What We’re Reading 7/6/09

Jul 6th, 2009 11:57 AM UTC
By Grace Lamb-Atkinson

Reuters Alert Net: Bob Geldof Grills Berlusconi on Aid Ahead of G8
Reuters covers Bob Geldof’s interview with Silvio Berlusconi for La Stampa, reporting that Geldof took Berlusconi to task for cutting aid to poor countries and Berlusconi said he is sorry and promised to increase funds.

Financial Times: G8 Shifts Focus from Food Aid to Farming
The Financial Times’ front page story covers the G8’s shift from food aid to long-term investments in farming in the development world. The G8 countries will this week announce the “L’Aquila Food Security Initiative,” which commits more than $12bn for agricultural development over the next three years. According to a draft declaration, the officials will also pledge to reverse “the tendency of decreasing official development aid and national financing to agriculture.”

Reuters: Recession Pushed 90 Million into Extreme Poverty: UN
The United Nations said today that the global recession has pushed up to 90 million more people into extreme poverty. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said impoverished people have already suffered most from the economic crisis and urged rich countries not to cut their assistance budgets. He warned that a reduction in foreign aid could cause more hunger and disease. A UNAIDS/Word Bank report on the subject also came out today, warning that a drying-up of foreign aid “is likely to lead to preventable deaths and disease.” It said that many patients are now struggling to gain access to life-saving drugs because of the downturn.

AllAfrica.Com: US Wants to Spotlight ‘Successful Models’ and be an ‘Effective Partner’ – Obama
AllAfrica.Com interviewed Barack Obama on his upcoming trip to Ghana. The President spoke about his reasons for visiting Ghana and his opinions on development assistance to Africa, among other topics.

Reuters: US Hopes Obama’s Visit to Ghana Will Spur Others
The United States hopes President Barack Obama’s decision to visit Ghana this month will spur other African governments to emulate the West African country’s democratic record. Reuters writes that Obama’s Ghana visit “has triggered a bout of angst” in Kenya, his ancestral homeland, and Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and a major supplier of oil to the United States. When asked if Obama was sending a message to Kenya by choosing Ghana, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson said that it was meant to demonstrate the support that the United States has towards democratic governance in Africa.

FT: Zoellick Plea Over Stimulus Cuts
The president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, has told the G8 that now is not the time for rich countries to start pulling back on economic stimulus, warning that doing so will have disastrous consequences for the developing world. In a letter to the leaders of the G8 countries, Mr. Zoellick said that while he recognized that some developed countries are shifting to policies that assume economic recovery is here, “a rush to the exits could leave the weakest behind in the burning house.”

-Grace Lamb-Atkinson

TAGS: What We're Reading