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?

Exercise: Getting By

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)

Exercise: Getting By

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

Exercise: Getting By

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

3. More and Better Aid

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.

3. More and Better Aid

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

3. More and Better Aid

More countries
receive aid
than give it:

3. More and Better Aid

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

4. Eliminating Child
Poverty in Canada

Key investments:

More money for low-income families

Affordable housing
Higher minimum wage
Universal and affordable "early
learning" childcare

4. Eliminating Child
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?