Drop the debt demonstration
Hilary Benn responds
Campaigners have been sending postcards to Hilary Benn to call for poor countries to receive debt relief without conditions. Thank you to everyone who has signed a postcard so far. Hilary Benn has responded. Find out what he said and why we need you to keep those postcards coming!
The “Cut the Strings” postcards –a joint coalition action with the Jubilee Debt Campaign – call for an end to the conditions attached to debt cancellation. (It is rare for a country to receive aid or debt relief without conditions attached). These damaging conditions force poor countries to open up their markets, privatise their services and cut public spending in return for debt relief. The result is that poor people are harmed and democracy is undermined.
In his letter, Hilary Benn says “There are no new policy conditions attached to the G8’s proposal”. That suggests that the countries that are due to get more debt cancelled as a result of the G8 announcement would receive it automatically – without having to jump through any hoops. This sounds promising but the important word here is “new”. In other words he is admitting that debt cancellation always comes with conditions. At the moment poor countries cannot receive debt cancellation without conditions.
Before poor countries can even be considered for debt relief they must first jump through a number of hoops – yes, more conditions. A recent example is that nineteen countries received debt cancellation in January 2006 from the International Monetary Fund. Benn mentions these nineteen as a positive example of the government’s actions. What he doesn’t say is that before these countries had their debt cancelled, they had to complete the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. This meant opening up their markets, cutting public spending and privatising services – providing yet another example of the strings attached to debt cancellation.
Conditions continue to exist in other IMF and World Bank schemes – despite assertions to the contrary in the Minister’s letter.
That’s why we want campaigners to keep calling on the UK government until there is an end to these harmful policies. If you haven’t sent your postcard yet – then don’t delay, order one here and let Hilary Benn know what you think today.
Read the full response.
In his letter, Hilary Benn says “There are no new policy conditions attached to the G8’s proposal”. That suggests that the countries that are due to get more debt cancelled as a result of the G8 announcement would receive it automatically – without having to jump through any hoops. This sounds promising but the important word here is “new”. In other words he is admitting that debt cancellation always comes with conditions. At the moment poor countries cannot receive debt cancellation without conditions.
Before poor countries can even be considered for debt relief they must first jump through a number of hoops – yes, more conditions. A recent example is that nineteen countries received debt cancellation in January 2006 from the International Monetary Fund. Benn mentions these nineteen as a positive example of the government’s actions. What he doesn’t say is that before these countries had their debt cancelled, they had to complete the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. This meant opening up their markets, cutting public spending and privatising services – providing yet another example of the strings attached to debt cancellation.
Conditions continue to exist in other IMF and World Bank schemes – despite assertions to the contrary in the Minister’s letter.
That’s why we want campaigners to keep calling on the UK government until there is an end to these harmful policies. If you haven’t sent your postcard yet – then don’t delay, order one here and let Hilary Benn know what you think today.
Read the full response.
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