Organizations Ask G20 Countries to Freeze Debts

Organizations Ask G20 Countries to Freeze Debts

Some employers and workers' organizations have called on G20 countries to freeze debts from low and middle income countries affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The International Chamber of Commerce asked that freeze repayments from debt services from G20 countries, expanding its scope and facilitate repayments not only to low-income countries but also to middle-income countries. In addition to UTO, groups such as International Trade Union Confederation and Global Citizen also called on the finance ministers of G20 countries to increase the participation of private lenders. These groups stressed that more measures should be taken to improve the global economy in a statement released Monday. According to the report in Reuters, global finance officials said in a statement they made last week that they thought it might be necessary to restructure a debt specific to countries affected by the coronavirus outbreak. So far, 41 countries have applied to the G20 Debt Services Freeze Initiative to take advantage of debt restructuring services. Ivory Coast, Ethiopia and Pakistan are among the 20 countries that have been signed. However, many countries that are at risk of not paying debt are not deemed eligible for the bailout program, as they fail to provide the conditions for deferring debt.