Parish Activities - Justice & Peace

JUSTICE AND PEACE - AT THE HEART OF OUR PARISH LIFE

GLOBAL JUSTICE AND THE COMMON GOOD: WHAT CAN I DO?

Prior to the general elections of both 1997 and 2001, the Bishops reminded us that:

The universal common good is violated if there are places anywhere in the world where basic needs like clean water, food, shelter, health care, education and livelihood are not available to all, or if the rights and dignity of all are not respected. (The Common Good - Bishops Document)

On these terms, the universal common good is clearly being violated today.

• One sixth of the world's population produce 78% of the world's goods & services and receive 78% of global income - about $70 a day per capita
• Meanwhile, 2.8 billion people live on less than $2 a day
• 7 children in 1000 die before the age of 5 in high-income countries; 90 in 1000 die before age 5 in low-income countries
• More than 1 billion people do not have safe drinking water
• More than 110m primary school age children in poor countries do not attend school
• Huge imbalances in the use of natural resources between rich and poor countries
• Rich countries have been the primary beneficiaries of the huge growth in world trade in the past few decades

These are examples of the gulf that exists today between the affluent "North" and the developing "South". And these inequalities are not getting any smaller: even as the poor get slightly less poor, the rich get even richer and claim an even greater share of the world's resources and output.

This is clearly contrary to global social justice. But how should one react? When looking at the bald facts it is hard not to feel a sense of hopelessness. Yet we can all learn from, and be humbled by, the resourcefulness, courage, and determination of those living in situations of adversity.

Several years ago I spent a year in Colombia, mainly working with rural communities, all materially very poor by our standards. My work revolved around supporting the development of local, income-generating projects. But what has most remained with me of my time in Colombia is not the poverty, nor the violence, nor the inequalities in society - however great all of these undoubtedly were (and continue to be).

It is, first, the unquenshability of the human spirit. And second, the way in which individuals are able to make a real difference to their own lives, with the right encouragement, support and training, and when they believe in what they are doing.

Decades of "top-down" development policies, involving large flows of aid and loans from North to South, and often resulting in a very unequal relationship between donor/lender and recipient country, have been largely unsuccessful. The vast inequalities highlighted above are testament to that. It has become clear that a more "bottom-up" approach is called for, if real, sustainable improvements to people's lives are to be achieved.

As Pope John Paul II put it in the Jubilee Year:

Now is the time for a new creativity in charity, not only by ensuring that help is effective but also by "getting close" to those who suffer, so that the hand that helps is seen not as a humiliating handout but as a sharing between brothers and sisters.

There are measures that can be taken by governments and multilateral agencies. Raising the amount, focus and effectiveness of aid, for example; or action on debt relief for the most severely indebted countries, so that they can focus resources on improving basic services (the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa allocate an annual average of $12bn to service their debts - double the amount spent on education).

Despite the protestations of "anti-globalisation" campaigners, trade is another crucial factor in boosting incomes in developing countries: "trade not aid" as the saying has it. But yes, global trading mechanisms must be fair and transparent; the new global trade round (established in Qatar in November 2001) must take the interests of poorer countries into full consideration.

What can I do?

As individuals, we also can play an active part in striving for greater social justice worldwide. Campaigning is one activity. Recent events have shown just how powerful popular campaigning can be. Government agreements to offer debt relief to some countries were due in part to the campaigning of the Jubilee 2000 coalition. And consumer boycotts and protests have forced major multinationals such as Nike to reform their supply standards.

On a more everyday level, fair trade allows us as consumers to support communities in poor countries in a very direct and meaningful way. With fair trade, the buyer-seller relationship at source level is an unexploitative one, and producers receive a fair price for their goods. Bananas, coffee, sugar, chocolate, clothing, paper, gifts… the more people buy, the more the range of fair trade products available, and the quality of those products, increases. Eventually, there will be no need for the activities of Traidcraft, Oxfam and the like, in sourcing and selling fairly-traded goods. Already, the momentum is building, with major manufacturers signing up to ethical trading commitments and supermarkets stocking a few major fair-trade brands, such as Cafédirect. There is still a long way to go, though; and your custom could make a real difference.

On the personal level, prayer, and a willingness both to share with and learn from our brothers and sisters throughout the world, are essential elements in transforming opportunities and attitudes, and helping to overcome poverty wherever it occurs - both of a material and spiritual kind.

By Lucy Tyler, J&P co-ordinator

If you would like more information, please contact the Justice and Peace group.

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