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Will
the world ever really see poverty made history?
If Bob Geldof, Bono, and a number of other
celebrities can’t do it, can anyone?
An Act of Justice
“Ending poverty
is not an act of charity. It is an act of
justice…As long as we have poverty,
there can be no freedom.” (Nelson Mandela,
Live 8 Concert, Johannesburg)
Recently leaders of the eight wealthiest nations
in the world decided to forgive billions of
dollars worth of debt owed by the world’s
poorest nations.
Why on earth would they do this?
Did these leaders just wake up one morning
and, out of the kindness of their hearts,
choose that this would be a good day to cancel
the crippling debt that paralyses the economies
of the developing world? Not likely.
A Worldwide movement
Their actions are in part a response to a
grassroots, worldwide movement that has been
putting pressure on the leaders of the world’s
eight economic superpowers (G8) to do what
they can to end poverty. There are all kinds
of agencies working towards this goal, but
recently hundreds of these groups, and millions
of people across the globe, have come together
under the banner of “Making Poverty
History.”
Making Poverty History starts with the assertion
that poverty is not simply a matter of chance
or environment, but of injustice, inequality,
greed, and ignorance. This is played out through
the economic policies of the world’s
richest countries in their dealings with the
world’s poorest countries, and the result
is unfair trade practices, impossible debts,
and insufficient aid.
Making Poverty History further believes that
something can actually be done about the crushing
poverty running rampant in the world. In defiance
of those who claim the problem is too widespread
and historic, Making Poverty History declares
that a combination of fair trade practices,
dropping debt, and effective aid actually
can create an environment in which people
can overcome poverty.
Trade Justice
In the area of trade justice, the demand is
to stop compelling poor countries to open
their markets to huge, multinational businesses
which have historically exploited both the
poor and the environment in which the poor
live. Also to be stopped are wealthy countries
flooding the international market with their
subsidized goods, a practice that undercuts
local farmers and manufacturers.
Debt
The issue of debt relief has got a lot of
attention, as world leaders promised six years
ago to cancel the debts of developing countries.
Some of this has been done, but not nearly
to the level of what was promised. The problem
for poor countries is that they have to put
so much money towards paying off loans from
wealthy nations that they have no money left
to take care of their own citizens. The answer,
they say, is not more loans, but a cancellation
of debts to free up resources in poor countries.
Aid
Finally, promises have been made to tie aid
to the economies of wealthy countries, so
that a certain percentage of a nation’s
income would automatically go towards aid.
Those promises are far from being met. A lot
of aid is given to poor countries, but quite
often it is tied to damaging conditions for
the recipients, such as cutting spending on
things like education and health care. That
does not seem to be a good way of helping
poor countries in the short or long term.
There are people who question why wealthy
nations should go out of their way like this
to cancel debt and give better aid. After
all, it is not really to their immediate economic
benefit. On one level, given the outrageous
level of poverty that exists in a huge part
of the world, where a child dies due to hunger
or hunger-related diseases every three seconds,
finding ways to eliminate the poverty is the
only sane and humane response. To not help,
suggest some, would be tantamount to a crime
against humanity. But it should also be said
that in many ways, the wealthiest nations
in the world have benefited at the expense
of the poorest, and so what is being asked
for is not charity, but justice, balancing
out the historic inequality.
More than a rock
show …
It’s certainly been a significant year
in pursuing this sort of justice and there
is a chance for real, significant international
change to occur. But the Making Poverty History
demands are really only a good start. So much
more needs to happen in order for real justice
to be seen. Fixing unfair trade practices,
dropping the debt and giving better aid will
help people survive now, and will level the
playing field a little. But the underlying
systemic issues of greed, apathy, racism and
corruption all around the world will not be
dealt with through one big campaign, or even
through a bunch of great rock shows.
The real issue will come down to how far people
are willing to go in loving their neighbours.
As Christians, we have been called to love
even to the point of death. The long-term
end to poverty and the establishment of justice
in this world will not happen until Christians
start really taking that call seriously.
Bono made it clear at the London Live 8 show
that “this is not about charity, it
is about justice. We can’t fix everything,
but those things we can fix, we must.”
What can you do,
what must you do, to see justice reigning
in our world?
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