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Christian Aid/Matthew Gonzalez-Noda SupporterS dema ‘greener’ leader CampaignS A wArning to the Conservatives that they must not abandon their pledge to be the ‘greenest government ever’ was delivered by supporters of Christian Aid, CAFoD and tearfund at a candlelit vigil on the eve of the party conference. More than 1,000 people came to Manchester in october for the Bearing witness event, to put pressure on the government not to forget its promise. Eighteen months on from David Cameron’s ‘green’ pledge, the charities came together to urge him to play a proactive role in delivering climate policy that helps vulnerable communities in poor countries that are bearing the brunt of climate change. Following an afternoon of talks and workshops and an ecumenical service in Manchester Cathedral, the charities’ supporters marched to the conference centre to call on the Conservative Party to do all it could to make sure the Durban summit delivered for the poorest people in the world. Developed nations pledged in 2009 that a fund would be up and running by 2013 to deliver US$100bn of climate finance per year by 2020 to help poorer countries cope with the impact of climate change. But the charities fear that the economic crisis may result in rich nations not fulfilling this pledge. Poor people urgently need climate finance to adapt to climate change and develop in a low-carbon way. Samson Malesi, a climate activist from Kenya, who addressed supporters during the afternoon, stressed: ‘Climate change is a reality, and a very grim reality in the African context… but this is the time that we can make the change that we believe in. the African people are raising their voice and crying out for climate justice.’ Christian Aid’s director, Loretta Minghella, said: ‘we need the government to galvanise international support for the extension of the Kyoto Protocol, without which there would be no enforceable rules on carbon emissions, and we risk climate anarchy.’ 16 Christian Aid News
nd SHip Tax havens: we’re gaining momentum! twelve months ago Christian aid was one of a small handful of organisations that came together to create a new global campaign to end tax Haven Secrecy, but, reports campaigns officer alasdair Roxburgh (pictured below), already it has started to win real successes, thanks to your campaigning efforts CaFOD’s director, Chris Bain, said: ‘In 2010 David Cameron promised that his government would be “the greenest government ever”. We’re calling on him to hold true to that promise for the world’s poorest people by leading international efforts to deliver the support they were promised.’ The charities acknowledge that Britain has, in the past, positioned itself as a world leader on climate finance issues, but that in the midst of the economic crisis, such leadership is notable by its absence. you can see more photos and watch a video of the day at christianaid.org.uk/ActNow/ climate-justice Christian Aid/Matthew Gonzalez-Noda Tax havens play a key role in allowing some multinational companies to dodge paying the taxes they owe in poor countries – it’s one of the great injustices of our times. ending the secrecy that surrounds these jurisdictions would make it much harder for companies to dodge the taxes they owe, and unlock billions to lift poor people out of poverty. Throughout 2011 the end Tax haven secrecy campaign grew as more and more organisations joined the movement for change. By the time the G20 met in november in France, 56 organisations from more than 20 countries were part of the campaign alongside Christian aid. In the build-up to the meeting in France, thousands signed the petition for the G20 to act on tax haven secrecy. When it seemed as if the G20 might renege completely on its promise to look at tax havens, thousands of Christian aid supporters responded to keep it on the G20 agenda. Steps in the right direction By the time of the G20 meeting, more than 40,000 people worldwide had called for world leaders to take action on tax havens and they did make some small steps. Action taken by the G20 included: • Voluntary sharing of financial information between G20 members – this is a first step towards automatic information exchange between tax authorities, which would mean tax dodgers would have nowhere to hide. however this does not include tax havens, which are key in tax dodging. • A call for greater corporate transparency, which is welcome, but we need them to push for a new accountancy standard that requires firms to publish their accounts on a country-by-country basis. • Blacklisting some of the world’s worst tax havens, including switzerland. The rhetoric coming out of Cannes was also positive; for example, French president nicolas sarkozy, who was hosting the G20, said the worst offenders ‘will be excluded from the international community’. Keeping up the pressure These small steps leave us with a foundation for 2012 when the G20 meets again in Mexico. We want to see world leaders build on the progress made in Cannes and push for full automatic information exchange for all countries, including tax havens, and country-by-country reporting for multinational companies. The global movement continues to gain momentum around the world and we need to maintain this pressure. please help keep up the pressure by signing and returning the ‘suitcase’ postcard in this issue of Christian Aid News to the new G20 chair, president Felipe Calderon of Mexico. The movement to end the injustice of tax dodging is growing. Together we can keep up the momentum. Join our Trace the Tax campaign at christianaid. org.uk/ActNow/trace-the-tax/ Christian Aid News 17
Page 1 and 2: CHRISTIAN AID NEWS Issue 54 Winter
Page 3 and 4: 020 7620 4444 CONTENTS F1986 EDITOR
Page 5 and 6: To view the audio gallery, please g
Page 7 and 8: malawi Grant funds £10.1m climate
Page 9 and 10: afghanisTan updaTe CHRISTIAN AID NE
Page 11 and 12: Climate Change: talk is just not en
Page 13 and 14: Every day we hear more than 100 voi
Page 15: Last November, Christian Aid’s Af
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Page 25 and 26: Inspired Enraged Send your views to
Page 27 and 28: ✁ DO IT YOUR WAY GOT YOUR OWN BRI
Page 29 and 30: AROUND NORTH ENGLAND From Genesis t
Page 31 and 32: AROUND THE SOUTH EAST Regional news
Page 33 and 34: AROUND WALES ¡Viva Guatemala! The
Page 35 and 36: EVENTS IN NORTH ENGLAND MONDAY 16 J
Page 37 and 38: Regional news and events in London,
Page 39 and 40: PuDS DO GOOD After-pud entertainmen
Page 41 and 42: Sweet gifts for your sweetheart on

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