders of indebted countries have historically been reluctant to speak out for debt cancellation for fear of damaging relations with investors and the IMF. But leaders are increasingly reflecting the calls of southern campaigners for an end to debt bondage. (October 2000)

• Australian Paul Harper, who is cycling from Perth to Timbuktu to raise awareness of Jubilee 2000, writes a diary of his amazing journey.

• The World Bank and IMF fail the world's poorest people by acting as creditor collection agencies shielding western taxpayers from bad news about world poverty, says Jeffrey Sachs. (29 September 2000)

• Ann Pettifor argues that the IMF and World Bank have become Soviet-style banks, heavily protected from the market forces and policies they pride themselves on (20 September 2000)

• 'What's half a billion between friends?' Media comment on the Okinawa Summit (August, 2000)

• While the UNAIDS conference in Durban catalogues the devastating impact of AIDS on the African continent, the poorest country continue to divert payments from healthcare to paying debts.

• Haiti in life and debt struggle.  Owen Bowcott of the Guardian notes the strong resonance of the debt campaign for a Caribbean nation whose independence was achieved through the only successful slave revolt in history.

• Why do the poor still pay the rich? The Times wonders why the "gift" of debt cancellation has proved to be a bitter disappointment.

• A New Global Consensus on Helping the Poorest of the Poor. Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs (April 18, 2000 )

• Asking lenders to solve the debt crisis is like asking tobacco companies to curb smoking, says Jubilee 2000 in a new report, Kicking the Habit which calls for a new independent arbitration procedure for cancelling debts. (7 April 2000)

• The sins of the parents are visited on their offspring. Stephanie Boyd for the New Internationalist reports on a children's war against debt in Peru (February 2000)

• Kenneth Kaunda, former President of Zambia, calls on creditors to end their excuses and delays and unchain the African continent from debt bondage.

• Indebted to You.  Paul Spray from UK's Department for International Development notes that people power that has put debt on the international agenda.

• Debt relief is finally starting to trickle through. But as it does, the whole process of how debts are cancelled is coming under increasing scrutiny, argues Dean Murphy of the Los Angeles Times (January 2000)

• Bono of U2 lays down a personal moral challenge to the G7 leaders to make the year 2000 the year in which Jubilee 2000 succeeds. His challenge is broadcast in the Times, Le Monde, Asahi Shimbun and newspapers around the world.
  
• World debt angers me. Bono of U2 explains why he has put his weight behind the Jubilee 2000 campaign as the best way to celebrate the millennium.

• 'Life before debt' is the rallying cry for Jubilee 2000 in Peru. Under this banner, 2 million petition signatures have been collected and 40% of the population now say they are aware of the campaign. This has heralded a resurgence in civil society involvement on economic and social issues.

• The Jubilee line that works. Will Hutton, editor of the UK Observer newspaper, argues that it is no longer Morris, Keynes and Beveridge who inspire and change the world - it's Leviticus.

• A rallying cry for Debt Forgiveness. Ann Pettifor of Jubilee 2000 Coalition and Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Harvard University call for on the West to recognise the urgency of the debt crisis with radical action and challenge the IMF's new-found role in poverty reduction.

• "This is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. We have the perfect script for New Year's Eve." Bono hands over his shades to the Pope, and tells the Sun why he is united with the Pope in support of Jubilee 2000.

• Gold, debt and and international high finance: the role of trades unionists. Article for PSI magazine by Ann Pettifor, Director of Jubilee 2000 Coalition.

• What does the Köln Agreement mean for the Jubilee 2000 campaign worldwide?

• Debt Has a Child's Face: Children pay the price. In UNICEF's Progress of Nations Report 1999, Sir Shridath Ramphal, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat and Foreign Minister of Guyana, argues that the time for a joint assault on debt and destitution is not now — it was yesterday. For millions of children, tomorrow will be too late.

• AIDS and Debt: the two scourges of Africa. AIDS spreads rapidly whilst resources continue to be diverted from health care to debt service.

• "I'm not signing the petition!.." Zambian activist goes onto the streets to collect signatures and answers the difficult questions about corruption, future lending and use of scarce resources.

• Debt Debate takes off online. Musicians, comedians, politicians and a Zambian villager go onto the web to talk about Jubilee 2000.

• Using international law, Jubilee 2000 campaigns are involved in challenging the very 'legitimacy of international debt.' Patricia Adams argues for the enforcement of the doctrine of odious debts.

• Concordats for debt cancellation – Ann Pettifor suggests a framework for rich creditors and poor debtors to negotiate debt cancellation.

• What will it cost to cancel the debt? Estimates of the cost of meeting Jubilee 2000's targets, including an estimate that debt service must be reduced by $75 billion per year if development targets are to be met.

• Human face of the struggle against Debt. The debt crisis is often obscured by jargon and statistics but its impact is felt in daily life.

• Did you know that 27th February is the 46th anniversary of the London Debt Agreement in which Germany received massive debt relief after the Second World War? Yet today we will not give the same debt relief to the poorest countries in the world.

• Who wins in the International Casino? The averted collapse of the Long Term Capital Management Fund in 1998 has highlighted the continuing reckless behaviour of international lenders.

• Islam and Debt. The biblical concept of Jubilee inspires many campaigners, but the Qur'an is also unambiguous in its condemnation of unpayable debt

• From Debt to Health. In Nicaragua, the debt crisis has drastically undermined a health service which was once the envy of the developing world.

• The West must take less. Who is being unrealistic? Jubilee 2000 or the creditors who demand repayment regardless of the consequences? The developing world has the capacity to develop, but we need to break the chains of debt.

• Carrying the Burden Women make up 70% of the world's poor and suffer the sharp end of the debt crisis. YWCA share ideas on how to get women's organisations involved in the campaign.

• The power of the union. Trade unions are vital in the struggle against poverty and debt in the South. Find out why and what northern trade unions can do to support them.

• The Guardian Newspaper publicly backed the Jubilee 2000 campaign in May under the title “The New Slavery.” As part of their support, they ran a week long series of articles on debt and its impact culminating in a special report. These articles have been put on their website which will continue to be updated. They also have a quiz, a lively bulletin board and facts page.

• Jubilee 2000 Bulletin Board is your chance to share your views and ideas on policy and campaigning issues with Jubilee 2000 campaigners from around the world. Join the debate.

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