30266: Leiderman (announcement): Haiti end-debt day (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leiderman@mindspring.com


dear Readers:

a friend receives announcements from Pax Christi-USA organization about the work of American bishop Thomas Gumbleton who advocates immediate debt relief for Haiti, per below, with a call-in action this Thursday.

I seem to remember a recent posting here about 50% debt relief from InterAmerican Development Bank, but I don't know how it fits into this picture.  maybe a reader can prepare a pie-chart or graph showing the "to whom," "how much," and "by when," of Haiti's debt.

note that below, the announcement says, "From 2007- 2009, Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, is projected to pay $138 million in debt service. To put this number in perspective, this is more than double the amount Haiti spent in FY2001 on education, health, roads, the environment, and water and urban infrastructure combined."  another way to keep $138 million in mind is to estimate that the approx. 10 per cent transfer fee on personal remittances from US to Haiti is in the $100 million range each year.  imagine a transfer system where that kind of money would be available for the country's education, health, roads, environment, etc. projects.  perhaps Bishop Gumbleton would like to also speak out against those pesky transfer fees.

thank you,

Stuart Leiderman
leiderman@mindspring.com

- - - - - - -

From: Pax Christi USA
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 6:03 AM
Subject: Bishop Gumbleton honored; action item on Haiti

March 28, 2007  <snip> ...action item on debt relief for Haiti

Dear friends,

Over the past several decades, many of you have had the chance to meet and work with Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, founding bishop-president of Pax Christi USA. His work for peace and justice has been an inspiration to several generations of peacemakers both inside and outside the church. <snip>  Many of us who have worked alongside our brothers and sisters in Haiti know first-hand the crushing consequences of Haiti's national debt--widespread poverty, inadequate healthcare, environmental degradation, and violence. This Thursday is a national call-in day to cancel Haiti's debt. Please read the item in this email and call your representative Thursday.

In peace,

Johnny Zokovitch,
Pax Christi USA Communications Director

<snip> Call-in day to cancel Haiti's debt!

from Jubilee USA

Thursday, March 29, 2007, marks the 20th anniversary of Haiti's contemporary constitution, being observed by groups throughout Haiti and internationally. Please call your Member of Congress to urge them to support a House resolution that would immediately cancel Haiti's debt!

The Haiti debt cancellation resolution ( H.Res. 241) urges the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and other international financial institutions to completely cancel Haiti's debt without delays!

Last year, Haiti was added to the World Bank and IMF's list of heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) eligible for debt cancellation, just after the election of new president Rene Preval. But under the harmful economic conditions of the World Bank and IMF's debt relief program, Haiti will not see this relief until 2009 at the earliest Âby which time the country will have paid $138 million in debt service that could have gone towards education, health care, or other social sector spending. H.Res. 241, which was introduced March 13 by Representative Maxine Waters along with Spencer Bachus, Donald Payne, Luis Gutierrez, and Carolyn Maloney, among others, will urge the World Bank, IMF, and IDB to immediately and completely cancel Haiti's debt.

Haiti's debt is both unpayable and unjust. Nearly half of the country's $1.3 billion debt was accrued under the Duvalier family dictatorship and used to finance the Duvalier's lavish lifestyle and support their 29-year rule, notorious for human rights abuses. The Haitian people continue to pay interest on these loans of a clearly odious nature. This is money that could be used to invest in health care or education in a country where almost a quarter of children under five are chronically malnourished and only 35% of students are able to complete primary school. From 2007- 2009, Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, is projected to pay $138 million in debt service. To put this number in perspective, this is more than double the amount Haiti spent in FY2001 on education, health, roads, the environment, and water and urban infrastructure combined. Immediate cancellation of Haiti's debt would allow the country to stop paying interest on odious debts and free up much needed resources for the country to invest in health and education.

Contact Your Representative if You Haven't Already!

You can help Haiti achieve immediate debt cancellation without delays or strings attached by calling your representative and asking them to co-sponsor the Haiti debt cancellation resolution in the House ( H.Res. 241). To co-sponsor the resolution, the Member's staff should call Kathleen Sengstock in Representative Maxine Waters' office at (202) 225- 2201 -- Representative Waters helped introduce this resolution to Congress along with six other Members. If your Representative has already co-sponsored the resolution, please call to thank them. <snip>

Contact Information

eail: johnnypcusa@yahoo.com
phone: 352-219-8419
web: http://www.paxchristiusa.org
Pax Christi USA | 532 West Eighth Street | Erie | PA | 16502