MANILA, 14 May 2015 – An Asian civil society alliance and its partners today called for the cancellation of all of Nepal’s debts in the aftermath of two strong earthquakes that struck the country.
“We stand in solidarity with our colleagues and the rest of the Nepal in these critical moments. We ask governments, international financial institutions, international banks, and other lenders to do the same by immediately, totally, and unconditionally cancelling the country’s debts,” said Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD).
Nepal’s finance ministry reported that the country owes a total of almost US$3.5 billion in external debts as of last October. Just above US$3 billion are owed to multilateral banks such as the Asian Development Bank and International Development Association.
“Already a Least Developed Country, Nepal is pushed back at least by a decade in its development efforts by these devastating earthquakes,” said Dr. Sarba Khadka of Rural Reconstruction Nepal, an APMDD member organization, which endorsed the alliance’s statement.
The alliance’s other Nepalese member organizations – mostly rural, human rights, and women’s groups currently providing relief support – supported the call along with movements from other countries.
More than 8,000 people have died and an estimated eight million people have been affected by the first, magnitude-7.8 earthquake which hit Nepal last April 25. A magnitude-7.3 quake followed 2 days ago (May 12), claiming the lives of at least 76 more also in India and Tibet.
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
The Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (formerly Jubilee South–Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development) is a regional alliance of peoples’ movements and organizations, coalitions, and non-governmental organizations.
APMDD’s Nepalese members Rural Reconstruction Nepal, Right to Food Network Nepal, Jagaran Nepal, and Campaign for Climate Justice–Nepal support the call for debt cancellation, along with its Nepal-based networks South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication and LDC [Least Developed Countries] Watch.