§ 25. Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department is giving to the Jubilee 2000 project. [57826]
§ Clare ShortMy Department gives no financial support to Jubilee 2000. But we share the objective of early cancellation of the unpayable debts of the poorest, most heavily indebted countries. I was pleased to have been able to address the Jubilee 2000 rally in Birmingham in May, attended by some 50,000 people from all over Britain lobbying for the cancellation of debt to the poorest countries. This helped to ensure that debt was on the agenda of the G8 Summit. We are clear that debt relief is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for consistent poverty reduction. Some very poor countries have managed to pay their debt but need assistance to support poverty reduction and some countries such as Uganda which have received debt relief need continuing development assistance if they are to meet the international poverty eradication targets.