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You are here: Home > News >United Church News > Congressional leaders agree on debt relief Congressional leaders agree on debt relief November, 2000 The Jubilee 2000 movement scored a victory on Oct. 25th when Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders agreed on a foreign aid package that includes $435 million for international debt relief. The money had been requested by President Clinton as a down payment on an international plan to relieve a portion of the debts of 41 Third World countries. The countries who would benefit from the plan on average spend more than a third of their export incomes on paying the debts, some of which were incurred over 30 years ago by dictators and military governments. “It is hard to exaggerate the importance of this vote,” said Stan Duncan, chair of the Massachusetts Conference Task Force on Debt Relief. “It is only a portion of what is needed, and there is still much to be done. But it is an amazing milestone in the journey.” The legislation was backed by the Jubilee 2000 movement, a coalition of over 40 faith groups and non profits, including the United Church of Christ. The Conference voted at the 200th Annual Meeting to support the Jubilee movement. Many churches declared themselves Jubilee churches and held letter writing campaigns. Some sent representatives to a march in Washington this past spring, or had Jubilee 2000 educational events at home. “At this time last summer I actually believed that we had lost,” Duncan said. “I thought that the time for relief to millions of hungry and diseased families would have to be put off indefinitely. I should never have doubted the power of good people of faith to move our nation’s leaders.” |