Friends,
We mourn the loss of too many lives and livelihoods because of the COVID crisis. Several of our solutions to address the current crisis moved forward. There is much work to do. Economic forecasts for most countries and most of the world's people look bleak in a post pandemic world. We can change that.
Some highlights from our 2020-2021 pandemic response efforts:
- We had a major victory as the G20, G7, and US agreed to create $650 billion in global reserve funds (Special Drawing Rights). Developing countries will receive over $200 billion in emergency support
- We won a historic G20 debt reduction process for developing countries suffering from the COVID health and economic crisis. This is the most significant debt relief and anti-corruption process we have won to date with 73 poor countries gaining access to new resources to confront the COVID crisis. Three have already requested relief
- After 10 years of work, the Corporate Transparency Act passed Congress. Our bipartisan bill sheds light on anonymous shell corporations which shield human traffickers, steal debt relief and enable tax evasion and corruption
- We facilitated a high-level meeting between Treasury Secretary Yellen and religious leaders. Yellen publicly endorsed Jubilee's positions on debt, aid, and climate change
- Our campaigns with Puerto Rico religious leaders won a White House award of almost $20 billion for disaster recovery funds, $1.6 billion food aid and tax measures to reduce the island's staggering 60% child poverty rate
- The US - Mexico - Canada (USMCA) trade agreement was enacted with our provisions to ensure vulnerable communities have access to lifesaving medicines as well as eliminating harmful arbitration processes
- We persuaded the White House to freeze student loan payments until September 2021
- Somalia and Sudan debt relief was supported by the White House, Congress, State Department, Treasury, IMF and World Bank
- Hundreds of thousands of news outlets covered Jubilee USA coronavirus response efforts
Read and share our Jubilee USA Network 2020-2021 report.
As we take stock of our efforts since the pandemic began, we prepare for the work ahead.
Gratefully,
Eric
Eric LeCompte
Executive Director
Executive Director