Pay Later: G20 Extends Debt Relief for Developing Countries

WASHINGTON, KOMPAS.com - The Group of 20 (G20) nations agreed to extend debt relief for another six months to support poor nations in their fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The G20 represents the world’s biggest economies and their decision of extending debt relief to the most vulnerable countries was made on Wednesday.

The G20 stated that the suspension of debt payments by another half a year could provide debt relief of $14 billion that had been due to expire at the end of 2020.

Wednesday’s decision gives developing nations until the end of June 2021 to focus on spending on health care and emergency stimulus programs rather than debt repayments.

Read also: IMF Sees Worsening Economic Outlook for Emerging Markets

The G20 announcement was made initially on Twitter during a meeting of the group’s finance ministers and central bank governors, and later confirmed at a news conference.

The virtual discussions are being held at the start of this week's meetings of the 189-nation International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which are also being conducted virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic.

International aid groups expressed disappointment that more debt relief isn't being provided to developing countries by extending the moratorium on debt payments for a full year or by forgiving part of the debt rather than merely suspending payments.

“This pandemic has laid bare a glaring and unjust double standard: The world's wealthiest countries play by one set of rules, and the world's poorest by another,” said David McNair, Executive Director for Global Policy at ONE, an international aid group.

G20 officials argued that the coronavirus-pandemic-induced relief that is being provided is helping 46 of the 73 countries eligible with efforts underway to expand the help.

Some critics have also complained that China objected to portions of the G20's debt relief plans that have been advanced.

Read also: China’s Economy Swiftly Rebounding, Boosted by International Trade

“It is unfortunate that the pressing need for broader debt relief for poor countries is being stymied by the apparent recalcitrance of China, which has become a major creditor,” said Eswar Prasad, an Economics Professor at Cornell University and a former Head of the IMF’s China Division.

“China has proven a reluctant participant in multilateral debt relief efforts, putting its narrow economic and geopolitical interests ahead of a collective approach to easing the burden on poor countries.”

“We still need to do more," Mohammed al-Jadaan, the Finance Minister for Saudi Arabia, this year’s Chair of the G20, acknowledged at a news conference after Wednesday's meeting.

"We must ensure these nations are fully supported in their efforts to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic... We have agreed to extend the debt service suspension initiative by six months.”

Al-Jadaan said there will be further discussions at April’s spring meetings to decide whether the suspension should be extended for an additional six months.

He stressed that the coronavirus pandemic has threatened the fiscal stability of many countries, particularly the poorest.

Read also: IMF: Indonesia Economy to Contract 1.5 Percent Next Year due to Covid-19

Al-Jadaan said that another finance ministers’ meeting will be held virtually next month, before the leaders’ summit on November 21-22.

He said the goal will be to agree on a framework that goes beyond even the current debt suspension initiative. He did not elaborate.

The United States is represented at the G20 finance meetings by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

Transparency International, Amnesty International and a collective of groups called CIVICUS had written to the G20 finance ministers ahead of their meeting to warn that the world is facing a crisis unlike any in the last century and that debt suspension is only a first step.

Though the global economy has begun a gradual recovery since the start of the coronavirus pandemic with the reopening of businesses and borders, the recovery has been sharply uneven.

Read also: World Economy Faring Better but Crisis Far from Over, says IMF Chief

The groups said that many of the poorest countries are still spending more on debt payments than on life-saving public services.

They urged the G20 nations to suspend debt payments at least through 2021. Some countries, like Pakistan, have called for an outright cancellation of debt payments.

Oxfam International said it believes that the six-month extension for developing countries was “the bare minimum the G20 could do”.

“The failure to cancel debt payments will only delay the tsunami of debt that will engulf many of the world’s poorest countries, leaving them unable to afford the investment in healthcare and social safety nets so desperately needed,” said Jaime Atienza, an Oxfam official who manages debt policy.

Read also: Getting Stronger: Indonesia's Recovery from Dutch Legacy of Severe Debt

Oxfam and other groups are also calling for private lenders and investment funds to make similar concessions for the poorest countries by suspending their debt repayments.

The G20, in a final communique, also urged private lenders to join its initiative for debt suspension during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are disappointed by the absence of progress of private creditors’ participation” in the debt relief, “and strongly encourage them to participate on comparable terms when requested by eligible countries,” it said.

(Writers: Martin Crutsinger, Aya Batrawy)

Source: https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-david-malpass-g-20-summit-united-states-074bab3f519c0cf2922bd7de2c20422c