'Debt for Climate' march and rally in Lusaka, Zambia calls for debt cancellation as part of global action
150+ activists march through the streets and deliver a letter to World Bank officials demanding debt cancellation
Lusaka, Zambia—Today, as the World Bank Spring Meetings wrap up in Washington, DC, groups with Debt for Climate held protests across the globe, including a march and rally in Lusaka. Activists called on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to address the debt crisis through debt relief for developing countries. They also delivered a letter demanding debt cancellation and detailing how debt has trapped climate action and development in Zambia. “Zambia is in the middle of a huge debt crisis,” stated Precious Kalombwana. “The combination of 80 years of the IMF’s crippling loans and the pandemic has pushed debts up even higher, leaving little to spend on health, education and social protection.”
Carrying massive, colorful placards and banners, hundreds of rousing activists marched through the streets of Lusaka. This event was part of a global mobilization, mobilizing on April 19 with marches, street theater, press conferences, educational forums, and music performances to declare that 80 years of debt colonialism are enough. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and private lenders are the primary targets in this call for cancellation of Global South debt to enable a self-determined and just energy transition.
“The Zambia government urgently needs money to deal with the climate crisis and protect citizens from economic hardship, but instead, we are trapped spending billions in debt repayments to creditors. This money which could have been put to productive use and climate mitigation is instead spent on debt repayments. Debt cancellation is vital for Zambia. It is a matter of social, economic and climate justice” Kalombwana added.
The march was co-organized with ActionAid.
Background information: www.debtforclimate.org/post/bretton-woods-80th-anniversary-july-1944
About the Glasgow Actions Team:
Formed before the UN Climate Conference in 2021, the Glasgow Actions Team is committed to pushing the world's climate champions to go farther, calling out the blockers, and exposing the deniers. Throughout the 2024 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group they'll be running extremely mediagenic actions calling on the World Bank to get in line with the Paris Climate Goals — to stop funding fossil fuels, invest in renewables, relieve debt, and become a more transparent and democratic institution.
