Friend,

I write from Africa, as we just joined the first G20 Summit on the Continent. Africa is the most resource rich region - yet it boasts the highest extreme poverty numbers on the planet.

Thanksgiving, a unique American holiday, celebrates the Jubilee promise. The reality that our loving Creator gave us an abundant world - where we celebrate there is enough - and we are closest to the Creator and closest to one another when we share that abundance among us.

From the Continent - I wish you and your loved ones a blessed, joyous and blissful Thanksgiving. Here's to hoping that as you share with others, you glimpse the sacred.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Eric LeCompte
Executive Director
[email protected]

Twitter: @Eric_LeCompte
www.jubileeusa.org/support-us

Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA was recently featured in Reuters speaking on the G20 Ministerial Declaration on Debt Sustainability,  Africa Engagement Framework and beginning of the US G20 presidency. Read the excerpt below and follow the link to full article.

South Africa's G20 debt focus to be tested as US takes the chair

By: Colleen Goko

"South Africa tried to reinvigorate efforts during its year as G20 chair. The group's finance ministers issued a stand-alone Ministerial Declaration on Debt Sustainability – the first since the pandemic - and committed to strengthening the Common Framework.

The framework has delivered debt treatments to four nations — Chad, Zambia, Ghana, and Ethiopia — since its launch.

Eric LeCompte, executive director of development group Jubilee USA Network, said this showed the limitations.

But he said the agenda of the United States, which will lead the G20 until late 2026, included addressing debt challenges, boosting economic growth and expanding job creation - offering some continuity.

LeCompte said the G20 Africa Engagement Framework, launched in October by its finance ministers to address hurdles to growth and development on the continent, marked an accomplishment.

It will deal with issues "from economic growth to debt and financing to development to anti-poverty initiatives to creating jobs across the continent," said LeCompte."

Read more here.

Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA was recently featured in Reuters speaking on the G20 as the United States assumes its presidency, and issues like development and economic growth. Read the excerpt below and follow the link to full article.

G20 declaration in defiance of US marks rare victory for multilateralism

By: Tim Cocks and Andrea Shalal

"Despite the bitter differences, Washington's G20 agenda overlaps with South Africa's in key areas like development, economic growth and financial stability, notes Eric LeCompte, a U.N. adviser and executive director of non-profit Jubilee USA Network.

Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA was recently featured in Devex speaking on the G20 Leaders' Declaration and global debt. Read the excerpt below and follow the link to full article.

G20 summit in South Africa adopts declaration without the US

By: Elissa Miolene

"Still, the leaders’ declaration did recognize the climbing debt burden facing countries in Africa, and the high cost of capital for nations across the continent. For Eric LeCompte, the executive director of the debt-focused Jubilee USA Network, that mattered — along with the G20’s recent launch of the Africa Engagement Framework, which aims to lock in the G20’s cooperation with Africa, and keep the continent’s most pressing financial issues on the agenda over the next five years. South Africa has committed to supporting the framework until 2030.

“There’s a plan for implementation, the goals are solid, and it actually translates some of the other issues that we really are concerned about in terms of economic growth, finance, debt and development,” said LeCompte. “We’ve never had an initiative like this since the G20 began.”"

Read more here.

Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA was recently featured in IOL speaking on the G20 Leaders' Declaration and G20 Common Framework. Read the excerpt below and follow the link to full article.

G20 Summit in SA trumps detractors, puts poor countries’ issues at center of global discourse

By: Siphelele Dludla

"Eric LeCompte, executive director of the religious development group Jubilee USA Network, said the statement called for improving the Common Framework, the G20 process for countries seeking debt reductions.

“The fact that the Common Framework, in five years, provided debt treatment to only four countries that requested it, is a diplomatic way of stating its limitations, since we know 26 countries have been in debt crises since at least 2018,” LeCompte said.

“The declaration seems to indicate that the G20 would like the Common Framework to become a more bankruptcy-like process or comprehensive debt restructuring process. It's unprecedented for G20 leaders to call for inclusion of borrower countries to improve international debt policies.” 

Read more here.

Johannesburg, South Africa – The G20 Leaders' Summit began on Saturday in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the Group of 20 leaders adopted a declaration addressing global challenges.

Read the full G20 Leaders' declaration here.

Read Jubilee USA's press release on two reports released during the South Africa G20 Summit here.

Read Jubilee USA's press release on the South Africa G20 Summit here.

View Jubilee's events this week at the G20 meetings here.

Read Jubilee USA's press release on the G20 debt declaration here.

Read the full G20 ministerial declaration on debt sustainability here.

Two New G20 Reports Note Concerning Debt Statistics 

Religious Leaders Call for Debt Relief to Address Poverty during Summit

Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA was recently featured in America Magazine speaking on poverty reduction, the G20 and global debt. Read the excerpt below and follow the link to full article.

We know how to fight global poverty. But do we have the energy to actually do it?

By: Kevin Clarke

“Despite the uncertainty at this year’s summit, Mr. LeCompte remains confident that the church and other humanitarian and anti-poverty advocates “are building a consensus on ending poverty.”

Those campaigners have won incremental successes, he said. But most wanted now are large-scale efforts that can only be initiated and maintained by the wealthiest states. “We need to move the G20, G7, [International Monetary Fund] and World Bank on more robust policies and implementation.”

Read more here.

Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA was recently featured in G20 Interfaith’s 2025 documentary speaking on the themes of the Interfaith Forum taking place during the G20. Watch the documentary linked below.

Documentary - 2025 G20 Interfaith Forum Cape Town, South Africa

Watch here.

Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA was recently featured in Devex speaking on the G20’s new plan to ease Africa’s growing debt crisis. Read the excerpt below and follow the link to full article.

Devex Newswire: G20 handed bold plan to ease Africa’s crushing debt load

By: Helen Murphy 

Experts at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center found in their recent analysis that selling just 10% of the International Monetary Fund’s gold reserves would generate enough funds to offset this year’s cuts to foreign aid. “The selling of IMF gold reserves has precedence, it is impactful, it can make a huge difference, and it can be done again,” said Eric LeCompte of the Jubilee USA Network.

Read more here. 

Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA was recently featured in Devex speaking on the G20’s new debt refinancing plan. Read the excerpt below and follow the link to full article.

G20 panel calls for a new debt refinancing plan for low-income nations

By: Elissa Miolene

“All the ideas are possible,” said Eric LeCompte, the executive director of the Jubilee USA Network, which focuses on debt reform. “The challenge is whether they will continue to be implemented in an incremental way, or whether we can start to implement them more robustly.”

“The selling of IMF gold reserves has precedence, it is impactful, it can make a huge difference, and it can be done again,” said LeCompte.

Still, LeCompte continued, the proposal could have gone further. The new initiative, he said, is closer to the Bridge Proposal — a stopgap approach that’s meant to give developing countries short-term breathing room when they can’t refinance their debt. It tackles liquidity issues instead of persistent debt challenges, and while that’s helpful, he added, the most indebted nations need more.

“Some countries, especially poor countries, are actually going to need debt relief and a total debt restructuring,” he said. 

“They’re calling to turn the common framework into more of an international bankruptcy process to make it more timely, efficient and quicker,” said LeCompte “I think that idea has potential, but at the same time, there are many governments in the developing world that are dissatisfied with the progress of the Common Framework.”

Read more here.

Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA, was recently featured in All Africa speaking on the approaching G20 Summit in South Africa and its focus on debt. Read the full feature here.