7 November 2001
Poverty issues should guide government spending - Church
The Catholic Church in Zambia has called on the government to let
poverty alleviation strategies guide the way it spends money. "While we support
government's efforts in development, we challenge it to use the Poverty
Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) as a guide line in this year's budget," the
Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) said in a statement on Nov 6.-
The PRSP is joint approach by the government, the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund - with local civil society input - aimed at
reducing poverty.
A spokeswoman for the CCJP in Lusaka told IRIN that the statement
reflected the kinds of issues that it would like to see raised in the country's
2002 budget, which is normally presented during the first quarter. "We present
this pre-budget statement to the government to consider during its budget
preparations for the year 2002, especially in the social sectors," the
statement said.
The CCJP said that although it acknowledged that economic growth was
necessary, it was not "sufficient" to reduce poverty. "Irrespective of the
depressed global economy, Zambia's own domestic economy is in tatters, with the
closure of two banks. People who saved with these banks have not been paid
their dues, bringing suffering to whole households. Oil prices are high,
causing an increase in the price of goods and services, and a decrease in
living standards," said the CCJP.
It urged the government to exercise "fiscal discipline" and to hold
mid-term reviews, and increase its budgetary allocation to social welfare and
social programmes especially in the fields of health and education. The CCJP
added that greater attention had to be given to agriculture because of its
importance in creating employment and promoting food security.
"The CCJP recommends that the budget be rural based, and that relief
money be used for women and children's projects. The budget should now be
focused on the needs of the poor, and ensure that there is equity and equality
in the distribution of the wealth of the nation," said the statement.
The CCJP also renewed its call on international financial institutions
to completely cancel Zambia's debt. "The worsening poverty situation has been
attributed to the huge external debt. The continuous payment of the interest
has meant reduced social, health and education facilities," the statement said.
(IRIN)
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