Cancel Debt, Rebuild, Welcome Displaced
Re-reporting, editing by Carolyn Bennett
Jubilee USA is calling for a clean break with oppressive, poverty-making foreign relations with Haiti: unconditional support, freedom, independence for the country and its people.
“Provide massive assistance for relief and reconstruction in the form of grants, not loans.”
It is becoming clear that the earthquake has caused unimaginable destruction in Haiti. Already impoverished and struggling, it will be nearly impossible for Haiti to get back on its feet without massive humanitarian and reconstruction assistance. This should come as grants, not loans, so that Haiti does not get again saddled with large debts through no fault of its own. Grant assistance should be provided without harmful economic policy conditions, such as requirements for privatization of services. The new IMF proposal for a $100 million loan to Haiti is inappropriate and disaster relief assistance should come as grants rather than loans. As the largest shareholder on the IMF’s Board, the US government should indicate its support for grant rather than loan support for Haiti.“Cancel the rest of Haiti’s debt.”
While two-thirds of Haiti’s debt ($1.2 billion) was cancelled in June 2009 with the support of the international community, the country still has $641 million in debt on its books. This is because debt relief agreements from the IMF and other creditors only covered debts acquired up until 2004. New loans Haiti has received since then have been adding to its debt. Half of this total of $641 million is owed to the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) and the IMF with the other half owed to other countries including Venezuela and Taiwan. In 2010, Haiti is projected to pay around $10 million to the IMF and IDB - and this is money Haiti simply can't pay now that this tragic earthquake has hit.“Provide Temporary Protective Status for Haitians Living in the U.S.”
Leading Haiti advocates are calling on the U.S. to end the deportation of Haitian immigrants, release those currently held in detention centers pending deportation, and grant Temporary Protected Status for the 30,000 Haitians currently under threat of deportation. Temporary protected status (TPS) is granted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to eligible nationals of countries that cannot safely return to their homelands because of armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions. Haiti clearly fits this description.Jubilee USA Network is an alliance of more than 75 religious denominations and faith communities, human rights, environmental, labor, and community groups working for the definitive cancellation of crushing debts to fight poverty and injustice in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Making its case for debt relief more broadly in impoverished countries, Jubilee USA reports, “In the world’s most impoverished nations, the majority of the populations do not have access to clean water, adequate housing or basic health care. These countries are paying debt service to wealthy nations and institutions at the expense of providing these basic services to their citizens. The United Nations Development Program estimated in 2003 that 30,000 children die each day due to preventable diseases. Debt service payments take resources that impoverished countries could use to cure preventable diseases. Debt cancellation frees up resources to reverse this devastating reality.…
“If we seek only to challenge surface (albeit far-reaching) aspects of the debt crisis, we will have only partly met our end: there will still exist bonds, still exist slavery, still exist a debt. Our challenge, then, must be expanded to address the ways and reasons for which things are done by global authorities like the G7, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.
“We must clarify and heighten our call for the righting of relationships and expand our concept of justice.”
Sources and notes
“Debt for Disaster? Jubilee USA Dismayed by IMF Proposal for $100 Million Loan to Haiti ─ Network Urges Obama Administration to Support Massive Grants, Expanded Debt Relief” Jubilee USA Network, January 15, 2010, http://www.jubileeusa.org/
Jubilee USA Network, 212 East Capitol Street NE, Washington DC 20003, www.jubileeusa.org web coord(at)jubileeusa.org email
http://www.jubileeusa.org/de/about-us/what-we-believe.html
http://www.jubileeusa.org/press/press-item/article/debt-for-disaster-jubilee-usa-dismayed-by-imf-proposal-for-100-million-loan-to-haiti.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=170&cHash=a050ee1c1d
http://www.jubileeusa.org/truth-about-debt/why-drop-the-debt.html
http://www.jubileeusa.org/about-us/diversity.html
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