Churches call for Haitian jubilee

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Churches call for Haitian jubilee

The World Council of Churches (WCC) General Secretary Rev. Dr Olav Tveit has called on the international community to cancel Haiti's foreign debt as an initial step in a broader plan to support recovery, poverty eradication and sustainable development.

Such a plan "must be developed with the full ownership of the people of Haiti and with the support of the international community under the coordination of the United Nations", Tveit said. In addition to debt cancellation and emergency relief, Haiti needs "reconstruction assistance in the medium and long term."

Financial assistance should come in the form of grants, not loans that would burden the country with more debt", the WCC statement says. Tveit's statement coincided with a one-day conference attended by foreign ministers, representatives from international banks and non-governmental organizations hosted by the Canadian government to discuss Haiti's reconstruction.

Haiti is the most impoverished and indebted nation in the western hemisphere. "Exacting payment during this time of incredible hardship and destruction is morally untenable", said Tveit.

In spite of having had 1.2 billion US dollars of foreign debt written off last June, the country still owes some 641 million US dollars to banks and countries. This year Haiti is scheduled to pay some 10 million US dollars to the International Monetary Fund. "The bulk of the debt accumulated by Haiti stems from loans extended to the brutal dictatorship of Papa Doc Duvalier. Obliging Haiti to make debt payments at the expense of health care, education and other critical social programmes is illegitimate", Tveit said.

Source: Press release World Council of Churches via Australian Prayer Network

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Churches call for Haitian jubilee

The World Council of Churches (WCC) General Secretary Rev. Dr Olav Tveit has called on the international community to cancel Haiti's foreign debt as an initial step in a broader plan to support recovery, poverty eradication and sustainable development.