Jubilee 2000
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jubilee 2000 was an international coalition movement in over 40 countries that called for cancellation of third world debt by the year 2000. This movement coincided with the Great Jubilee, the celebration of the year 2000 in the Catholic Church. From early 2001, Jubilee 2000 split into an array of organisations around the world.
Contents |
[edit] Concept
The concept derives from the biblical idea of the year of Jubilee, the 50th year. In the Jubilee Year as quoted in Leviticus, those enslaved because of debts are freed, lands lost because of debt are returned, and community torn by inequality is restored. It aimed to wipe out $90bn of debt owed by the world's poorest nations, reducing the total to about $37bn.
[edit] Activism
The activities were initially directed through church channels, and quickly gained wide currency, spreading messages about the hardship caused by debts among diverse sectors of the public. Youth groups in particular became heavily involved, reversing a perception, born of the 1980s, that young people were uninterested in political issues. Campaigns were launched via a secretariat in the UK, franchising the "trade mark" to any who directed campaign in the spirit of Jubilee 2000. Among the supporters of the movement were Bono of rock band U2, Quincy Jones, Muhammad Ali, Bob Geldof, Youssou N'dour, Thom Yorke and others.
At the 1998 G8 Summit in the UK, 70,000 people demonstrated peacefully in a Human chain around the centre of Birmingham. At subsequent G8 meetings in Cologne, Okinawa and Genoa the issue of debt was discussed.
[edit] Post 2000
From early 2001, Jubilee 2000 split into an array of organisations around the world; Jubilee South (encompassing many former Jubilee campaigns in Africa, Asia and Latin America); Jubilee Debt Campaign, Jubilee Scotland and Jubilee Research (hosted by nef new economics foundation) in the UK; Jubilee USA; Jubilé 2000/CAD Mali in Mali; and many other national organisations. These co-ordinate their actions through a loose global confederation.
Jubilee USA, located in Washington DC, is the USA's campaigning successor to Jubilee 2000. Erlassjahr.de is the German branch. There are very many other organisations around the world which also carry forward the debt campaign.
Former Jubilee 2000 UK staff founded the short-lived Drop The Debt to work in the run-up to the 2001 G8 Summit in Genoa, maintaining Jubilee 2000's combination of lobbying, celebrity work and mass activism. Jubilee Research at the New Economics Foundation, located in London, took over from Jubilee 2000 in 2001 and now provides in-depth analysis and data on third world debt. Jubilee Debt Campaign is the UK's campaigning successor to Jubilee 2000, comprising much of the UK's original Jubilee 2000 membership, while Jubilee Scotland campaigns north of the border. The campaign calls for cancellation of debts owed by the world's poorest countries.
Debt was one of the targets of 2005's Make Poverty History Campaign.
