ACT OF SOLIDARITY

SPEAK ON BEHALF OF PAKISTAN

Jubilee USA has issued a petition urging the Administration to call for a debt moratorium on Pakistan's loans. A plea from Sobia Ijaz, a Jubilee volunteer who is from Pakistan, can be found on Jubilee USA's web site: http://www.jubileeusa.org.

Instead of needed grant aid, the World Bank and Asian Development Bank have offered $2.9 billion in more loans, which will only add to Pakistan's enormous and unsustainable $49 billion debt. Already Pakistan spends three times more on debt payments than it does on healthcare—in a country where 60% of the population lives in poverty. The vast majority of Pakistan's loans were run up under military governments, many offering little benefit to ordinary people. It is unjust for the poor of Pakistan to repay reckless loans, especially in the face of huge flood devastation.

Please visit the Jubilee USA web site and sign the petition today!

HUNGER IN PAKISTAN IS A MAJOR CONCERN

No doubt you have seen on TV news the devastating humanitarian catastrophe that is occuring in Pakistan as floods take over a fifth (2.6 million acres of cropland) of the country. Some relief efforts are underway (clean water, sanitation), but the majority of these people are very hungry.

Contact your senators and beg them to support the Global Food Security Act to rebuild sustainable livelihoods of farmers affected by the flood.

Ban Ki Moon, UN General Secretary, after visiting the site said "This has been a heart-wrenching day for me. In the past, I have visited many natural disasters, but I have never seen anything like this."

Please spur your senators to action to help these people in Pakistan.

2015 MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

President Obama has said: "We will support the Millennium Development Goals, and approach next year's summit with a global plan to make them a reality. And we will set our sights on the eradication of extreme poverty in our time."

That bold plan is due this September!

Help ask President Obama to follow through on his pledge and take the lead on achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

The Millennium Development Goals are more than just a mouthful. They're eight poverty-fighting goals—agreed to by more than 180 poorest countries. They would help mothers deliver healthy babies, allow all boys and girls to go to school and ensure that women don't have to walk hours to fetch water for their families. Most importantly, they would cut poverty in half. But the future of these lifesaving goals hangs in the balance as world leaders meet this September to discuss progress made, lessons learned and critical next steps.

By adding your name to the petition, you thank the president for his words and ask him to now deliver on his promise. Your letting him know that come September, you'll be watching for a comprehensive plan with clear actions for all governments—rich and poor—that will produce real results over the next five years. You're letting him know that you too support these goals and the hope, health, security and opportunity they offer to the world's poorest people.

Sign the petition here!

Source of Information: One