Time for Action for Africa's Future

[Jamila]

This is the month, folks. There will be much information on efforts to put pressure on the G8 leaders to keep their promises which they have made to assist Africa out of her current situation.

I can't express adequately in words just HOW IMPORTANT our pressure on these world leaders can really lead to an improvement in the lives of MILLIONS of the world's poorest people.

So, to get this month started, here are some things that YOU CAN DO to help:





Jubilee USA UPDATE
June 1, 2005
www.jubileeusa.org

With just five weeks to go before the G-8 summit begins on July 6 in
Gleneagles, Scotland, we need your help to make our final push to
achieve a
bold deal on debt this summer.

Though signs have been disappointing in recent months with IMF debt
cancellation looking less certain and fewer countries being considered,
we
must keep the pressure on our government and the rest of the G-8 in the
critical next 5 weeks, while we build our movement for the long-term to
achieve our full vision.

This edition of Jubilee USA Update is full of ways you can take action
with
your community, your congregation, your friends and co-workers in
support of
debt cancellation. Please forward this alert broadly to friends,
colleagues,
and listserves! Look for more frequent updates in the 5 weeks ahead and
check back at www.jubileeusa.org often!

BELOW:
1) 5 Ways to Take Action with 5 Weeks Left Before the G-8 Summit
2) News: World Council of Churches Calls for IMF & World Bank to Sell
Gold
Reserves to Balance World Debt
3) Jubilee USA Drop the Debt Newsletter Summer 2005 edition is out!
4) Donate Now to support Jubilee USA Network

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1) 5 Ways to Take Action with 5 Weeks Left Before the G-8 Summit

There are 5 ways you, your friends, and your co-workers can support
Jubilee
USA in our call for a bold deal on debt at the G-8 Summit:

1. CALL IN to the Treasury Department on June 7 and to the White House
on
June 29! Ask Treasury Secretary Snow and President Bush to support
100%
debt cancellation for all impoverished nations, including IMF debt. See
www.jubileeusa.org for more detail, phone numbers, and talking points.

Also join with Catholic Relief Services and others in a call-in day on
June
2. See http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/international/debt6205.htm for
information
on June 2.

2 . SEND A POSTCARD. Join in our “Wipe out Debt in 2005” postcard
campaign:
President Bush and Secretary Snow need to get your message on debt. You
can:
* Order colorful postcards to get signed. Email
coord@jubileeusa.org to
order.
* Sign a postcard on-line at www.jubileeusa.org.
* Download a pdf version of the cards and print them out yourself.
Please return the cards to our office by June 25th. We will deliver
them to
the White House on June 29!
* AFSC is also collecting signatures on an on-line petition to
Snow:

http://www.afsc.org/africa/new-africa/activism/Action-Snow-Letter.htm

3. WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OR OP-ED. Writing a letter to the
editor is
easy, and letters are an effective tool to reach people in your
community as
well as decision-makers with our message. Visit www.jubileeusa.org for
tips
and samples of an effective Op-Ed or letter to the editor.

4. TELL NEWMONT MINING COMPANY TO STOP BLOCKING A DEAL ON DEBT.
Colorado-based Newmont along with other gold companies and trade
associations are using their influence in Congress and with the
administration to block a deal on limited use of IMF gold to finance
IMF
debt cancellation. See www.jubileeusa.org for links to resources to
take
action on Newmont beginning on June 2.

5. STAGE A LOCAL ACTION OR EDUCATIONAL EVENT. You could organize a
viewing
of Life and Debt, stage a teach-in, or organize kids in a community or
church summer camp to do street theatre and draw local attention to the
debt
and the G8 summit. Contact Jakeya Caruthers at jakeya@jubileeusa.org
for
more summer action ideas!

See www.jubileeusa.org for a flyer highlighting the top 5 ways you can
take
action in the 5 weeks before the G-8 Summit!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

2) News: World Council of Churches Calls for IMF & World Bank to Sell
Gold
Reserves to Balance World Debt

Christian Today, Saturday, May 28 , 2005,

The world’s largest ecumenical body of churches urged the G8 nations to
cancel debts for poor countries and help reduce poverty by promoting an
economy of sharing and justice, in a letter sent to UK Prime Minister
Tony
Blair ahead of the next G8 meeting in July.

"Life in dignity for all in just and sustainable communities is the
framework that has determined the ecumenical vision," the World Council
of
Churches (WCC)’s General Secretary, Samuel Kobia, wrote. "We are
convinced
that such a vision can become a reality only when economic, financial
and
ecological justice is addressed holistically, with democratic
participation
of all, at all levels."

The letter, sent in late May, encouraged G8 members to "cancel 100% of
illegitimate debts for poor countries," and suggested the IMF and World
Bank
could sell their gold reserves to help balance out the debt. The letter
also
said the banks in the North should return "stolen wealth" from the
global
South.

On trade, Kobia said poor countries should be given the right to
protect
their agricultural sector and encouraged developed countries to
eliminate
trade subsidies to even out the competitive field.

The following is the full text of Kobia’s statement, as released by the
WCC:
http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesen.nsf/index/pr-05-31.html

Other recent news on debt includes:

Mark Engler, “Debt Cancellation: Historic Victories, New Challenges,”
Foreign Policy in Focus, May 2005
http://www.fpif.org/papers/0505debt.html

Gumisai Mutume, “New Urgency for Cancelling Africa’s Debt,” Africa
Renewal
(UN), April 2005
http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol19no1/191debt.htm

New Jubilee USA Fact Sheet on Debt Cancellation, the IMF, and Gold
Sales
http://www.jubileeusa.org/press_room/g8factsheet.pdf

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

3) Summer 2005 Jubilee USA Newsletter is out!

This month’s edition features in-depth reports and analysis on the
current
status of debt cancellation efforts within the G-8, a report from the
April-May 2005 Global Connections Tour, an update on the JUBILEE Act,
reports from Jubilee’s efforts in March and April at the spring
meetings of
the IMF/World Bank, and news article on the status of debt and debt
cancellation initiatives in Nigeria.

See www.jubileeusa.org for a downloadable, PDF version of the
newsletter.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

4) Donate today to Jubilee USA Network

We are on the threshold of a significant step forward on debt. For the
first
time, the Group of Eight (G-8) wealthy nations has agreed in principle
to
100% debt cancellation for a number of
impoverished countries. And Jubilee continues to work toward this and
other
victories!

 

[Sherry Darling]

Jamila! Thanks so much for posting this. I was jsut getting ready to. Guys, I know how typical it is for these action alerts to say "the time is now", "this is it, let's go"

But seriously, as someone who is a member of the Jubilee Network Council, as the coordinator of Jubilee VA, I follow this issue closely. And there has never, ever been a better shot at seeing teh debt dropped.

Please call. If you only make one call to your reps on this, this is it!

As always, feel free to contact me here with questions.

And while we're on the subject, hey Starsgoblue: did you ever get that meeting set up with your rep? How'd it go?

 

[coemgen]

Thanks for the post Jamila!

God bless

 

[starsgoblue]

And while we're on the subject, hey Starsgoblue: did you ever get that meeting set up with your rep? How'd it go?

I was actually going to email you....I had originally called to request a meeting and was told I had to do so in writing--which I did. I just called yesterday to see what was up and the woman there said they'd never recieved a letter. I am really curious how a letter that I specifically dropped off at the post office never got there. Now I was told I have to write yet another letter, that I couldn't set up a meeting through a phone call....I'm sending another letter today, that's attached to 20 constituent signatures of people in the area that agree with me. I'm not going away!

 

[Sherry Darling]

Now THAT, my friends, is an angel. You still have my contact info and the info I sent you about Jubilee? They're there to help you with this stuff. No need to reinvent wheels.

Peace and blessings, hon!

 

[redkat]

Thanks for the post

 

[starsgoblue]

Yea I still have Jubillee's contact info...I also have a person from DATA personally helping me out with this as well. Let's just hope the letter actually gets there this time, I am really curious about the fate of the last one.

Thank you for the encouragement!

 

[VertigoGal]

i signed the One campaign and had my friends sign it...was wondering if any of you had information as to how many people have signed so far? (you seem to be pretty involved )

i think this is a great way to get involved, along with writing letters to senators and representatives. especially for people my age as we're trying to save money for college and often feel that donating such minimal amounts makes little difference. this is a good approach, and i hope it's taken seriously.

 

[starsgoblue]

Somewhere close to, near, or around 750K....last time I heard.

 

[Teta040]

Hey Stars: I suspect some foul play here. They're trying to duck and run, your'e dangerous to them and they want to try and get rid of you.

Here's a trick. Have go to the Governor's's office and try to physically hand-deliver a letter in person, and have a digital camera or some recording device wired on you so you can document that he/she got it. If they make excuses again, contact the local media. Better yet, contact the local media and have them do a front-page writeup in the biggest local paper (I'm sure you can find SOME way to win over a sympathetic editor..ESP if you live in a state where the evangelicals are particularily active and you maker them aware of this and your frustrated efforts.) Or maybe find a local media figure who is sympathetic to the officals' views, that runs favorable stories on them, and win THEM over. That way, they don'thave a media outlet to run negative stories on you. (such as this "White band" nonsense. I still wear mine. And if someone asks me about "slave labor", I'll tell them if you've bought a toy or clothes or anything made of plastic, then you've bought slave labor, b/c pretty much EVERYTHING is made in China these days, and the way to fight this is to contact your Congressman and urge them to hold China accountable. And furthermore, 100 yrs ago your great-grandma was the slave laborer in the tenement, what if people hadn't bought "American" back then? Whre would YOU be? So there.)

Hey, if they try chicanery, show them you're savvy too. Maybe we should start taking "Bono lessons'?

As for me...Maybe I should do his too, but I'm too shy, I guess. I have made a dozens of copies of my pamphlet from the concert and have been posting it at bus-stops, downton bulletin boards, campus bulletin boards, etc. I even stuck a "ONE" ad on a Pepsi 'Oneness" ad..you've seen the ones....

 

[Jamila]

I agree with Teta040 - the best way to get anything done with an elected official and/or their office is to hand deliver it in person or send it certified/priority mail so that you can track it.

Back in March, a coalition of local AIDS organizations and reps from Global AIDS organizations (moi included) met with the office staff of our newly elected Congressional Representative to share our views on AIDS funding and to hear theirs.

And I agree with stars - The ONE Campaign is nearing the 1,000,000 mark but still has a slight way to go.

And it's always good to have more than a million signatures on the petition by the G8 meeting.

So everyone needs to SIGN UP FOR THE ONE CAMPAIGN NOW - you will save lives if you do.

Thanks everyone for the positive vibes!

 

[starsgoblue]

Yes, I am getting a delivery confirmation on this second letter. The more I think about it I feel something went wrong with it somewhere because I personally mailed the letter from the post office. It's a terrible thing to think that someone may have tried to dodge this, not to say the Congresswoman personally had any responsiblity, but honestly how does a a 8 X 11 manila envelope get lost from the PO to downtown?

But then again, she should be scared---she works for me.

 

[Teta040]

Stars, they DO work for us. At least, that's what they tell us. I think most of us have gotten too complacent and are happy to have them looking out for our best interests. *COUGH* In the end, they are really whatever creature we tell them to be. If we tell them nothing, they'll do as they wish. And if their wish isn't yours, too bad.

LOL....your footer is..um..distracting, BTW Was that you perchance?
And to think, 10 days ago I stood 2 feet away from the man....*sigh*

T's mind starts "moving in mysterious ways"

And thanks Jamila for agreeing with me. I haven't forogtten that thread a few days ago...

 

[starsgoblue]

I WISH! I'm just as cute as she is! He totally should!

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

You girls rock for doing so much.

I've sent the letters out to my friends and family, and bought the wristbands, but there's so much more I could be doing...

 

[starsgoblue]

I'm actually writing a letter for my editor sometime tonight or early tommorow, I've no problem having you guys use it to send to yours, I'll send anyone a copy: just print and stuff in an envelope.

 

[Jamila]

OK EVERYONE, this should motivate all of us even more:



Politics and Policy | President Bush Restates Opposition to Doubling Aid to Africa in Advance of G8 Meeting
[Jun 02, 2005]
President Bush on Wednesday restated his opposition to doubling the United States' financial aid commitment to Africa in advance of the Group of Eight industrialized nations meeting in Scotland next month, the New York Times reports. Bush was meeting with South African President Thabo Mbeki at the White House as part of Mbeki's two-week campaign to speak with G8 leaders about Britain's proposed International Finance Facility, which would frontload development aid to help Africa meet the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (Becker/Sanger, New York Times, 6/2). U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown at a February meeting of the Group of Seven industrialized nations proposed increasing aid to developing nations to $100 billion annually through the finance facility. Brown has said that more than 50 countries have expressed support for the initiative, although the United States so far has failed to fully endorse the plan. Although the Bush administration supports 100% debt cancellation for the world's poorest countries, the United States does not support the U.K. plan to raise funds for poverty alleviation, according to U.S. Treasury Undersecretary John Taylor (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 4/18). During Wednesday's meeting, Bush said that doubling the U.S. contribution to Africa "doesn't fit our budgetary process." Mbeki -- who is urging wealthy nations to "choose their own ways to help" Africa -- said that the European Union is considering a new tax to finance Britain's initiative. "I am absolutely certain President Bush is willing to commit whatever is required," he added. However, because British Prime Minister Tony Blair has received opposition over the plan from Germany and Italy, Bush's opposition could "doom the effort" at the G8 meeting in July, according to the Times (New York Times, 6/2).


Imagine how Bono must feel about this news - let alone the thousands of Africans who will lose their lives because of Bush's stance on increased assistance to help them.

WE GET TO CARRY EACH OTHER....

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

I'm actually writing a letter for my editor sometime tonight or early tommorow, I've no problem having you guys use it to send to yours, I'll send anyone a copy: just print and stuff in an envelope.

 

[starsgoblue]

Although the Bush administration supports 100% debt cancellation for the world's poorest countries

*cough*bullshit*cough*


Very saddening to hear...

 

[phanan]

During Wednesday's meeting, Bush said that doubling the U.S. contribution to Africa "doesn't fit our budgetary process."

That is the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard.

 

[starsgoblue]

We've money for war. And none for peace....

 

[Teta040]

And what galls me is, he actually said this point-blank to an African head of state who had specifically flown to the US for that purpose. What most decent people do is make a polite hem and haw and say, "Welll, maybe, we'll consider it" and then come out 2 weeks later at the G-8 and THEN say no. Taht's what most diplomats and heads of state do, it;s the courteous thing. You could argue that Bush was being honest and not sneaky about it, but you can damed well bet that if whole parts of even the FRENCH countryside were being lost to AIDS he'd be a bit more polite and respectful. There was, IMO< as much racism as anything else in that comment. It meant, in plain English:

"AN AFRICAN LIFE IS WORTH NOTHING."

What DOES git our budget? We can pull $80 bil out of a hat in one year, for war...but not a measly 15 bil over 5, for this.

There's an interesting article in this weeks' TIME about a small town in Arkansas where both the mayor and police chief recently got back from serving in Iraq (!)and came back with very different views about the war. The biggest revelation for the mayor was how much money is just being THROWN AWAY like water over there, for things that keep getting blown up by insurgents. Whereas the town's water supply infrastructure was falling apart and he was haivng trouble getting the state funds necessary to repair it. Let me see if I can find a link...

(back in a sec)

Oh wow..no need for link. It's right on their homepage. Go to time.com and it's "Finding the Way Home".

Now we know why Bonois schmoozing Condi. He;s decided it's hopless to get through to Bush directly, so no more photo-ops. Condi has Bush's intellectual ear, so he's trying to get tohim through her....

 

[starsgoblue]

You know what part of Hotel Rwanda sticks with me the most? The part where Nick Nolte's character is upset and trying to explain to Cheagle's character why nobody is doing anything to help, where he says, "You're black, Paul. You 'aint French. You 'aint Belgian. You 'aint American. You're African. You aren't even a n----"

It's rascism all right, a very insidious kind.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Appalling.


I still need to see Hotel Rwanda, btw.

 

[starsgoblue]

You really should. Just have a box of Kleenex handy. I cried on and off for over a hour after I saw it.

 

[Teta040]

I recall Bono telling a journalist that a European PM told him the same thing, in so many words.

Well..the time is coming when WE mayhave to suffer for our silence..in one way or the other. I refer to Bono's maxim that poverty breeds extremism..if not terrorism. The other day, a journalist in the NY Times worte an article saying "141 days." as in 141 daysof the genocide in Darfur and we are doing nothing...6 months from now, when half the place is #*$$ dead we'll just say, "Oh, just another tribal bloodbath." *YAWN*.

Have your read Jared Diamond's new book "Collapse"? It s the sequal to his Pulitzer-Prize winning "Guns, Germs and Steel." He had a chapter on Rwanda and the most interesting thing he said was that there was a part of Rwanda where Hutu killed Hutu, with no provocation whatsoever. He linked it to environmental factors. How could it be a tribal bloodbath if the same people were killing each other?

Sorry, this is getting OT. But I can't help seeing how this blase attitude is the same for SO MANY problems. I'm hijacking Jamila's thread Let's get back to constructive commentary about the crisis now.

 

[Teta040]

I haven't seen Hotel Rwanda either.

Anything to do with genocide and atrocities freaks me out. Movies, I mean. I had to persuade my self for a week to see Schindler's List in the theater, which I felt it was my moral duty to do.

Maybe b/c I'm ethnicaly half Armenian, close to that side of the family, and know the whole family history, I have it on tape, I interviwed my grandpa and he remembered EVERYTHING, like it was yesterday, even though he was 7 at the time. It took some 20 yrs or so for him to open up and finally talk about it, and he cried during some parts. We lost some 70% of the family in 1915...shot, frozen, and starved to death. And worse. Atom Egoyan would have a field day with my famiy's story.

When Bono talks about the Irish being sensitive to famines in Africa etc b/c of Irish history, I relate. I'm sensitive to this kind of stuff b/c of MY family history. I should maybe mention my other half is..Irish Catholic

OK..I'll shut up about this! I PROMISE!!!

 

[Liesje]

Although the Bush administration supports 100% debt cancellation for the world's poorest countries, the United States does not support the U.K. plan to raise funds for poverty alleviation, according to U.S. Treasury Undersecretary John Taylor (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 4/18). During Wednesday's meeting, Bush said that doubling the U.S. contribution to Africa "doesn't fit our budgetary process." Mbeki -- who is urging wealthy nations to "choose their own ways to help" Africa -- said that the European Union is considering a new tax to finance Britain's initiative.

OK, people, I know we all hate Bush (yes, I do to), but lets look at this one more time for what it is (at least according to this article)...

- 100% debt cancellation is THE BEST way to handle this problem. It is the best first step, which apparently the Bush admin supports (I'm not going to go into whether or not this is just all talk...but just taking this article for what it is)

- the part about the US not being able to double funds comes from the Treasury, as it says so right there. So Bush said it, yeah, but that's not exactly his call and his call only to make

- I like this new tax idea. This isn't true for the people here, but for a lot of my family and friends, it takes a blockbuster hit like Hotel Rwanda to get them to even acknowledge that there IS another half to our world out there. Some light taxation might be just what we need to kick some arse into gear.

 

[ClaytonMan]

http://forum.interference.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=2496870#post2496870

Check this out, Hinders the plans slightly

 

[Jamila]

Here is a great piece on what the U.K. proposes to help Africa. It's much different from the Bush administration's plans.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4606197.stm


UK pushing for Africa debt plan

Gordon Brown is worried that time is running out for Africa
The UK Chancellor Gordon Brown has put forward a bold plan to tackle poverty in Africa ahead of the G8 Summit of rich countries in Scotland next month.
He called for a doubling of European aid by 2010 and 100% debt relief, as well as an end to many trade subsidies.

But the plan is facing opposition in the US - and particularly from President George W Bush.

Mr Bush's stance sets up a possible clash with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, due in Washington next week.

Mr Bush said on Wednesday that a key part of the plan did not fit with the US budget process.

The UK is pushing hard for major debt relief and a doubling of aid to Africa, and Chancellor Gordon Brown laid out a set of ambitious plans on Friday.

This is not a time for timidity nor a time to fear reaching too high


Brown waives Live 8 VAT

The UK has said that 2005 is a vital year for Africa, and argues that without significantly more money the United Nations' Millennium Goal of halving world poverty by 2015 will be impossible to meet.

The UK is one of six European nations who have pledged to increase their aid target to 0.7% of GDP by that year, a figure which only five countries have managed to reach so far.

However the US has said that the target is not a realistic one for it to work towards.

US Treasury spokesman Tony Fratto told BBC's Newsnight programme: "The problem at looking at targets of 0.7% of GDP is that when people focus on numbers like that they don't know what they are talking about in nominal terms.

"They don't know how much money is available and how much money is in the pipeline."

'Doesn't fit'

Speaking in Edinburgh, Mr Brown said he would present the new British proposals to the leaders of the G8 summit next month, to the European Union, and the UN.

As well as 100% debt relief, Mr Brown wants to set up an International Finance Facility (IFF) to double development aid to Africa in order to pay for education and medical programmes like mass immunisation.

BROWN'S FOUR-POINT PLAN FOR AFRICA
100% debt relief to pay for education and health
Launch International Finance Facility for Immunisation
Large increase in direct development aid, doubling of aid from European countries
Removal of export subsidies and all trade-distorting support to agriculture, which work against producers in the developing world
Source: Chancellor Gordon Brown, 3 June speech




He also said that the EU would double its own aid to $80bn a year by 2010.

But the US remains concerned that the UK is proposing that the debt plans should be financed in part by selling gold reserves held by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

A surge in the price of gold has boosted the value of the reserve, and the UK wants to use that extra cash.

The US - along with some other countries including Japan, Germany and Italy - has never been keen on the idea of selling IMF gold.

Washington has also raised questions over the IFF, which would allow developing countries to borrow against future aid pledges.

Mr Bush said on Wednesday that the IFF for Africa "doesn't fit our budgetary process".

The US has already pledged to increase development aid through its own Millennium Challenge Account, but little of the money has been spent so far.

Getting closer

Analysts say the war in Iraq and its related costs have pushed Africa off the US agenda, and think a change in priorities is unlikely.

"What the UK is proposing is not a cost-free policy," said Marina Ottoway, a senior associate at Carnegie Endowment in Washington. "Africa has not really had much of a constituency in the US."


President Bush is more focused on Iraq than Africa, analysts said

According to Reuters, UK government sources have been talking about pressing ahead even without US involvement.

Even that may prove difficult, Ms Ottoway explained, since agreements with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are multilateral and any changes would therefore require US backing.

Similar strictures apply to the trade agreements, and the European Union is unlikely to drop subsidies unless the US does the same, she said.

Mr Brown played down reports of a rift or stand-off between the UK and the US.

"In my talks over the last few months, but particularly over the last day or two, with the US Treasury Secretary, we believe that there is common ground on securing that debt relief," he explained.

"We believe it is going to be possible to reach an agreement on debt relief."

"This is not a time for timidity nor a time to fear reaching too high."