FYI
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 21:33:39 -0800
From: Carol McRoberts <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [wa-afr] Religious Working Group Statement on WB/IMF
FYI
Subject: Re: [women-csd] Fwd: [socdev] Religious Working Group Statement on
WB/IMF
> [log in to unmask] 04:46 PM 1/2/01 EST, [log in to unmask] wrote:
> >
> >
> >Dr Minu Hemmati
> >UNED Forum
> >CSD NGO Women's Caucus
> >3 Whitehall Court
> >London SW1A 2EL
> >UK
> >Tel +44 207 8397171
> >Fax +44 207 9305893
> >Email [log in to unmask]
> >Web www.unedforum.org and www.earthsummit2002.org
> >
> >
> >
> >> >PLEASE DISTRIBUTE AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE
> >
> >Dear Friends,
> >
> >Following is a new statement from the Religious Working Group
> >on the World bank and IMF. As the Jubilee Year drew to a close
> >we felt it was important to reiterate our commitment to continue
> >working for the right relationships mandated by Jubilee,
> >especially in relation to the issues of debt and structural
> >adjustment programs which we have addressed for many years.
> >
> >We invite religious organizations and institutions and religious
> >leaders to endorse this statement. It will be used in ongoing
> >dialogue with the World Bank and IMF, with the new U.S.
> >Administration and Congress - and in other venues you find
> >appropriate!
> >
> >Please send your endorsement to the RWG (ogc@maryknoll) by
> >March 1, 2001.
> >
> >Thanks!
> >
> >In peace,
> >Marie Dennis
> >Chair, Religious Working Group on the World Bank and IMF
> >
> >Global Economic Policy and the Restoration of Right Relationships
> >A Statement of the Religious Working Group on the
> >World Bank and IMF
> >
> >(Endorsements may be sent to the RWG at P.O. Box 29132,
> >Washington DC 20017, [log in to unmask])
> >
> >Much has been said in the past few years about the need for a
> >Jubilee. Overwhelming evidence has pointed to grave deficiencies
> >of the global economy in protecting the dignity of millions of
> >people and providing for their most basic needs. One significant
> >expression of this concern has been the global effort to address
> >the crushing debt burden exacerbating this reality.
> >
> >But the moral trajectory of the Jubilee imperative goes way
> >beyond the cancellation of debt to emphasize the restoration of
> >right relationships among people (individuals, communities,
> >nations), between human beings and the rest of creation, and
> >between human beings and God. Our inability or unwillingness to
> >eradicate poverty or reach basic accord on how to protect the
> >integrity of creation -- and the ominous specter of pandemic
> >disease, especially among the most impoverished communities --
> >compel us as people of faith to probe more deeply the meaning of
> >right relationship in our own times. While we have taken a
> >significant first step toward debt cancellation, the pursuit of
> >right relationships requires that much more be done.
> >
> >The continuing existence of the crushing debt burden on poor
> >countries, the imposition of structural adjustment programs and
> >inappropriate roles played by the international financial
> >institutions:
> >
> >* result in a distorted and broken relationship between the
> >powerful, affluent nations and the developing countries of the
> >global South. This relationship is characterized by domination
> >rather than equal respect and mutuality. Creditor nations and
> >institutions continue to dictate the nature and terms of debt
> >relief. They require poor nations to make far-reaching economic
> >policy changes without the democratic consent of their people.
> >Indeed, officials* in creditor countries have openly expressed
> >that they want some debt burden to remain because it provides
> >leverage for maximizing control over the economic policies of
> >countries in the global South;
> >
> >* perpetuate a distorted relationship with creation the natural
> >environment. In order to earn the foreign-exchange needed to make
> >debt service payments, impoverished countries are forced to
> >pillage their own natural resources for export to the affluent
> >nations. Structural adjustment programs harm the environment by
> >placing an undue emphasis on exports, inducing unemployment and
> >forcing desperate people to try to farm increasingly marginal
> >land;
> >
> >* constitute a moral failing of the wealthy countries and lending
> >institutions, distorting their relationship with the Creator and
> >Sovereign of nations. The policy makers and citizens in affluent
> >countries are themselves deeply injured when they require people
> >living in misery to use for debt repayment the scarce financial
> >resources that impoverished people need for their own survival.
> >Their actions have the effect of denying education to children,
> >health care to entire families, and limit the resources available
> >to counter the spread of HIV/AIDS in impoverished countries. The
> >attempt to restructure the economies of other countries without
> >the approval of their people is an act of hubris that separates
> >us from the God of love and devastates our neighbors in need.
> >
> >In view of these broken relationships, it is not surprising that
> >the debt burden and the imposition of structural adjustment
> >programs have increased poverty, inequality and environmental
> >degradation in much of the global South.
> >
> >As religious leaders and people of faith, we are convinced that
> >the restoration of right relationships with others, creation and
> >the Creator requires ending the relationship of domination. This
> >in turn calls for a definitive cancellation of these crushing
> >debts, the termination of externally-mandated economic policy
> >prescriptions, and a transformation of the roles of the
> >international financial institutions. We urge the adoption of the
> >following specific steps:
> >
> >Cancel the Debt
> >
> >* Affluent creditor nations and international financial
> >institutions must immediately cease accepting debt payments from
> >the poorest countries
> >
> >*The international financial institutions, as well as bilateral
> >creditors, must cancel one hundred percent of the international
> >debts of the poorest countries.
> >
> >* Beyond this, creditors should cancel all debts of any
> >developing country which resulted from illegitimate, unjust
> >loans. Such loans, for example, are those made during the Cold
> >War period which served the self-interests of the lenders while
> >failing to benefit ordinary people in the borrowing countries.
> >
> >End Structural Adjustment Programs
> >
> >* Structural Adjustment Programs as currently constituted must
> >end and macro-economic policy conditions must cease to be
> >attached to debt cancellation
> >
> >* Any economic policy reforms must be chosen through the
> >democratic participation of the citizens of the reforming
> >countries, with special attention to the voices of the poor.
> >
> >Transform the International Financial Institutions
> >
> >* The IFIs must cease mandating, recommending or contracting with
> >debtor countries for economic reform programs that are not
> >developed, adopted and monitored through fully participatory,
> >transparent and democratic processes, involving all levels of
> >civil society within the implementing country.
> >
> >* The IFIs must make no policy recommendations without prior,
> >publicly available social and environmental impact assessments.
> >
> >* Processes, deliberations, decisions, draft documents and
> >documents of the International Financial Institutions must be
> >open and accessible to public scrutiny and accountability.
> >
> >* The IMF's gatekeeper role -- in which compliance with IMF
> >programs signals a country's presumed creditworthiness -- must
> >end.
> >
> >* Power within the international financial institutions must be
> >redistributed toward developing country governments.
> >
> >As people of faith with roots and partners in some of the world's
> >most impoverished communities, we are aware that these would be
> >but first steps to eradicate poverty and safeguard the
> >environment. A process of globalization is well underway about
> >which we are profoundly skeptical. Without significant
> >transformation of the assumptions, goals and rules shaping the
> >global economy, few, if any benefits of this process will accrue
> >to the most impoverished countries and communities.
> >
> >Time after time we have witnessed the disastrous impact on
> >marginal communities of decisions made in distant or disconnected
> >places. We see this happening once again as people in
> >increasingly centralized positions of power negotiate global
> >rules for trade and investment that place profit and growth
> >before human and environmental well-being.
> >
> >By our faith we are committed to protecting the dignity of each
> >human life and enhancing the integrity of creation. In our
> >reflections on jubilee we have renewed our determination to help
> >make right the unjust relationships between human beings,
> >societies and the rest of creation. We will evaluate all policy
> >proposals and decisions in this light.
> >
> >February 2001
> >
> >
>
>
> Partizans ([log in to unmask]@gn.apc.org)
>
>
>
>
>
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