Coalition Roundup

There will certainly be no let up in pressure for debt cancellation from many of Jubilee 2000's Coalition Organisations. Here are some of their plans for the coming year and beyond.

Jubilee 2000 Welsh Coalition has decided to carry on until Genoa. In autumn 2000 local coalitions organised meetings to discuss the outcomes of Okinawa and Prague, and the future of debt campaigning in Wales. The level of continued commitment has been extraordinary - out of all our existing local coalitions only one is calling it a day at the end of 2000. Meanwhile, however, debt campaigners in Pembrokeshire, who have been active all this year, decided to formally form a local coalition - a good sign indeed that people are still burning to tackle the debt issue. For more information about Welsh activities, contact Ben Gregory on 01286 882359 or benica@gn.apc.org .

Jubilee 2000 Scottish Coalition will wind up at the end of this year. However, something bold, new and exciting will take its place! The feeling at our wind up conference, Whose Debt is it Now? - attended by about 250 people - was unanimous: until the debt is cancelled, people in Scotland must continue campaigning. The question of how exactly to do this achieved less unanimity, but ideas and proposals have been discussed online and by a working group. For details visit , call 0131 225 4321 or info@J2000Scot.org for details.

Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) (020 7833 3133) will continue to campaign for cancellation of the apartheid caused debts of Southern African countries. Along with partner organisations in the European Network for Information and Action on Southern Africa (ENIASA) we will be co-ordinating campaign actions in the lead up to crucial debt decisions throughout 2001. We will also continue with country-specific research, initially on Zambia and Zimbabwe, to follow on from our briefing paper on Mozambique. www.actsa.org .

CAFOD (020 7733 7900) will continue debt campaigning until the unpayable debt has been cancelled. CAFOD has a current debt action targeted at the Italian prime minister and Italian embassy in London. We are calling on CAFOD campaigners to go to Genoa in July and we will facilitate their planning. We will also highlight debt as part of our UK Election campaign with other agencies. We have grafted our debt campaigning onto our new Trade Campaign. We will continue our email actions on debt as well as trade. For campaign materials contact the Campaign office at CAFOD Brixton or any CAFOD regional office, visit www.cafod.org.uk or email campaign@cafod.org.uk .

Christian Aid (020 7523 2225) has produced postcards to send to the Italian Prime Minister and Italian embassies in London and Dublin. They remind the Italian government that while world leaders feasted at the last G8 summit the poor were starved of debt cancellation, and call on them to start negotiations to ensure that the Genoa summit results in a new deal on debt. Christian Aid will also be producing new resources in 2001 to help campaigners focus their efforts towards Genoa. Phone to order Italy postcards, or to join our campaigns mailing list and receive all new debt materials (and materials for our new campaign on trade rules too). www.christian-aid.org.uk .

Medact (020 7272 2020) will continue with its "Debt Relief: the best medicine for the world's poor" campaign in the run-up to the next G7 Summit and highlight the ongoing problems for health the debt burden causes. We are also publishing studies on the impacts of economic and health sector reforms in developing countries. Contact info@medact.org or www.medact.org .

Mothers' Union (020 7222 5533) will continue to support members and our communities in the South, who are directly affected by debt, and members in the North who wish to continue campaigning. Plans will include supporting Genoa action and enabling dialogue between women in the South and North and IMF/WB. Finally the MU is seeking to build the capacity of southern women to contribute, as members of civil society, in the production of Country Poverty Reduction and Growth strategy papers. www.themothersunion.org

The National Federation of Women's Institutes (020 7371 9300), in pursuit of our 1975 Resolution calling for more even distribution of resources in the world and our 1997 Resolution in support of Agenda 21, will work to tackle the root causes of poverty and environmental degradation. Challenging debt and an unjust system of trade rules will be an important area in the run-up to Earth Summit III in 2002. For more information, contact Ben Savill, Research & Campaigns Officer by phone, e-mail publicaffairs@nfwi.org.uk or visit www.womens-institute.org.uk

OneWorld (www.oneworld.net), the world's leading internet portal on global justice, is launching DebtChannel.org, linking up over the internet 50 other organisations working on debt. DebtChannel.org will be the international gateway to debt and related issues for those with internet access. For the first time, everyone interested in debt will have one place to go on the web to access the information a multitude of organisations provide as well as to connect and network with other organisations and individuals. Importantly, it will be edited from OneWorld Africa in Zambia. The 'gatekeepers' for debt information will therefore be closer to this issue than ever. Join online at www.DebtChannel.org .

Oxfam (01865 312610) is continuing its debt campaign through highlighting debt issues in the build-up to the UK general election, and through calling for debt relief to enable access to free basic education. As part election lobbying we will raise the issues with sitting MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates and through local and national media. Quicker and deeper debt relief, to provide resources for education and health, will also remain part of the Education Now campaign, particularly in the run up to the IMF/World Bank spring meetings in April 2001. For further details please phone or visit www.oxfam.org.uk .

People and Planet (01865 245 678) the national student network which aims to end world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment, will continue to support campaigning for cancellation of third world debt on campus. Please visit www.peopleandplanet.org for more details.

Tearfund's (0845 355 8355) debt advocacy strategy for the next 3 years includes active participation in the activities of the various co-ordinating groups continuing the work of Jubilee 2000 in the UK; campaigning for immediate and deeper debt cancellation alongside Drop the Debt, through Tearfund's Global Action Network campaigners publication; publishing a guide for international partners on involvement in civil society processes in support of debt relief and poverty reduction. A major article in the next edition of Tear Times will be backed up by a booklet of Christian reflection on Jubilee and the debt campaign. Tearfund can be contacted by phone or via web site www.tearfund.org

World Development Movement (020 7737 6215) campaigns for economic justice for the world's poor. Through our national network of groups and supporters, we have campaigned for an end to the injustice of debt for 15 years. As a founder member of the Jubilee 2000 coalition we are delighted by the impact of the campaign. However, we realise it is not over yet. WDM is therefore committed to continue working, in co-ordination with others, on the debt campaign. Throughout 2001 we will produce campaign actions, lobby decision-makers, and research the issues. The G7 meeting in Genoa will be our prime focus, but we will not let the World Bank and International Monetary Fund off the hook either. www.wdm.org.uk

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) will continue to campaign for economic justice, seeking to inform through seminars, training sessions and publications. A main part of WILPF's current programme is to prepare for the World Conference against Racism which is to take place in South Africa in 2001. There is a strong link between racism and poverty. At a Jubilee 2000 conference Susan George related debt to colonialism, explaining that debt is not about money but about power: a way of keeping former colonies in subjection.