Since 1995, helping African nations has been an important priority for the G8 summit. In 2005, when they met in Gleneagles, the G8 indicated it as a major breakthrough when they announced a doubling of aid to Africa by 2010 and forgive Third World nations' debt. It was dubbed as the "100 percent debt relief summit.” These measures were designed to speed up progress for the Millennium Development Goals toward poverty, hunger, education and health.
However, four years later, what was hailed as a Marshall Plan for Africa in 2005 risks disintegrating into just an unfinished plan. Even as non-G8 donors, responsible for a quarter of the total aid increase, are delivering on their side of the deal, aid from the G8 countries has decreased. So far, G8 countries have raised only one third of the total pledged in 2005. Italy, the host nation for G8 2009, has continued to decrease its aid spending, and now gives less than a fifth of one per cent of its national income to reduce poverty. Even worse, any debt that was forgiven in 2005 was deducted from the aid package, as noted by the European Network on Debt and Development.
So, in the midst of one of the deepest economic downturns we have faced, the 2009 G8 summit took place in early July. As chair, Italy placed the global economy, environment and Africa at the top of the agenda to bring collectively the leaders of major middle income economies. On the third day of the summit, the leaders issued a first-ever joint G8-Africa statement, expressing their determination to build a stronger partnership to increase access to water and sanitation.
They committed to sustainable development, including development aid, climate change and peace and security. The G8 met with Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, the African Union Commission and related international organizations. Their worldwide targets include halving poverty by 2015 by using sustainable development. During the G8 summit, world leaders pledged an additional $20bn in aid to speed up agriculture in poor countries at the end of the G8 summit when $5bn was originally expected. The US$20 billion will be used over three years through the L'Aquila Food Security Initiative in support of rural development in needy countries.
However, is the money pledged adequate? The UN estimates that the number of malnourished people has increased over the past two years and will reach one billion this year; head of the UN's Food and Agriculture Agency, Jacques Diouf, says that the aid falls short of what is needed even though it is still a big jump from before. Details of the deal, and the time-frame for delivery, are still sketchy. There are also questions like how much money will be loaned through institutions like the World Bank and which countries will get it. Aid agencies are skeptical about the form the aid might be delivered in since G8 failed to deliver their promise made in 2005 to double aid for Africa by 2010.
Failure to deliver on recent promises made by G8 will cost them heavily in terms of credibility. But more significantly, it threatens a huge social cost during a time when the global recession is hitting low-income countries hardest. Naturally, outcome of the G8 summit will be judged on its impact on the G20 summit in Pittsburgh in September, and UN climate talks in Copenhagen at the end of the year. However, it is Africa and how they solve poverty in Africa, where Italy in particular and the G8 collectively, face their greatest credibility test.
Sources
The Italian Job: What the 2009 G8 Summit Must Deliver on Health and Aid for Africa
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/world-vision/the-italian-job-what-the_b_224410.html
Has the G8 done enough for the poor?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8144205.stm
G8 Summit Agrees on Food Security, Climate, Nuclear Arms Control http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2009/2009-07-10-01.asp
Written By Contributing Blog Editor Mashfiqur Rahman
