Take That, Debt!

November 16th, 2007 at 6:05 pm

On October 26, ONE members sent tens of thousands of emails to the International Monetary Fund asking them to make good on their promises and cancel Liberia’s debt. We sent so many emails that flooded IMF’s email system and it couldn’t handle them all.

The best part? It worked. We did it. We put on the pressure, and they responded. But you don’t have to take my word for it.

Yesterday, Masood Ahmed, Director of the IMF’s External Relations, posted an open letter on the IMF’s website announcing that they finally took the step necessary to move forward. Some key excerpts:

I am pleased to inform you that on November 12, 2007, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has secured adequate pledges from member countries for the cost of the IMF’s debt relief to Liberia
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We have received a large volume of emails on this topic, so this letter is being posted because it is impossible to respond to each message individually.
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I take this opportunity to also thank all those who have expressed their concerns about Liberia’s debt situation. Their strong support to the cause of debt relief contributed to the broad donor support that made this financing possible.

Folks have been celebrating all afternoon on the ONE Blog, and rightly so. There is still a lots of be done for canceling Liberia’s debt, but this is a huge step.  Congratulations to everyone who had a had a hand in this victory.