Cancel Zambia’s Debt Campaign - Zambia

The campaign was launched with a letter which calls upon: the government of Zambia to inform the citizenry about the actual debt situation and about debt relief negotiations that are underway in order to foster informed public debate leading to wise democratic decisions; members of the churches of CCZ, EFZ and ZEC to join the Jubilee 2000 campaign by signing a petition calling for cancellation of Zambia's debts; and the international community to lobby for equitable and effective debt relief.

Inform citizenry of Zambia of actual debt situation, free Zambia of external debt in order to focus spending on education and health instead of debt servicing.

Over US$7.1 billion is owed to donor countries and international institutions, almost US$750 for every individual in Zambia. More money is spent of debt servicing than on all education and health expenditures combined, while 70% of the population lives below the poverty line. This campaign is based on a principle of co-responsibility. The Steering Committee recognises that Zambia must be responsible in the use of any moneys made available through debt relief. They are committed to holding the government accountable and working with government officials to monitor the use of newly available resources in order to ensure that they contribute to meeting social and productive needs of the country.