The ONE Campaign appeals for Liberian debt relief

The ONE Campaign -- a popular network of US citizens and NGOs that advocates for issues related to world poverty -- has sent out a call to action about Liberian debt to its more than 2 million members. The ONE Campaign has asked its members to write directly to the IMF to encourage them to extend immediately debt relief to Liberia. The message is as follows:


"On April 12, 1980, Samuel Doe staged a military-coup in Liberia, killing the president in his home and bringing an end to the first African republic. During his decade of brutal dictatorial rule, Doe borrowed billions of dollars from international creditors to consolidate his power. Eventually, his regime collapsed into a bloody civil war that lasted 14 years and claimed the lives of 1 in 12 Liberians.

But now Liberia has rebounded. There is peace, and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, once a political prisoner during Doe's regime, has been elected as the first female head of state on the African continent. Sadly the Liberian people are still saddled with $4.5 billion of Doe's debt.

The International Monetary Fund has promised to cancel this unjust debt when Liberia met certain benchmarks, but has done nothing in the 18 long months since Liberia fulfilled its end of the bargain. We're asking them to make good on their promises by sending them an email and demanding action.


The IMF's incredible foot-dragging and stalling have hamstrung the recovery efforts. IMF management has failed for a year and a half to negotiate the way that the debt relief will work. The result is a deadly waiting game that not only costs lives, but also endangers Liberia's stability.

Since the IMF normally only hears from governments, not people like us, when we send them emails demanding action, our voices will be heard loud and clear. Please send the IMF an email right now, and let them know that you won't stand for their negligence.

In the last two weeks, almost 50,000 ONE members have sent letters and more than 4,000 placed calls to Congress in support of international debt relief—making our current efforts against debt our most effective advocacy campaign in the last year. But we can't stop now.

Getting Congress to pass the Jubilee Act is only step one. That act is about making new commitments to additional countries that need debt cancellation, but what good are these commitments if we don't follow through on promises already made to countries like Liberia? If the IMF continues to hold up debt relief our efforts so far will be for nothing. We have to show both Congress and global financial institutions that we are serious about debt relief and will flood their mailboxes and make their phones ring off the hook until they do what is right.

Thank you for your voice,
Josh Peck, ONE.org

P.S. Since the United States is the largest donor to the IMF, ONE partner organization Jubilee USA will also be hand-delivering our letters to the U.S. Treasury. This is a great chance to double our impact if we take action now.