On International Human Rights day, Jubilee Scotland examines the role of debt and international financial institutions on the people of Guatemala, and questions the role Scotland could play in global development. By Charlotte Snelling. For much of the post-war period, Guatemala’s past has been a story of dictatorships, terror, and genocidal regimes. It is estimated […]
Finance and Human Rights
James Picardo, Campaign Director at Jubilee Scotland, spoke as part of the ‘Global Challenges’ series of events hosted by Edinburgh University. Here is what he said: Economics on the one hand, and justice and human rights issues on the other hand, are often discussed as separate phenomena; as ways of looking at the world that […]
When creditors and debtors meet
On October 5th, Jubilee Scotland hosted a People’s Debt Tribunal at the Scottish Parliament, which saw Lidy Nacpil, representing Freedom from Debt Coalition Philippines and Jubilee South make the case for the cancellation of debt owed by the Philippines to the World Bank. Here an attendee of the Tribunal shares her thoughts. ‘Debt cancellation is […]
January Campaign Update on Indonesia
Jubilee Scotland is currently trying to convince the UK government to cancel the >£500 million it’s owed by Indonesia. This is a small goal within a much broader international objective, which is to promote the doctrine of ‘odious debt’. ‘Odious debt’ is a concept which enjoys some international credibility, but not nearly enough! Put simply, […]
World Bank Debt Cancellation – a TOTAL scam?
On the face of it, the G8 debt deal is a scam. The money that qualifying countries save on debt repayments is almost entirely balanced by a corresponding cut in the aid that they receive from the World Bank. The G8’s debt deal seems to work like this: the financial flows out of the country […]
The Debt Tribunal in 2006
The day before the G8 Summit in Scotland, 2005, Jubilee Scotland held a public debate on what the prospects were for a real resolution to the global debt crisis. I was worried that the G8 mobilisations would bypass ordinary people in Edinburgh; that people would come along to the Make Poverty History march but never […]
Last year’s debt tribunal
Last year, we ran a successful event where we “mapped” the course of the discussion using argument mapping techniques. Our version of last year’s map has an overview of what happened during the last session. We’d welcome all comments to questions raised in this map in the comments box below.
Debt Tribunal meeting 5th July 2006
Come along to our event :: 5th July, 6pm at: Augustine United Church George IV Bridge Edinburgh In 2005 the G8 came to Scotland and announced “immediate 100% debt cancellation” for the world’s most impoverished countries. What did this mean?. Has it happened?. and if it has happened… what difference is it making? Hear from: […]