Clean Up Global Finance

01 October 2010

A New Debt Crisis on the Horizon - Campaign for a Just Debt Policy for Ireland!

Impoverished countries are facing yet another devastating debt crisis as a result of the global financial crisis. This is because the solutions being offered to countries of the Global South by the World Bank and IMF are to give more loans with damaging policy conditions attached, rather than to do what is needed - cancel unjust debts and provide more grants to help people to cope.

To add insult to injury, the World Bank is offering loans with policy conditions attached to impoverished countries to cope with climate change - despite their not being responsible for the climate crisis in the first place. Offering more credit to impoverished countries is not the solution to the debt or climate crises!

Last year, DDCI campaigners persuaded the the Irish government to agree to publish a new debt policy. And now they are drafting it. Now is our chance to influence it.
Make sure the Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan and Minister Peter Power are aware of our deep concern that the people of the Global South must not pay for unjust and illegitimate debts.

DDCI is asking you to support the Campaign for a Just Debt Policy for Ireland by:

  1. Printing out the petition (click to download) and asking your friends / family / comrades / community to sign it.
  2. Once you have some signatories on your petition, send copies of it with a personal note to all of your local TDs and ask them to raise a question about the need for a new, just debt policy in the Dáil. And ask them to request the Minister for Finance and Minister Peter Power to support a new debt policy that reflects the concerns raised in your petition.

A just Irish debt policy is very important as it will guide how the Irish government represents us as a member of the World Bank and IMF.

You can find the postal and phone contacts for your TDs at: www.oireachtas.ie

For more background information on the petition you can read the 'DDCI Campaigners Update'

If you would like to organise a talk / workshop In your area on the need for action to end the debt crisis please contact Nessa at:

Debt and Development Coalition Ireland
Unit F5
Spade Enterprise centre
North King Street
Dublin 7
Ireland

Email: campaign@debtireland.org
Ph: + 353 1 6174835