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JUBILEE-ZAMBIA INTENSIFIES CAMPAIGN ON TRADE JUSTICE 20 November 2006 In 1998, several faith based groups, women, youth, economic and social justice organizations in Zambia backed by the three Church Mother Bodies in Zambia, namely Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) launched the Jubilee -2000 Debt cancellation campaign. In the wake of the success of the campaign i.e. the attainment of debt cancellation, Jubilee Zambia steps up its efforts to advocate for trade justice in domestic and international trade arrangements as one major way of avoiding future debt traps. At a Public Forum held at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka on Tuesday evening, 21 November 2006, representatives of the EFZ, ZEC and CCZ again endorse the continuation of the Jubilee-Zambia campaign through a joint statement but this time to promote trade justice. This joint statement links the biblical jubilee call to economic justice to the need to avoid future debt traps and to promote trade that benefits the poor. While the Jubilee-Zambia is pleased that the large-scale debt cancellation has succeeded, it recognizes the necessity for Zambians to join hands again in unveiling the root causes of the past debt burden and campaign for their elimination unfair. Nachilala Nkombo, Coordinator of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) Debt and Trade Project says, “Weak legal requirements for acquiring, using and managing loans as well as unfair international trade rules are some of the structures that caused the huge debt and kept it high”. The new phase of the Jubilee campaign will not only call for debt relief resources to substantially expand budget allocations to social sectors such as education and health, and to productive sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing, but will largely call on government to strengthen laws relating to contraction and management of new debts and for fairness in trade arrangements. To raise accountability and transparency necessary in loan management there is need for these legislative changes to assure that no new debts are contracted without involvement of Parliament and wider monitoring of their composition and implications by the public. On free trade, Nkombo notes that “Free trade can only be beneficial if it is just trade – that is, benefiting the poor of Zambia!” Sustainable poverty eradication in the country will not be possible without close monitoring of the social and economic impacts of types of trade relationships at domestic, regional and international levels. That is why the Church Mother Bodies CCZ, EFZ and ZEC are calling upon all Zambians to back the campaign for fair trade. In an open free market system like ours, without clear rules and regulations to ensure equity, the weaker and poor stand to suffer as they remain excluded. Muyatwa Sitali, Project Assistant in the Debt and Trade project called upon every Zambian to maintain the spirit of the Jubilee campaign and be involved in the campaign against unfair trade rules. He urged government and other trading partners to have special consideration and deliberate preference for the marginalized, the poor, small scale producers and weaker partners in all investment contracts and trade negotiations. This is one way to empower Zambians and ensure equitable wealth creation.
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