Oxfam Guelph High School Presentation: Make Poverty History Campaign

Oxfam Guelph
High School Presentation

Make Poverty History
Campaign
Introduction
Who we are Guelph Students

What Oxfam is
Introduction
What Oxfam does
Development Programs
Disaster Relief
Awareness-Raising Campaigns
Why Were Here Today
Make Poverty History Campaign
Stars involved: Bono, Brad Pitt, Jamie

Foxx, Cameron Diaz, George
Clooney
World Trade Organization Summit in
Hong Kong, Dec 13-18, 2005
Opportunity to Bring About Real Change

for the Worlds Poor
Exercise: Getting By
Feels like were just getting by

How much do you spend per day?
Breaking it down: what categories
could we use?
My estimate:
Food
Shelter & Utilities ($450/mo 30 days)
Clothing ($800/yr 365 days)
Transportation (Including Gas & Insurance)
Entertainment (Movies, Books, Music, Dates)
Hair Care, Bath, Makeup($50/mo 30 days)
Health, Dentists, Presciptions
Recreation (Sports, Dance, Interest Classes)
($600/yr 365 days)
TOTAL
=$15
=$15
=$2.19
=$7
=$7
=$0.82
=$1.67
=$1.64
=$50.32
/day
*This is not including gifts, pets, big holidays, =$18,000
etc.
/year
(Reasonable)
Statistics Canada Data:
Average spending/year for household (On

average, 2.5 people per household):
$61,152 / year
So, $61,152 2.5 = $24,261 / person

$24,261 365 days = $67 per person per
day
Safe to say at least $50-60
3 billion people (about 1/2 the world)

live on less than or equal to $2 / day
Poverty: Easy for us to forget
Make Poverty History

Campaign
Campaign Goals:
1.
1. Trade Justice
2.
2. Cancelling Debt
3.
3. More & Better Aid
4.
4. Eliminate Child Poverty in
Canada
1. Trade Justice
International Trade
Exports
Things we produce and sell to an another country
Imports
When one country sells to another
Things produced by another country that we buy

from them
Tariffs
Taxes charged on each item entering our country

from another country
1. Trade Justice
Trade links the world, but creates

enormous wealth for some
countries, leaving others poor
Trade could powerfully reduce
poverty
Current Trade Rules: rigged in
favour of rich countries
1. Trade Justice
Rich Countries:
Committed to Poverty Reduction

But impose on poor countries 4X the tariff
barriers that they do on richer countries
(costs the poor $100B / yr)
Closing the door on an escape route out
of poverty
Meanwhile they are forcing poor countries
to remove their protective tariff barriers
1. Trade Justice
Unaddressed Problems:
Low and unstable prices for commodities

(basic goods like rice, coffee,) - bad years
bankrupt small farmers
Transnational Corporations (TNCs) exploit
poor workers, with no true regulation
World Trade Organization: biased in favour of
rich countries, TNCs
Other actions also needed, but reforming
world trade rules essential
1. Trade Justice
Goals of Oxfams MakeTradeFair:
Give poor countries access to rich

markets & end dumping
Stop forcing poor countries markets open
New intl commodities body to stabilize &
raise prices
Intellectual property rules that allow the
poor access to medicines and allow
farmers to save, exchange and sell seeds
1. Trade Justice
Stop forcing poor countries to privatize

basic services essential to poverty
reduction
Better regulation of non-government
investment & employment
Make WTO democratic (give poor a voice)
Improve each countrys policies on health,
education, and way country is governed,
to give the poor more power
1. Trade Justice
Why campaign on trade now?
1. Current system inhumane &

intolerable
2. Enlightened self-interest
3. Change is possible (trade system is
human-created, based on political
decisions)
1. Trade Justice
Change is possible
Organized campaigning works - e.g.

leaders cancelled 18 poor countries debt
(info in a few minutes)
Choice to make:
Allow trade system to stay unjust, face

consequences
Or make new, socially just globalization,
where both rich and poor benefit
2. Cancelling Debt
Nature of the Debt Crisis
Poor countries borrow money from

international organizations and banks
International Monetary Fund
- World Bank
Loan interest has accumulated over decades

of borrowing: countries now unable to pay
back what they owe
To make payments countries are forced to cut
back on social spending such as health care
and education
As a result, poverty grows and people suffer
more
2. Cancelling Debt
Current Problem
Making debt payments prevents spending on

social programs
Statistics illustrate the extent of the debt crisis:
African governments: average $14 per person a

year on debt payments and only $5 on health
care
Developing world spends $13 on debt repayment
for every $1 it receives in aid
Less $$ spent on debt payments = more $$ to

spend on food, water, healthcare, education
2. Cancelling Debt
Loans Given Carelessly

Whos Paying for Loan Repayments?
The Poor (Often):
They Didnt Make the Loans, Didnt

Receive the Money
Need Better Accountability For Loan

Spending
Cancellation Will Help The Poor
2. Cancelling Debt
Effects of Debt Cancellation
Uganda: reduced HIV infection rates, and

doubled (!) primary school enrolment
Mozambique: immunized 500 000 children
Tanzania: eliminated primary school fees
leading to a 66% increase in attendance
Freed up money can be used to make
significant improvements!
2. Cancelling Debt
G8 (8 richest countries) Summit in July

2005
Poverty awareness campaigns active at this

time
Pressure on G8 leaders
G8 leaders discussed issues of global

poverty as they relate to international
policies
Such as trade, loans, aid
2. Cancelling Debt
G8 (8 richest countries) Summit in July
Leaders agreed to cancel debt of 18 most

heavily indebted poor countries: an
important step forward!
Governments respond to pressure: your
voice matters!
2. Cancelling Debt
What Must Be Done
100% debt cancellation

Ensure unconditional debt
cancellation
Ensure fair debt negotiation process
3. More and Better Aid
Current System
Percentage of GNI (Gross National

Income)
Canada: gives only 0.33%; 0.70% is the

target
More Aid
Reach the UNs Millennium Development

Goals (MDG) of 0.7% by 2015.
Currently only Sweden, Norway,
Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg,
France, the United Kingdom, Finland,
Spain and Belgium will meet the goal.
Increase aid by 12% for the next 3 years
and 15% every year after.
Better Aid: Tied Aid vs Untied Aid
Aid is often tied to Economic Policies;

Receiving Countries can be required to:
Spend money on Canadian products
Privatize basic government-owned services

(e.g. water in Tanzania)
Give better aid: untied aid!
40-50% of aid is spent on Canadian goods and

services rather than local industry or best choice
More countries
receive aid
than give it:
More Aid: How much?
Along with debt cancellation, Canada must

reach its Millenium Development Goal
commitments
Martin has not given a schedule to reach
0.7%
Better Aid: How?
Not tied to Economic Policies

Not tied to Trade Policies
Not tied to the purchasing Canadian Goods
4. Eliminating Child
Poverty in Canada
Facts
1989 govt promised to eliminate child

poverty in Canada by year 2000
Still: 1 in 6 Canadian children poor (1
million)
Poverty rate stuck at 15% for last 30 years
UN ranks Canada 17th out of 23
industrialized countries - seventh from the
bottom - on child poverty
Poverty in Canada
Key investments:
More money for low-income families

Affordable housing
Higher minimum wage
Universal and affordable "early
learning" childcare
Poverty in Canada
Canadian Government Should:
Raise the annual Canada Child Tax

benefit to $4,900 per child
Involve groups where poverty is
predominant (Aboriginal people,
women, and youth) in the design of a
poverty reduction strategy
More info: www.makepovertyhistory.ca or

www.campaign2000.ca
A Game
Building Game
What Can I Do?
Govts are accountable to us
Petitions:
www.makepovertyhistory.ca
www.maketradefair.com
Educate yourself
www.makepovertyhistory.com (and .ca)

www.maketradefair.com
Pamphlets Available
What You Can Do!
Talk about it
Tell friends
Ask parents
Join our email list for future events
Future events
Interested? Put your name / email on sheet
Questions!
Anyone have questions?

Comments?

Oxfam Guelph High School Presentation: Make Poverty History Campaign

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Oxfam Guelph High School Presentation: Make Poverty History Campaign

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Oxfam Guelph High School Presentation: Make Poverty History Campaign

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Oxfam Guelph

High School Presentation

Who we are Guelph Students

What Oxfam does

Why Were Here Today

Make Poverty History Campaign

Stars involved: Bono, Brad Pitt, Jamie

Opportunity to Bring About Real Change

Feels like were just getting by

Statistics Canada Data:

Average spending/year for household (On

So, $61,152 2.5 = $24,261 / person

Safe to say at least $50-60

3 billion people (about 1/2 the world)

Make Poverty History

Things we produce and sell to an another country

When one country sells to another

Things produced by another country that we buy

Taxes charged on each item entering our country

Trade links the world, but creates

Committed to Poverty Reduction

Low and unstable prices for commodities

Goals of Oxfams MakeTradeFair:

Give poor countries access to rich

Stop forcing poor countries to privatize

Why campaign on trade now?

1. Current system inhumane &

Organized campaigning works - e.g.

Allow trade system to stay unjust, face

Nature of the Debt Crisis

Poor countries borrow money from

Loan interest has accumulated over decades

Making debt payments prevents spending on

African governments: average $14 per person a

Less $$ spent on debt payments = more $$ to

Loans Given Carelessly

The Poor (Often):

They Didnt Make the Loans, Didnt

Need Better Accountability For Loan

Effects of Debt Cancellation

Uganda: reduced HIV infection rates, and

G8 (8 richest countries) Summit in July

Poverty awareness campaigns active at this

G8 leaders discussed issues of global

Such as trade, loans, aid

G8 (8 richest countries) Summit in July

Leaders agreed to cancel debt of 18 most

What Must Be Done

100% debt cancellation

3. More and Better Aid

Percentage of GNI (Gross National

Canada: gives only 0.33%; 0.70% is the

3. More and Better Aid

Reach the UNs Millennium Development

3. More and Better Aid

Better Aid: Tied Aid vs Untied Aid

Aid is often tied to Economic Policies;

Spend money on Canadian products