§ Mr. McWalterTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations she has received from the organisers of Jubilee 2000; and if she will make a statement about those targets for debt relief set out by Jubilee 2000 which conflict with Government targets. [47308]
§ Clare ShortWe have regular contacts with the organisers of Jubilee 2000 about international debt. Last month, I was delighted to have been able to address many of their supporters, who had travelled to Birmingham at the time of the G8 Summit.
Jubilee 2000's targets, and those of the Government set out in the Mauritius Mandate launched by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor last September, seek the same overall objective —the remission of the unpayable debts of the world's poorest countries. We both recognise the important part debt relief can play in the eradication of poverty, that creditors and debtor governments share responsibility for finding sustainable solutions, and that work must be tackled on a case-by-case basis, with debtors themselves being closely consulted in the process.
The Government have been pressing for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt Initiative to be implemented as quickly as possible. At the G8 Summit, leaders agreed to encourage all eligible countries to put in place the policy measures needed to ensure that by 2000 they had at least embarked on the process which will lead to debt relief, which is one of the main aims of the Mauritius Mandate.