Presbyterian Hunger Program Associate discusses global investigation
by Darla Carter | Presbyterian News Service
LOUISVILLE — A trove of leaked documents about rich and powerful people funneling assets into offshore tax havens was the subject of a recent blog post by Valéry Nodem of the Presbyterian Hunger Program.
Nodem also highlights the Pandora Papers in an online interview with the Presbyterian News Service in which he discusses important findings, the impact on some ministry partners, and why he thinks the church should be engaged in this issue.
The Pandora Papers is a global investigation led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that has “revealed the secret holdings of more than 330 politicians and high-level public officials in more than 90 countries and territories,” according to ICIJ.
Valéry Nodem speaks as part of a panel during 2019 Ecumenical Advocacy Days (Photo by Rich Copley)
The investigation, based on about 12 million leaked documents, is concerning because as some people were being asked to “tighten their belts in their countries because the economy was supposedly bad, rich people were very busy hiding money that could be used to make living conditions for the majority better, so I wanted to write about that,” Nodem said.
The Associate for International Hunger Concerns, who’s from Cameroon, said he also wanted to educate people in the United States that “this country is home to a lot of tax havens that make it possible for the global elite to divert money from their people. I thought people in the pews would need to know that and would want to do something about it.”
The Presbyterian Hunger Program is one of the Compassion, Peace and Justice ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. It is supported by your gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing.
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You can listen to the interview with Nodem in the video above (or here).
Subscribe to PHP’s “Together for Justice” blog here.
Find issues of the PHP Post here.
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Categories: Hunger & Poverty, Matthew 25, Special Offerings
Tags: associate for international hunger concerns, compassion peace & justice, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, One Great Hour of Sharing, pandora papers, php post, presbyterian hunger program, Special Offerings, together for justice, Valery Nodem
Ministries: National Hunger & Poverty, Presbyterian Hunger Program, Matthew 25 in the PC(USA): Join the Movement, Special Offerings