Coming March 3rd – Ann Pettifor’s report on advocacy campaigning and Jubilee 2000
Jubilee 2000 started as a tiny operation in a shed on the roof of a charity. It grew into a powerful all-party coalition, not just in the UK, but in more than 60 countries around the world.
Jubilee 2000’s carefully-crafted messages resonated with millions of people, in rich countries and poor countries, and soon became a powerful worldwide movement with branches in more than 60 countries. The campaign helped secure the G8 promise of a write off of $100 billion of debt owed by 41 countries in 1999, about $50 billion of which has already been canceled. It also ensured that the issue of the unpayable debts of low income countries remains, to this day, at the top of the G8 policy agenda.
In the UK, the campaign included all the major political parties, faiths, aid agencies, professional associations, community organisations and grass roots activists. The campaign had backing from the British government; and then from President Clinton’s administration; from Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the UN; Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Venezuelan President Chávez and President Jagdeo of Guyana. It was also backed by key media, including the Financial Times; all the political parties; all the major faiths, the Pope and celebrities like Mohammed Ali, Youssou Ndour, Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Bono of U2, and many others.
- How to change the world (in five easy steps), by Paula Goldman – Coverage of Jubilee 2000 in the Fiancial Times, Friday May 16th, 2008
- More on Jubilee 2000
- More on the Ethiopian debt relief