Zambia is in the middle of a huge debt crisis. Between 2019 and 2021 public spending was cut by 21% in the name of paying the debt.
BlackRock is one of Zambia’s biggest lenders. During the pandemic they refused Zambia’s request to suspend debt repayments, alongside other big global banks. Sky high interest rates mean that Zambians are due to pay back double what was initially borrowed.
Right now, the Zambian government is negotiating with BlackRock and other lenders to get some of its huge amount of unjust debt written off. Stand in solidarity with Zambian campaigners and help put pressure on BlackRock during these negotiations to cancel the debt.
Take action
On 21 September, we are mobilising as many people as possible to bombard BlackRock with phone calls throughout the day. We want to make sure BlackRock hears us loud and clear.
How to make your call
Call BlackRock HQ on 020 7743 3000
Here is an example of what you can say:
“Hello, my name is [say your name] and I would like to leave a message for your CEO, Larry Fink.
Can you please tell Larry Fink that I am very concerned that Zambia’s debt crisis is pushing people into poverty and hardship and that BlackRock needs to cancel Zambia’s debt.
Thank you for your time.”
If you come across any issues with leaving a message for Larry Fink, you can also say you want to leave the message for Stephen Cohen who is BlackRock’s Head of Africa division and he is based in London.
Please remember that the person answering the phone is just an employee of BlackRock so please ensure your call is respectful, this will also ensure the call handler will log your call in their system.
Film your call
If you can, it would be great if you could film your call and then share it on social media with the hashtag #CancelZambiasDebt and we can help share it on our channels too so that more people can see this action is happening.