Partners in Development
Facts for Action
Had I but one wish for all the churches of America today,
I think it would be that they come to see the difference between charity
and justice. Charity is a matter of personal attributes; justice is a matter
of public policy. Charity seeks to alleviate the worst effects of injustice;
justice seeks to eliminate the causes of it. Charity in no way affects the
status quo, which is why charity is so popular in middle-class churches,
while justice leads inevitably to political confrontation.
The Rev. William Sloan Coffin
-
In 1970, almost all of the rich countries in the world promised to provide 0.7% of their national income (GNI) in aid to developing countries. Today, only five countries
fulfill this commitment. The USA gives less than 0.2%.• Meanwhile, Europe’s cows receive $2 a day in subsidies, more than the income of
half the world’s population.• For every $1 received in aid grants, low income countries pay $2.30 in debt payments.
MDG 8: This goal calls for a partnership between rich and poor nations to overcome hunger and poverty and promote development. Some forms of aid to developing countries have increased and some impoverished nations have received significant debt cancellation. Yet, African countries continue to pay rich countries and international institutions almost $14 billion a year to service old, often illegitimate, debt. Meanwhile, U.S.-promoted global trade policies are harming many poor communities in developing countries, destroying livelihoods and increasing the cost of essential medicines. Trade can be a way to help lift people out of poverty only if trade is done in a way that leads to broad-based, people-centered development. Trade rules must be reformed to fully respect the right of developing countries to safeguard their own domestic economies through the implementation of trade policies, regulations and mechanisms, which promote and protect their own small-holder farmers, vulnerable workers, and homegrown manufacturers. Trade rules should also stop placing restrictions on developing countries’ ability to manufacture or import generic versions of essential medicines.