At Religion Dispatches, Mark S. Hanson writes about the moral imperative of wealthy nations to fight poverty, and Obama’s responsibilities at G-20:
People of faith and conscience must call on the most powerful governments in the world to help shape a global economy that provides sufficient and sustainable livelihoods for all. A few months ago economists thought the poorest developing nations might be shielded from the harsh consequences of the current crisis because they are still not fully integrated into the global economy. Today, it is clear that this is not the case: the World Bank’s projects that an additional 53 million people in low-income countries will be pushed into poverty this year.
Communities of faith will continue working to provide for those most in need. But the needs are too great for faith-based and other non-governmental organizations to meet alone. The world’s wealthiest nations must also fulfill their responsibility by increasing life-saving aid, expanding debt relief for poor nations and reforming the international-financial institutions.
Read the full post here.