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DEBATE
ON THE MODE OF ADOPTING THE CONSTITUTION SHOULD NOT BE SUBJECTED TO A
TRADEOFF December 2003
[The current debate on the mode of
adopting the Zambian constitution should not find expression in a
tradeoff between meeting people’s needs such as health and education
on one hand and the holding of a Constituent Assembly on the other.]
REALISTIC
ECONOMIC PROJECTIONS VITAL TO EFFECTIVE NATIONAL PLANNING:
November 2003
[“As
the nation proceeds with its new plans of formulating the national
budget under the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), two issues
to this important event need to be highlighted,” ]
POLITICS OF IMPROVING THE ECONOMY KEY TO FINDING SOLUTIONS TO
ZAMBIA’S PROBLEMS: October 2003
[The
longstanding need for focus on the national economy and improving standards
of living among the Zambian people should also be seen as a political issue
that every politician should be challenged to address beyond daily
rhetorical statements that the Zambian people have been subjected to.]
AUGUST
BASIC
NEEDS BASKET IS AT K1,014,500:September
2003
[According
to estimates of the cost of the Basic Needs Basket for the month of
August, the total cost of food and essential non-food items is
K1,014,500.
Food only, that is, mealie meal, beans, kapenta, vegetables,
bread, eggs, sugar, etc., is costing K367,700.
The cost of food only has gone up by K10,500 from the July cost
of K357,200.]
BASIC
NEEDS BASKET RECORDS LOW MEALIE MEAL PRICE, OTHER FOOD ITEMS REMAIN HIGH:
August 2003
["One of the key
benefits of focusing on agriculture, especially sustainable ways of maize
production in the Zambian context, is its positive impact on the cost of
living of all our citizens"]
HUMAN
INTEREST MUST BE AT THE CENTRE OF THE CURRENT PROBLEM OF BUDGET
OVERRUN: June 2003
["What
should be the guiding principles surrounding the proposals or
solutions to the anticipated problem of Zambia’s national
budget overrun?". This
is the question posed by the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection (JCTR) in light of the current problem and debate on
the anticipated national budget overrun]
JCTR
URGES FOR "FOOD ON THE TABLE" DISCUSSIONS TO BE AS KEY
AS POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS:
12 May 2003
[“The realm of politics has a strong bearing on
national resource allocation including food.”
This inevitably demonstrates the need to pay particular
attention also to economic issues surrounding people’s well
being, especially as it concerns households having access to
three meals a day, a situation which is presently lacking in
Zambia]
HOLISTIC
AND DECENTRALISED APPROACHES CRITICAL TO EFFICIENCY AND
EQUITY IN HEALTH SERVICES: 9
May 2003
[Holistic
and decentralized rather than sectoral and centralised
approaches are key to effective and equitable delivery of health
services in Zambia, observes the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection (JCTR).
This is the message of a major study released by JCTR on
09 May 2003]
JCTR
LINKS COST OF LIVING ISSUES WITH WAR IN IRAQ: 7 April
2003
[In the latest Basic Needs
Basket report for March 2003, a family of six in Lusaka requires
K400,050 to meet its needs of food only.
If other essential non-food items such as energy, wash
and bath soap, housing water, etc., are added to the cost of
food, the amount goes as high as K1,033,750.
“Indeed the cost of the Basic Needs Basket would even
be much higher if costs such as personal care, transport,
clothes, health and education were added,” says JCTR]
SALE
OF RAMCOZ TO J & W - JOINT PRESS RELEASE JCTR & CCJDP:
17 March 2003
[ As church-based organisations concerned about social
justice, we are greatly apprehensive about the lack of
information regarding the announced sale of RAMCOZ to J&W
Investment of Switzerland. Concerns we are getting from many
people is that they would like to have much more information
regarding the mining experience that J&W Investment of
Switzerland has.]
Churches
says no to war in Iraq!
will
the United States Listen?
16
March 2003
[Amidst all the military and
political movements building up toward a tragic war in Iraq, one
voice has remained consistently loud, clear and courageous.
This is the voice of religious leaders around the world,
and in particular, the Catholic Church lead by Pope John Paul
II. The religious
leaders are saying very sharply NO to the legitimacy of war.]
Government
must resolve threats of current work stoppages justly 4
March 2003
[The
threats of work stoppages prevailing in the country today must
be resolved in ways that take care of the needs of both the
employees and the employers.
“This essential two-way relationship, has on many
occasions in the Zambian context not been beneficial to the
employees.”]
People's
Hardships Hightened: Basic Needs coast a million: 10 February 2003
[ In
the midst of widespread human deprivations, cost of living for a
family of six in Lusaka shows a sharp increase beyond
reach of many households leading to acute and widespread
hardships, observes the Economic and Social Development Research
Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR)]
JCTR
calls upon Parliament to make up for serious inadequacies in
proposed 2003 budget: 5 February 2003
[The
ever-rising cost of living, huge external debt burden and
challenges of effective poverty reduction have not been
adequately addressed in the proposed 2003 national budget, says
the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
Parliament must act to remedy this unacceptable
situation.]
JCTR
says that some critical areas relating to Zambia's development
are inadequately tackled in the 2003 budget: 5 February
2003
[The
challenges of poverty reduction, huge external debt burden and
the ever-rising cost of living have not been adequately
addressed by the 2003 national budget, says the Jesuit Centre
for Theological Reflection (JCTR)]
Year
2002 Characterised by disturbing Social Challenges:
31 December 2002
[The
last twelve months of 2002 have seen a serious deterioration in
the social conditions of most Zambian people, says the Economic
and Social Development Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection (JCTR)]
More
efforts needed at addressing Zambia's imminent deeper social
crisis:
2 December 2002
[Zambia
has a vast potential in almost all sectors to advance the
quality of life of its people.
We need not and should not be
facing the current socio-economic problems of hunger, loss of
value of the Kwacha, high cost of living, etc. says the Jesuit
Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR)]
An
all-time high cost of Living in Lusaka:
5 November 2002
[The prevailing situation of cost of living in
Lusaka today requires that a family of six spends K836,550 to
meet its basic needs, says the Economic and Social Development
Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR)]
Food
costing K326,500: JCTR says current political debates
should also address social-economic realities: 30th
September 2002
[The current focus of political
debates in the country has distracted the critical question of
looking at the needs of the people, observes the Economic and
Social Development Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection (JCTR)]
Government
commended by KATC and
JCTR for clear GMO stand: 21st August 2002
[The
Government of Zambia is to be strongly commended for its clear
and far-reaching decision to reject the importation of GMO
maize, according to two church-related NGOs that have been
closely involved in the public debate.]
JCTR
says finding current and future sustainable solutions to
food crisis imperative:
7th August 2002
[The
current food crisis situation in Zambia -- marked by discussions
about GMOs, hunger, winter irrigation, etc. -- requires
sustainable solutions, observes the Economic and Social
Development Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection (JCTR).]
Zambia
should not be pushed into accepting GMO maize:
Overall
impact on Agricultural sector must be examined:
29th July 2002
[The challenge of balancing short term food problems with
long term agricultural problems is an urgent concern for Zambia
today.
Government is acting wisely and courageously in the face
of this challenge by slowing down its acceptance of GMO maize,
say two Zambian organizations concerned with poverty and
agricultural issues.]
Consultative
group meeting challenged by JCTR to look at cost of basic needs:
4th June 2002
[The forthcoming
Consultative Group meeting between Zambia and Donors is taking
place in a context of many long-standing and current
socio-economic challenges that Zambia is facing, says Muweme
Muweme, Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
(JCTR).]
JCTR
Encouraged by Government Declaration of a national disaster but
calls for looking beyond current situation:30th
May 2002
[The declaration of a national disaster by
government in light of the looming hunger situation in the country
offers some hope in dealing with the problem effectively. However,
the situation requires that appropriate and urgent measures are put in
place to avert crisis of huge proportions, says the Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection (JCTR).]
High
cost of living enhancing reproduction of poverty:
30th April 2002
[The current and continuing
rise in cost of living is reproducing poverty in such a way that
it will be difficulty for the majority poor people of Zambia to
come out of it, observes Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the
Economic and Social Development Research Project of the Jesuit
Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR)]
Clarify
Position on School Fees:
3rd April 2002
[With the current high levels of cost
of living in the country, it is imperative
that Government immediately clarifies the issue of school fees,
says the Economic and Social Development Research Project of the
Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).]
The
2002 National Budget: Basic Needs and the Poor:
6th March 2002
[The 2002 National Budget presented
by the Minister of Finance and National Planning has been
applauded as one of the best National Budgets Zambia has ever
had. This judgment
is essentially based on what the Budget has set out to achieve.
The realization in concrete terms of what the Budget has
set out to achieve is the greatest challenge that lies ahead,
observes the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).]
From
Food Basket to Basic Needs Basket:
7th February 2002
[The Economic and Social Development Research Project of the
Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has made major
changes in the six-year history of the Food Basket research.
The changes are both in name and content.
The JCTR monthly Food Basket will now be called the Basic
Needs Basket and includes nutritionally based data]
Food
Basket reflections of the year 2001:
8th January 2002
[As Zambia
approached the end of the year 2001, two issues became very
prominent: the tripartite elections and deterioration in living
conditions. The
former is now past us while the latter is still with us taking
on even worse proportions, says the Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection (JCTR).]
October
Press Release on the Food Basket :
October 2001
[As
signs of rainfall become conspicuous and thus signalling the
beginning of the agricultural season, the Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection, (JCTR) is calling for adequate
preparedness in making available sufficient agricultural inputs
(fertilizers, seed, etc) to enable adequate crop production.]
Civil
Society Concerns on the PRSP:
14th June 2001
[The Civil Society for Poverty
Reduction (CSPR) wishes to inform the Zambian public,
government, co-operating partners and other stakeholders that
there are several issues of concern to civil society regarding
the formulation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP)
for Zambia. We hope that these concerns can be adequately and
urgently addressed in order to create genuine ownership of the
PRSP, so that this entire exercise will truly result in poverty
reduction.]
November
Press Release on the Food Basket:
11th November 2001
[As the political campaigns for the forth-coming tripartite
elections move towards heightened levels, Zambian people
continue experiencing worsening hardships in living conditions,
says the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).]
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