UK agency gives G8 summit less than a passing grade, says conference was tragically close to failure on Africa
by Michael Ireland
June 11, 2007
LONDON, ENGLAND (ANS) -- A British relief and development agency has given this year's G8 summit in Germany a grade of 5/10, which is tragically close to failure, particularly on Africa. Andy Atkins, advocacy director for the UK-based Tearfund organization (www.tearfund.org) said: "These unfulfilled Gleneagles G8 promises will cost millions of lives. Two years after the grand promises of Gleneagles, the true ambivalence of the G8's concern for Africa is becoming apparent. The early success of Gleneagles is being squandered by paltry responses on Aids, trade and aid."
On climate change, Tearfund says the G8 leaders have jumped some important hurdles, but there is still a long way to go.
"Only if the UN negotiations get underway at Bali and are concluded successfully in 2009 will we be able to say that the world is on course to avert catastrophic climate change," says a Tearfund statement. "If we pass a tipping point of a global temperature rise of 2 degrees, which could be within 50 years, more than a billion people could face water shortages and over 250 million food shortages. We are holding the world to ransom and it is imperative that clear targets are urgently set and agreed by 2009.
Tearfund says that the G8 approach to HIV/AIDS is "potentially a betrayal of the promises made at Gleneagles."
The Tearfund statement says: "Millions of people living with HIV & AIDS will suffer as a result of this piecemeal response to calls for long-term funding."
It adds: "Whilst it is good news that the G8 has recommitted to providing near universal access to ARVs (antiretrovirals) for people with HIV and AIDS, they are still badly off track for delivering this. The pledge of $60 billion has no deadline for delivery and will not go nearly far enough to bring them back on track. Even more worryingly, they are targeting only 5 million people for treatment when it is more like 10-16 million people who need it. It would be criminal if this inaccurate target is used to constrain the delivery of the promise further down the line. If so, the G8 will have failed the continent of Africa. This means less than half of people that need treatment will receive it -- at least 5 million people will lose their lives. We do welcome the new emphasis on mother-child transmission, feminization of HIV/AIDS and the need to build up health systems- all of which we have been calling for."
Tearfund says the communique says nothing new on trade."For example, the aid for trade commitment of $4bn in this communique was also in the St Petersburg G8 communique of 2006. The G8 say that they are 'committed' to working together in support of regional integration and trade in Africa. However, while this is fine rhetoric, the European members of the G8 are pushing trade deals on Africa that will do the opposite.
The Tearfund statement says: "It is a shocking omission that water & sanitation are simply not mentioned at all. G8 leaders have ignored the United Nations Development Program, who last November called for the G8 to announce a global action plan on water & sanitation. Four times as many children die from water related diseases every year as die from AIDS therefore it is critical the Japanese G8 delivers on the global action plan.
