Faith Leaders: Letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair Calling for Action on Debt

|PIC1|Seventeen of the most prominent leaders in faith and other communities this week have signed a letter to the Prime Minister urging him to take further action on the "affront and injustice of international debt."

The Archbishop of York was joined by the Chief Rabbi, the General Secretary of the Muslim Council of Great Britain, the General Director of the Evangelical Alliance and the Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association in calling for "processes and decisions which prioritise the rights and needs of people who are poor."

The full text of the letter is as follows:

Dear Prime Minister

In a year when together we recognise the affront and injustice of slavery and acknowledge the extraordinary commitment of campaigners that made such a difference two hundred years ago, we are today urging you to further action on the affront and injustice of international debt.

We fully recognise that this government has done much to keep the issue on the international agenda, and there has been progress which has brought benefits for the health and education of people who are poor.

But the task is not complete. When ten years ago campaigners first proclaimed the vision of Jubilee - a new start for poor people and poor nations - it was a vision of justice, of openness and transparency, of new processes that would hold lenders responsible for the impact of their loans on people and the environment.

Today we are once again committing ourselves to work for the realisation of that vision of Jubilee, urging our communities to continue to play their part as we call on you, and all world leaders - whether of rich or poor countries - to do the same.

Without further action the existing international debt crisis will not be ended and the new debt crisis that is brewing will not be averted - and people who are poor will continue to pay the price.

We join together to urge you to use the particular opportunities this year to seek further progress on debt. It is not just about getting more debt cancelled, important though that is. It is about a new vision of relationship between nations - rich and poor, creditor and debtor - characterised not by power, control and corruption but by processes and decisions which prioritise the rights and needs of people who are poor.

Unjust and unpayable debt must be cancelled; debt relief must not be used as an instrument of power and control; there must be fair, democratic and open processes to deal with historic debt and prevent future crises; loans and debt repayments must not be allowed to damage people, their communities and their environment.

Let us all heed the ancient call, no less relevant in 2007: "let the oppressed go free."

The full list of signatories to the letter is as follows:

• The Most Revd and Rt Hon Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York
• Dr Joe Aldred, Chair, Council of Black-Led Churches
• Rev Graham Carter, President of the Methodist Conference
• Hanne Stinson, Chief Executive, British Humanist Association
• Dr Indarjit Singh, Director, Network of Sikh Organisations
• The Revd Elizabeth Caswell, Moderator of the United Reformed Church General Assembly
• Rabbi Dr Tony Bayfield, Head of the Movement for Reform Judaism
• Rabbi Danny Rich, Chief Executive, Liberal Judaism
• Bhai Sahib (Dr) Mohinder Singh, Chairperson, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha (Birmingham) UK
• Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, General Secretary, The Muslim Council of Britain
• Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, Assembly of Masorti Synagogues
• Rev Katei Kirby, CEO, African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance
• Rev David Coffey, Moderator of the Free Churches
• Rev Jonathan Edwards, General Secretary, Baptist Union of Great Britain
• Rev Joel Edwards, General Director, Evangelical Alliance
• Ramesh Kallidai, Secretary-General, Hindu Forum of Britain
• Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth