Jubilee 2000 aimed to eliminate Third World foreign debt by 2000, based on the biblical concept of Jubilee. The movement had some success but fell short of its goal. It inspired continuing organizations dedicated to debt relief and forgiveness worldwide.
Jubilee 2000 is an international coalition of churches and activist groups that sought to eliminate Third World foreign debt by the year 2000. Based on a biblical concept, Jubilee 2000 had some success but fell short of its lofty goal of eliminating 100% of the debt. debt. Several continuing organizations remain dedicated to the cause of the original movement and continue to work for debt reduction, relief, and forgiveness throughout the world.
The Jubilee is a biblical concept taken from the Old Testament book of Leviticus. The text suggests that every 50 years, debts must be forgiven and slaves freed from slavery. Whether the Jubilee was actually a practiced tradition is unknown, but the concept was borrowed to coincide with the Catholic Church’s celebration of the year 2000, known as the Great Jubilee. During this time, the Catholic Church celebrated the forgiveness of sin through special celebrations, an apt metaphor for the forgiveness of Third World debt by powerful nations.
The concept of Jubilee 2000 originated with Professor Martin Dent, a retired teacher who was asked by Britain’s Keele University to give a talk on global poverty. Professor Dent linked the concept of the jubilee year to debt reduction initiatives. Inspired, some of his students started the organization that would grow to become Jubilee 2000. Quickly embraced by influential religious leaders, the group soon began to gain worldwide attention, gaining support from refugee groups, trade organizations, highly visible celebrities, and various associations of activists.
During the G-8 summit in Birmingham on May 16, 1998, between 50,000-70,000 activists for the movement demonstrated near a meeting of the world’s most powerful leaders. Despite a meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair, the group made little progress and decided to try again the following year. Thanks to the group’s concerted efforts, the 1999 summit included an announcement of approximately $100 billion US dollars (USD) for developing nations. Although this did not meet demands for full debt forgiveness, many saw it as a triumph and a sign of a hopeful future. Other changes attributed to the Jubilee 2000 efforts include relief and pardon agreements in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Following the turn of the millennium, Jubilee 2000 was disbanded and reformed into various nation-based action committees. Some of the larger groups include Jubilee USA Network and Jubilee South. These groups continue to press the nation’s leaders to increase and improve debt forgiveness around the world.
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