wfn.org | Churches, Civil Society Organizations Affirm Continued

["Frank Imhoff" <Frank.Imhoff@elca.org>]

Churches, Civil Society Organizations Affirm Continued Advocacy for Debt
Cancellation
"Unethical, Immoral and Odious Debt Is Illegitimate"

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina/GENEVA, 20 October 2005 (LWI) -- A group of
Christian churches, social and political organizations from Africa,
Europe, Latin America and the United States of America have affirmed
their continued advocacy for the immediate cancellation of all
illegitimate external debt.

Following a September 21-23 international consultation hosted by the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches in Latin America and the
Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI) in Buenos Aires, participants
affirmed that the concept of illegitimate external debt, as discussed
and recognized by the LWF Ninth Assembly in 2003, was based on a moral,
ethical and legal viewpoint, rather than only on the narrow economic
perspective adopted by many governments. "Debt is clearly illegitimate
if it is unethical, immoral and odious," the consultation participants
said in a statement. 

The meeting was organized by the Argentine-based program on
illegitimate debt sponsored by the LWF member churches in the Latin
America and Caribbean region, in cooperation with the Latin America and
Caribbean Desk of the LWF Department for Mission and Development.
Discussions were held under the theme, "Illegitimate External Debt: From
Prophetic Denunciation to Political Action."

The consultation's theme was presented from biblical, theological,
pastoral, historical, economic and juridical perspectives. Participants
heard about the different strategies, campaigns and debt cancellation
initiatives in various parts of the world. It was affirmed that external
debt servicing in many developing countries worldwide had led to the
continued impoverishment of millions of people over more than three
decades. 

"The impoverishment and deaths produced by this debt are dramatically
increasing. From the standpoint of our faith, we hear the call to
address the issue of debt from the perspective of the victims," the 35
participants said. Their call for illegitimate debt cancellation
stressed four areas of action, namely awareness building, mobilization,
public advocacy and legal proceedings. 

The church, civil society and political representatives stressed the
need to cooperate with the United Nations independent expert on the
effects of structural adjustment policies and foreign debt, particularly
in relation to the drafting of relevant guidelines.

Discussing their concern for legal measures against those implicated,
participants in the LWF/CLAI consultation emphasized that institutions
and individuals responsible for the external illegitimate debt both in
North and South could be identified.

They cited the G8 meeting - of the world's most industrialized nations
- to be held in Germany in 2007, and the annual World Social Forums as
focal points for campaigning for the cancellation of illegitimate
external debt and for the creation of mechanisms that would prevent such
debts in the future. 

They described illegitimate external debt as "an instrument of
domination and exclusion, a vehicle of the neo-liberal model," which
impeded human development in several countries subjected to it. It
"seriously affects the integrity of creation, mortgaging future
generations," they added. (477 words)

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(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140
member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total
membership of nearly 66 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member
churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith
relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights,
communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work.
Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service.
Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent
positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the
dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material may be
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*	*	*

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