From the CADTM network, participated Omar Aziki from ATTAC CADTM Morocco for the shared international secretariat of the CADTM network, Broulaye BAGAYOKO for CADTM Africa and Maria Elena Saludas for ATTAC CADTM ARGENTINA.

What was agreed

• Title: Global Week of Action Against Debt.
• Period: October 10 to 17, 2020.
• Relevance of dates: the period covers 1) the IMF-WB Annual Meeting October 12-18; 2) the day of the “cry of the excluded” observed in Latin America on October 12; 3) the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting on October 14; 4) the anniversary of the assassination of Thomas Sankara, former president of Burkina Faso who called for debt repudiation; 5) World Food Day on October 16.
• Concept note: English attachment.
• Open letter to governments and financial institutions: attachment (deadline for signatures October 7).
• Website and Facebook pages.
• A common logo (the choice will be decided tomorrow, September 30), a set of slogans and hashtags that can be used by all participating groups in addition to their own graphics, slogans and hashtags.
• Webinars and popular education activities at the national, regional and global levels that will be organized by different participating groups.
• Expand the circle of participating groups to include other movements: workers and trade unions, climate groups, women’s movement, youth movements, etc.

Yours sincerely

Omar Aziki and Eric Toussaint

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Global Week of Action Against Debt

The multiple crises of the COVID19 pandemic, the intensified economic crisis, and the climate emergency has spotlighted the urgency and given rise to new prospects and opportunities for raising the calls for debt cancelation and addressing unsustainable and illegitimate debt and building/renewing a robust global debt movement. Many movements, networks and NGOs have sustained their work on debt through the years but there is recognition among these of the need to massively broaden and scale up efforts - to generate “a new jubilee moment” so to speak.

It is in this context and with the aim of rising to this challenge that we are proposing to come together to organize a “Global Week of Action Against Debt” that we hope will not only create impact for the period leading up to and during the week but also to pave the way for a strong, sustained process of debt movement building and coordinated campaigning.

Dates – the proposed date follows the call already issued by movements in Latin America who have been working and preparing for several weeks already – October 10 to 17. The significance of this period is that it covers 1) the IMF-WB Annual Meeting Oct 12 to 18. 2) the day of the “Cry of the Excluded” observed in Latin America Oct 12; 3) the G20 Finance Ministers and CB Governors Meeting Oct 14; 4) the anniversary of the assassination of Thomas Sankara, former President of Burkina Faso who called for Debt Repudiation 5) World Food Day. Oct 16

Title – Global Week of Action Against Debt and/or Global Week of Action Against Debt and IFIs

Our Latin American colleagues have already declared a Global Week of Action Against Debt and IFIs. We propose that it can also be called Global Week of Action Against Debt – because in the current situation groups may also want to highlight other major perpetrators of the debt problem including private lenders and institutions.

Theme – open for suggestions

Layers of Initiatives

We are envisioning a Global Week of Action Vs Debt, and the work before and beyond the Week, encompasses the following layers of initiatives —

1. A common statement/letter addressed to governments and financial institutions (public and private) containing calls for immediate debt cancelations and other demands towards addressing unsustainable and illegitimate debt. The statement/letter should be able to:

a. unify and rally a broad range of movements and debt campaigners and gain wide public support

b. articulate specific demands for immediate and unconditional debt cancelation that goes far beyond and critiques the narrow framework and current “offers” of lenders

c. articulates the problem of both unsustainable debt and illegitimate debt, the injustice of debt

d. touches on not just the problem of outstanding debt and ongoing debt service but also about current and future lending and borrowing (for example more lending/borrowing as part of the fiscal response to COVID19)

e. raise other demands that pave the way for solutions that are comprehensive

This set of calls should consolidate, unify and build on those that have been already put forward for many years and updated during the COVID19 period. We are offering a Zero Draft of this statement as a starting point.

2. Individual statements/calls of movements, alliances and organizations who want to raise historical, systemic and comprehensive analyses and demands far beyond what can be agreed upon in the broad, common statement. This recognizes that movements and alliances within the broad global debt movement may not necessarily agree on everything. And many will want to go further/deeper than the broad consensus.

3. Use of common graphics, slogans and hashtags that will convey that we have a united movement, even as different movements and regions will use their own that are more appropriate to their messages, language, and context

4. Strong popular education and public outreach – to expand our campaign constituencies and build broad support for our calls/demands. This can involve joint initiatives as well as individual efforts of various groups

5. Policy and discourse engagements in various arenas, taking advantage of various opportunities to challenge/counter the mainstream/ official frameworks and “solutions” and promote alternative frameworks and calls. There are already ongoing coordination mechanisms for several of these arenas and existing broad consensus on many of the messages. There is no expectation that we all have to agree on all messages and positions articulated in these arenas.

6. Actions and mobilizations – physical to the extent possible, as well as using various online platforms - that will serve as vehicles for popular participation as well as generation of political pressure

We are also envisioning that these layers of initiatives will purposely contribute towards catalyzing, building, strengthening national debt campaigns and movement.

Of course, movements and groups will not necessarily be involved in all these layers of initiatives.

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CADTM

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