Donnerstag, 13. März 2003

Report on the activities on the 50th anniversary of the London Debt Agreement 1953

The 27th of February 2003 was the 50th anniversary of the London Debt Agreement which Germany signed with its international creditors to reduce its debt burden. The pre and post World War II debt amounted to roughly 30 billion Deutsch Marks and was reduced to less than 15 billion, with very favourable conditions of repayment.

Debt Campaigners in different parts of the world took up the occasion to draw public attention to the discrepancy between this successful debt cancellation and the notoriously failing debt reductions for today Third World debtor countries. With the London Debt Agreement creditors showed that if they have the political will – for what ever questionable reasons ever – they are able to solve a country’s debt crisis and to come to a truly sustainable solution.

What happened Internationally?

Internationally the proposal was taken up by many debt-movements and campaigns. Most certainly the following list is incomplete, but these are the activities we were informed about and therefore can report on. I will be happy to receive more information on what people did in order to complement the report.

• Belgium
  The Committee for the Cancellation of Third World Debt (CADTM) translated the erlassjahr documents into French, distributed the material widely in French speaking European and African countries and organised a petition. They collected several hundred signatures which erlassjahr.de sends to the German Foreign Minister with a copy of the letter to the Belgium, French and Suisse Embassies.
• Ecuador
  The Ecuadorian Jubilee movement – Jubileo 2000. Red Guayaquil – started a one year campaign on the London Agreement, which highlights the possibility to solve a debt crises if there is a political will. The campaign will raise awareness and educate people on the debt issue in the country.
  To start the campaign two panels, one in Quito and one in Guayaquil, took place, both packed with paople with a guest from the board of erlassjahr.de.
  There was extensive media coverage of the issue.
• South Africa
  Jubilee South Africa managed to get a long article published in one of the most important newspapers of the country.
• United Kingdom
  Jubilee Debt Campaign (UK) compiled a briefing for Members of Parliament which was sent to all 650 MPs as well as African, EU and US High Commissioners. Campaigners were asked to write to their MPs. A debate was held at the House Of Commons “Learning from the past: from the London Agreement 1953 to a new Marshall Plan for Africa". The debate was attended by well over 130 MPs, High Commissioners and members of the public.
  Jubilee Scotland sent the briefing to Scottish MPs. Richmond Jubilee Debt Campaign organised a public meeting in Richmond /West London. In Birmingham an event will take place in May, with huge red chains as were used in the Cologne Human Chain in 1999.
• Letter Sending
  Many sent letters, amongst them the French NGO “Agir Ici” and the Irish Jubilee Campaign.

erlassjahr.de is very grateful to all who took up our proposal and joined in the Activities at the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the London Debt Agreement. It was a very encouraging experience – hopefully not the last of that kind.

What took place in Germany?

erlassjahr.de member groups organised more than twenty events of different kind all over the Country. In Limburg a 50ies-style-living room (see picture attached) was put up in the central shopping mall by youth organisations. In Heidelberg the debate focussed on South Africa, being a creditor of Germany in 1953 and a debtor repaying apartheid’s odious debts today. In Leipzig a big peace prayer with local celebrities took place. In many places services were held and letters to the German Government and the former and today’s creditors signed. In Wiesbaden a theater/cabaret group made a funny and satirical show on the serious issues of international debt and the London Agreement. In Berlin we centrally organised a race between a typical car from the “German Economic Miracle”-time, the Isetta and an old bicycle. The Isetta was filled up with the very special fuel “Super ´53 – Debt Cancellation” to compete with the bicycle overcharged with loads of debts. Who reached the winning-post – development – first, and who never got there but had to give up, exhausted? (see pictures attached).

In many other cities debates and panel discussions were held and other activities took place. There was local as well as national press coverage of the issue.

What reactions did we receive?

Three G7-Embassies (Italy, UK, USA) gave disappointing responses to letters sent by erlassjahr.de members. All just claimed leadership on HIPC, without even responding to the particular challenges of the London agreement.

German MP's from most benches responded by agreeing that the paralell with the London agreement was adequate. Social Democrats announced that they were considering extending HIPC to more countries. One opposition Christian Democratic member of the federal budget committee pointed out that conditioning debt service payments on a trade surplus would be the right thing to do.