ONE’s Reaction to the Pittsburgh G20 Communique
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Overall, the Pittsburgh G20 Summit appears to have made some progress towards reshaping global power structures to make them more representative, but it still has some way to go before it becomes a truly representative global decision making body.
I spent the summit with our US Government Relations Director Tom Hart, who said:
“Moving from the G8 to the G20 is a seismic shift: it brings many more of the world’s people to the table, but the new expanded world body must now start addressing the needs of the poorest countries, especially in Africa. For nearly a decade now, Africa has been squarely on the G8’s agenda, even if delivery on their commitments has been mixed. During this transition time, African development must not fall through the cracks. One way to show the world will not forget Africa would be to hold an upcoming G20 summit on the African continent.”
As I posted earlier here, we passed our petition, in which 75,000 ONE members worldwide call for a G20 Summit to be held in Africa, to the US delegation at the summit.
Below are some key points in the summit’s communique that are relevant to Africa:
- Agriculture – The G20 called on the World Bank to develop a new trust fund, as a way to implement the G8’s food security initiative announced at the L’Aquila Summit in Italy in July. This multilateral fund will support the set of principles championed by the White House to make aid for agriculture more effective, coordinated and geared towards the strategies developed by poor countries themselves.
- Climate change – The G20 failed to call for resources to help the poorest countries adapt to the harmful impacts of climate change, and tackle its causes. It was disappointing that there was no mention of the urgency of addressing these needs.
- African Development Bank – The G20 have reaffirmed the commitment to make sure the multilateral development banks have enough finance, especially the World soft loan arm, the International Development Association (IDA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). The African bank has increased its lending to respond to the financial crisis by as much as US$4bn and now needs support to replenish its coffers. ONE welcomes Canada’s announcement of an extra US$2.8bn in loan guarantees for the Bank.
- World Bank and IMF- Both International Financial Institutions took steps towards increasing representation of developing countries.
- Previous Post Communique Issued and Obama Speaking Now
- Next Post What We’re Reading 9/28/09: G20 Recap
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September 26, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Africa will be the most difficult continent to develop, & will continue to require constant attention. What impresses me is the number of emerging nations who today stand on the threshold of First-World prosperity, & who would doubtless be glad to lend aid & support to the poorest nations.
It is a positive development that the number of nations has been expanded from 8 to 20, because this will give so many of the world’s finest people a greater voice in coordinating economic policy.
September 26, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Pittsburgh’s G-20 story: Take an expressway from town and disappear into desolate ‘hoods and encounter the civilization of menace. Pittsburgh, a dual city! The glass wonder of PPG Place and/or the G-20 Summit is a faded memory. Here in the ‘hood lives lie abandoned as far as the eye can see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEukcWW5dM0
That is: For the most part, African-American Pittsburgh seems to be invisible, not only to the public relations hucksters who tout Pittsburgh’s successes, but we are equally invisible to the protesters.
Certainly, black Pittsburgh is as proud as anybody is that the black President we worked so hard to elect has selected Pittsburgh as the host of the G-20 Summit. We even enjoy the re-invention of Pittsburgh from a dirty, smoky steel-churning history to the bright, clean, green financial success that the business leaders and politicians boast about so loudly. Nobody is more proud of the Super Bowl winning African-American coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin. But none of that feel-good stuff erases the pain of the stubbornly high unemployment among African American young adults and the staggering dropout rate for young black males from the public school system.
September 26, 2009 at 8:40 pm
@ Rap Man. A lot of these people on the left are bloviaters and power grabbers using people’s helpless and guilty concern for the invisible people you speak of to win elections and money and fame for themselves. Help is about empowering self confidence in the children and not about labels that corner them with low self expectations. The enemy of these neighborhoods is violence and legislation that perpetuates misery is not change. Freedom, and not Tyranny, is still your best bet.
September 27, 2009 at 2:28 am
Thanks for the helpful summary Virginia!
September 29, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Whatever now is an establishment was once an innovation.Let us pray that the promises made at the G20 Pittsburgh Summit to improve the lot of the poor and the developing countries-particularly Africa- are vigorously followed with quick action like that of Canada’s extra loan guarantees to the AfDB.
September 30, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Definitely a move from the G8 to G20 helps level the playing field for developing nations and Humanity. There is a lot of work ahead and nothing to assume.
October 1, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Was there any mention of the demonstrators ,protesting the g-20, and all the different causes that showed?
Is there any interest in addressing the many causes that draws out such large numbers protesting the g-20?
October 1, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Kathleen,
At the press conference Obama commented on the protesters and their concerns, see this post:
http://jotman.blogspot.com/2009/09/obamas-comments-on-g20-protesters-in.html
October 1, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Thanks Jotman, I will…
October 6, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Africa is in dire need of help. Women are being raped and there is chaos. Everyone needs to do their part to help in this plight…………………
October 17, 2009 at 2:04 am
It is a highly commendable to have our concerns voiced for Africa, as it is still the continent with the highest levels of poverty… however it is important to remember that the only true form of development is empowerment and therefore it is best for if the needy rather than simply being fed and clothed, as is all too often done, were given the means and the opportunities to gain an active tole in harnessing the continent’s vast potential , so that we all have the freedom to feed and clothe ourselves…