Jubilee 2025 Campaign

We are mobilizing a worldwide ecumenical movement advocating for systemic change to address global economic inequality and the burden of unjust debt. Join us in the Jubilee 2025  Turn Debt Into Hope campaign and be part of a global movement for change.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18

To bring this international campaign to life in Canada, ORCIE has been working with KAIROS, who is leading the campaign in collaboration with Citizens for Public Justice and Development and Peace – Caritas Canada and ORCIE. The Canadian Council of Churches has been active in developing the campaign and will be inviting its member churches to support it.  

Thanks to work with ecumenical partners and debt networks worldwide we have a global petition campaign aiming for 10M signatures pushing for financial reform and the urgent cancellation of unfair global debt. Throughout 2025 we will use the petition for advocacy initiatives at strategic moments like the upcoming G7 and G20 meetings, as well as COP30.

Another heartfelt appeal I would make is directed to the more affluent nations. I ask that they acknowledge the gravity of so many of their past decisions and determine to forgive the debts of countries that will never be able to repay them. Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit

Why now?

The Jubilee 2000 campaign is often remembered as one of the most successful ecumenical campaigns in Canada, achieving bilateral debt cancelation and contributing to a global campaign that has canceled $130 billion of debt in 36 countries. The Jubilee year of 2025 brings a renewed opportunity for reflection and action. Today, many countries are spending more money on debt repayments than on healthcare, education or climate action. It is a life and death situation.

Ecological Debt

Calling for financial reform and the urgent cancellation of unfair global debt is only part of the equation. Wealthy countries, including Canada, and corporations exploit resources from heavily indebted countries and from Indigenous communities causing human rights violations and severe ecological harm. This creates an “ecological debt” owed to those countries and to Indigenous peoples.

Ready for the deep dive?

Jubilee 2025 POSITIONING: Addressing ecological debt demands a fundamental rethinking of global power dynamics and our shared responsibility for the planet. Learn more about the concept of ecological debt and its deep connections to global financial exploitation in a special in-depth position paper. We have a moral duty to reform financial systems that perpetuate unsustainable debt and to recognize ecological debt, shifting the traditional creditor-debtor relationship toward equity and fairness.

Read the executive summary or full paper: Linking Ecological Debt to Global Financial Exploitation

Jubilee 2025 VOICES FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH: Incorporating narratives and insights from Religious in the Global South into our political advocacy efforts to create momentum within the federal government of Canada to pay our fair share toward adaptation, mitigation and loss and damage funds in the Global South. Perspectives from the Global South are critical for raising awareness in Canada and creating the political will that is necessary for a more robust response to climate change.

Hear from Religious in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and India

Together, we can turn debt into hope!

More than 3.3 billion people live in countries that are spending more on debt payments than on health or education, standing in the way of sustainable development. For heavily indebted countries, public debt has grown so large that repayment is impossible, burdening future generations. This can change.

Public, private and multilateral creditors must cancel or reduce debts, and political leaders must support a multilateral framework for debt resolution. This would be a transformative shift for billions of people, moving us from a model focused on profit and enriching creditors to one that prioritizes a just society, centering people and the planet.

ORCIE invites you to sign the petition online.

Or use a paper version of the petition to use in your communities. (But just sign once!) Check out excellent resources by our partner organizations – like this faith based reflection, via Development and Peace, and these videos by KAIROS partners. Stay tuned for events and activities as we engage in a experience of Jubilee throughout this coming year and beyond.