This November world leaders will meet in Glasgow for COP26, where they will have the power to make important decisions about the climate crisis.

To mark the occasion and put pressure on leaders to place climate and debt justice at the heart of their negotiations, young Christians from the Young Christian Climate Network are walking a relay from Falmouth in Cornwall to Glasgow.

To celebrate them reaching Bristol, join us to listen to experts from affected communities in the global South discuss why debt cancellation is essential if we’re to tackle the climate crisis.

As extreme weather events become more common, those countries who have contributed least to the crisis are increasingly feeling its effects. Many of those countries are also in debt crisis, diverting billions of dollars to paying debts and leaving them less able invest in adapting and mitigating the devastating effects of the climate crisis.

Join us to hear about how we can campaign together in this crucial year.

The speakers:

Mae Buenaventura currently works in the Development Finance Program of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), a regional campaign alliance working around issues of climate, debt and tax justice. She has done research and written resource materials on these themes as part of APMDD's advocacy and campaign efforts, as well as their gender dimensions. She recently took on the role of leading the Debt Justice Program of APMDD and is now focused on advancing the alliance's position and analysis on the debt problem. Based in the Philippines, she is also a Board member of a national economic policy advocacy organization, the Freedom from Debt Coalition.

Jerome Phelps has been Head of Advocacy at Jubilee Debt Campaign since February 2021, where he works on promoting just solutions to the sovereign debt crisis facing many countries in the Global South.

Adrian Chikowore is the Policy and Research Consultant in the International Public Finance (IPF) Thematic Area portfolio at AFRODAD. The portfolio focuses on Aid and Development Effectiveness, Climate Finance, Emerging Lenders and Public-Private Partnerships. His role includes providing policy intelligence and coordination, research, campaigning and advocacy.

We will also hear more about the relay from Cornwall to Glasgow from speakers from YCCN:

Sophie Mitchell is a Bristol based YCCN member and is on the organising team for the Bristol residency hub. She is also a member of the Church of England’s General Synod and has spoken in debates twice about the urgent need to act fast with climate justice.

Molly Clark is from London, and is just finishing up a doctorate in English Literature. She is interested in campaigning on climate justice and human rights. She is the Regional Route Co-ordinator of the central section (Salisbury-Sheffield) for the YCCN Relay to COP26.

About Jubilee Debt Campaign

Jubilee Debt Campaign is part of a global movement working to break the chains of debt and build a finance system that works for everyone. Founded in 1996, we are a UK-based charity focused on the connections between poverty and debt.

About the Youth Christian Climate Network

YCCN are an action-focused community of young Christians in the UK aged 18-30, choosing to follow Jesus in the pursuit of climate justice.

What are YCCN calling for:

We are calling upon the UK Government to:

1. Reinstate the foreign aid budget to pre-COVID levels.

2. Secure agreement from rich countries to double the commitment of $100bn a year for climate finance

3. Develop with other governments and international organisations a new regulated climate loss and damage mechanism which not only saves lives but livelihoods.

4. Push for the debts of the world’s poorest countries to be cancelled so they can better confront the climate crisis and other urgent priorities