
UPDATE ON THE CCJP/JCTR DEBT
PROJECT
JANUARY 2000
The following is a brief update of the CCJP/JCTR Debt Project
activities over the past several months.
The Jubilee 2000 Zambia Campaign is part of the CCJP/JCTR
Debt Project. The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) and the Jesuit Centre
for Theological Reflection (JCTR) co-operate on many issues of social justice and peace as
embodied in the church's social teachings.
Past Activities
- Launched a major Ecumenical effort comprising the Zambia
Episcopal Conference (ZEC), Christian Council of Zambia (CCZ) and the Evangelical
Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) to spearhead the Jubilee 2000 Campaign. In August 1998 these
church bodies published a special ecumenical letter calling for debt cancellation. The
Ecumenical Committee has been instrumental in information dissemination about Jubilee and
the debt related issues to their respective members.
- Held a major Jubilee 2000 National Event on 22 May 1999 in six
cities across Zambia (report is available).
- Presented 300,000 signatures to the G-7 leaders at the Cologne
Summit in June 1999.These signatures (45% of them from rural areas) were from Zambians
calling for total debt cancellation for the country.
- Gathered 4000 " postcards" and sent to IMF and World
Bank officials and donor representatives to petition cancellation for Zambia.
- Held a 1999 Briefing/Strategising meeting with local NGOs in
Zambia in August. The NGOs agreed on how they could fully involve themselves in the Debt
Project, especially on the role they would play as members of civil society in monitoring
freed resources from debt cancellation.
Co-sponsored in May 1999 a regional conference in Lusaka at
which African countries issued a declaration rejecting HIPC and ESAF and prepared a
"consensus" for the Cologne Summit.
Presented numerous newspaper, magazine, television, and radio
analyses on the Zambian debt situation, especially on the impact on the poor, and on the
call for debt cancellation.
Participated at the south-south summit in South Africa from 16
to 21 November. This was to draw stronger relations with nations in the south.
- Participated at the Eurodad seminar in order to assess the
likely impact of the current IMF/WB revelations
Present Activities
- Initiating debates in various secondary schools around Lusaka
to create awareness among pupils on the debt problem. The Debt Project is cooperating with
a Debate League to hold competitions for speakers on the debt issues.
- Working on a "Debt Management Mechanism" with a view
to putting in place a body which will be charged with the full responsibility of
monitoring debt cancellation and the direction of freed resources into poverty eradication
programmes.
- Continuing public education about debt issues and gathering
signatures for debt cancellation.
- Posting on our web site articles from the Debt Project and
circulating materials through e-mail.
- Co-operating with international partners of Jubilee 2000 to
gather support for Zambian debt cancellation.
Future Planned Activities
- Prepare educational materials in simple vernacular languages
in order to cover a wider section of the Zambian population.
- Prepare a Radio Drama, in vernacular languages, which will
tell the story also to rural communities in Zambia.
- Use simple and readable cartoons as a way of putting the debt
message across to the nation.
- Sponsor a conference at the start of 2000, to evaluate the
progress of the Jubilee 2000 campaign.
- Explore possibilities for local conferences outside Lusaka to
promote awareness and involvement across the country.
- Initiate research work on Zambia's apartheid caused debt.
Tuesday, January 04, 2000
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