Check it out!

-Chris Scott

Here in brief are the headlines from the communiqués (more will be coming soon):

• Agriculture: A chaotic day was made more complicated by the happy surprise of an additional $5bn for agriculture added in the last throes of negotiations so the final read out included $20bn for ‘sustainable agriculture’ in the ‘l’Aquila Food Security Initiative’ (AFSI). The communiqué states that this agriculture funding will be additional to food aid, there are also some very positive new commitments to increase the effectiveness of this support for agriculture.
• New money: It’s unclear at present who will give what, and how much will be new money. We do know that the US has doubled their aid to take their contribution from $2bn to $4bn. Italy will pay a disappointing $450m over 3 years and like all the other countries, we need to find out if this is additional (the forthcoming budget will determine overall aid and therefore clarify that) Berlusconi also pledged to pay his 2009 payment of $130m to the Global Fund by the end of the year and $30m extra to fill the Global Fund gap. However, none of this comes near to filling their €411m aid cut
• Climate change: The Pittsburgh G20 will also address climate change carbon financing
• Trade: Trade Ministers will meet ‘as soon as possible’ and feed back in time for Pittsburgh: there’s a commitment to complete Doha in 2010
• Accountability: The G8 published an accountability framework to set out when they have and have not fulfilled their promises. This was a good initiative but we hope that the matrix will be more useful and user-friendly when the next one is published at the next G8
• Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Before the next G8 Summit in Huntsville, the G8 needs to show how they will meet the MDGs and this will hopefully mean a 2010-2015 framework to build on next year in Canada

Although we’ve followed the G8 as a whole, we’ve been keeping our eye on 2 leaders in particular – Obama and Berlusconi. We praised Obama for pushing the agriculture initiative and for being one of the only leaders to clearly pledge serious levels of new funding. We hope he will drive forward this initiative at the Pittsburgh G20 summit.

For Berlusconi, here’s what we called for: Reversal of his aid cut, adding another $500m for agriculture immediately, Italy’s 2009 contribution to the Global Fund and a recovery plan for how Italy will meet the Gleneagles commitments he promised in 2005.

Here’s what we got: a commitment to $450m over 3 years for the l’Aquila Food Security Initiative, a commitment to $130m Global Fund payment and $30m additional funding to fill the Global Fund gap, and vague promises for a ‘piano di rientro’ to get Italy back on track towards its Gleneagles commitments (0.33% by 2010 and 0.51% by 2010). That might not sound too bad but it remains unclear how much of that, other than the Global Fund money, will be actually be new money. We will have to do some work around budget law to track to see if Berlusconi follows up on these modest promises.

Anyway, that it’s for now but just wanted to update you on the key headlines from the Summit. And now it’s a case of looking forward towards the next G20 in Pittsburgh this September where we hope to see follow up on the issues raised here. There’s also next year’s G8 Summit in Canada which at the moment looks set to focus on accountability.

-Eloise Todd

Bread for the World: Welcomes G8 Hunger Initiative

Washington, DC, July 10, 2009 — Bread for the World welcomes the statement issued today by G8 member nations at their meeting in L’Aquila, Italy, on reducing world hunger by increasing agricultural support and development in the world’s poorest countries.

According to Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, the agreement by G8 leaders to contribute $20 billion over three years to a new initiative to combat global hunger is a sign of hope for tens of millions of the world’s most vulnerable people.

CARE: Agriculture Assistance Package a Tremendous Step in Tackling Global Hunger

ATLANTA (July 10, 2009) – The Obama administration’s announcement of $20 billion in agricultural assistance for poor farmers is a tremendous start to helping families and countries feed themselves, according to CARE experts. Of critical importance to the success of the program is making sure that assistance reaches the poorest of the poor, often women and girls.

“CARE’s work in the field demonstrates the need to ensure that assistance reaches those most vulnerable to chronic hunger, the poorest of the poor. This initiative sets us on the path to do that,” said Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE USA. “We look forward to working with all parties to make this commitment a reality.”

Catholic Relief Services: CRS Applauds Pres. Obama’s Announcement of $20 Billion G-8 Commitment to Food Security

July 10, 2009, Baltimore, MD —Catholic Relief Services, one of the nation’s largest private international humanitarian agencies and a leader in providing U.S. food and agricultural assistance, applauds President Barack Obama’s announcement that G-8 nations have committed $20 billion to help millions of the world’s poor farmers to grow more food.

This commitment, including $3.5 billion to be pledged by the U.S., is a good start to funding a comprehensive food security plan along the lines of the Roadmap to End Global Hunger, a strategy proposed by Catholic Relief Services and a coalition of other humanitarian groups to Congress and the Administration. In addition to agriculture, investments are needed in nutrition, disaster risk reduction, social safety nets and improved, more flexible emergency response.

InterAction: G8 and Other Leaders Agree that Global Food Security Critical to Development

L’Aquila, Italy, July 2009 — “We commend the G8, G5, and other countries, as well as international institutions for their Joint Statement on Global Food Security, its commitment to the world’s poorest, and agreeing to mobilize $20 billion over three years for food security. To be realized these commitments must be pursued as part of a comprehensive strategy in order to help the world’s poor. The success of this global food strategy rests on the ability of the G-8 to be accountable to its promises,” said Samuel A. Worthington President and CEO of InterAction, an alliance of 183 U.S. non-governmental organizations (NGOs). “The bold decision of President Obama, the G8, and other leaders to significantly increase aid to agriculture and to partner with vulnerable countries is critical to addressing the food crisis and alleviating the disastrous impact of the global financial crisis.”

Oxfam America: Obama’s visit to Africa: Time for a new partnership founded on transparency and shared responsibility

WASHINGTON, DC — On the eve of his historic trip to Ghana, international humanitarian agency Oxfam called on President Obama to commit to a new partnership for African development built on new resources and new measures to increase transparency and accountability.

“Much like the Cairo speech, we are hoping the Accra speech will signal a new era of engagement, respect and partnership with Africa,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America. “This historic visit, so early in his presidency and on the heels of important commitments at the G8 in Italy, signals the importance President Obama places on African development.”

Save the Children: Welcomes G8 Emphasis on Food Security, Child Health; Urges Follow-through

WESTPORT, Conn. (July 10, 2009) — Save the Children commends G8 leaders for adopting a bold new food security initiative, spearheaded by President Barack Obama, and for moving to back their promises to the world’s poor with a commitment to greater accountability. Follow this story and others on Twitter.

“If G8 leaders follow through on the global food security initiative and fortify their commitment to maternal and child health with significantly increased investment, they could save millions of children’s lives a year,” said Save the Children President and CEO Charles MacCormack. “We hope the new push for accountability among the world’s wealthiest nations will turn good intentions into real results without delay. After all, the world’s poorest children had nothing to do with the global financial crisis, but they are the ones who increasingly pay the price with their futures, and even their lives.”

Women Thrive Worldwide: Obama Enlists World Powers to Help Poor Farmers

On the opening day of the G8′s meeting in Italy, President Obama called on world powers to respond to the world hunger crisis by investing $15 billion to help poor farmers grow more food.

On Wednesday July 8th, President Obama called on G8 leaders to change the way they address world hunger by providing for $15 billion for poor farmers. In the past the U.S. and other Western countries have shipped American-grown food to aid hungry communities. If G8 leaders agree on prioritizing agricultural assistance, the $15 billion will go towards providing farmers with the training, fertilizer, and agricultural tools they need to produce more and better food. Due to the state of the world economy, the World Food Program estimates that there will be over a billion people living in hunger by the end of this year – more than ever before. The Obama administration has promised to respond to the crisis by investing in world agriculture, as most of the world’s poor are farmers in rural areas.

World Vision: Obama’s food security pledge at G8 a laudable step; now must meet goals, aid agency says

Washington, D.C., July 10, 2009—As President Obama heads to Ghana for his first official African visit as a head of istate, international Christian humanitarian agency World Vision urges the U.S. and other governments to follow through on food security pledges made at this week’s G8 summit in Italy and African assistance promised in previous years.

The G8 food security initiative committing $20 billion over three years to tackle global hunger is a laudable step toward saving lives worldwide, although today’s announcement leaves key questions unanswered, World Vision policy experts caution. Most G20 countries, the African Union Commission and several multilateral organizations have endorsed the comprehensive approach to solve hunger and malnutrition. The Obama administration pledged $3.5 billion in U.S. aid for food security.

-Mark Brinkmoeller

Question to Prime Minister Berlusconi:

I was present when Bob Geldof interviewed you last week. You said ‘I’m sorry for not having kept my promises’. What will you do this week to reverse the aid cut of €411m and what additional funds will you give on top of this to the G8 initiative on agriculture?

Prime Minister Berlusconi’s response (summary):

We were responsible for creating the Global Fund in Genoa in 2001, which has so far saved the lives of 4 million people. Because of the current economic crisis it is harder to balance our budget, and we know we are late in our payments to the global fund. But by the end of the year we will pay the 130m we owe as well as the 30m extra requested by the fund to cover shortfalls. We recommitted to our aid promises and tomorrow we will present an agriculture initiative and Italy will play its part.

The ONE verdict? Well, he clearly didn’t answer the question. But we remain hopeful there’s a rabbit in the hat from Italy which means they will pledge more than the 411m they cut. At least the question showed the Prime Minister, and the audience, that we are watching and we will not give up. And hopefully a few of the folks watching the live broadcast on Italian TV will also be curious to find out when he really gives an answer to those questions.

As we enter into Day 3 of the G8 Summit, we’ll have more from on the ground soon!

-Jessica Gomez-Duran

-Jessica Gomez-Duran

The G8 Summit in Italy has been going on for half a day and already the first of a reported 10 communiques has been released.

In predictable fashion, the release of the communique covering the world economy, climate change and development was of great interest to us, and we quickly issued this reaction to it yesterday.

While the scramble for the communique was going on, a group of over 100 journalists were shepherded into an auditorium to meet with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

On development, Berlusconi started by recalling that the Global Fund stands out as a success of the Summit in Genoa, having saved millions of lives since it was founded in 2001. He also said that the 2009 dues would be paid by the end of the year. Otherwise, he referred vaguely to a commitment to increase aid.

No mountains have been moved yet, but we’re working to keep the pressure on for a better outcome tomorrow. More soon!

-Eloise Todd

We welcome the fact that the G8 are focusing on accountability this year – announcing a new more in-depth way of reporting back on their development commitments. But what the world’s poorest people need now is not a re-cooking of old promises or yet more plans. They need immediate action, especially from G8 host Italy. Prime Minister Berlusconi now has two days to reverse his disastrous aid cuts and salvage his credibility. The G8 as a whole can show they are serious by announcing significant new money for African agriculture on Friday, and ensuring it is spent effectively.

As we mentioned earlier, ONE is calling on the Italian Government to immediately:

• Reverse its €411 million aid cut
• Provide an extra €350 million for agriculture
• Pay up their dues for 2009 to the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

We’ll have more on this soon!

-Chris Scott

-Jessica Gomez-Duran

The journalists, NGOs and others have all started arriving, with the 3 day summit officially starting tomorrow.

Tomorrow morning ONE are holding a joint press briefing with Oxfam, which will cover Africa, development and food security issues in relation to the G8.

We’ll be writing a bit more over the coming days so keep checking back!

-Jessica Gomez-Duran

The financial meltdown has translated into a development crisis for Africa. This is revealing its vulnerability not only to economic contraction but also to climate change. Changing weather patterns are already affecting the lives of millions of Africans by reducing food security, facilitating the spread of diseases like malaria, and prompting mass migration. The livelihoods and lives of millions of people are at risk.

Ironically, this crisis also presents a unique opportunity for Africa. The urgency of efforts to address climate change is revealing interesting prospects on the mitigation side, particularly in the areas of renewable energy and low carbon growth.

There is a real possibility to steer countries toward a new development model that will not only benefit Africa but the world. In the meantime, adaptation to climate change is critical. For Africa this means ‘weather proofing’ development by increasing food yields, investing in climate-resilient crops and infrastructure, promoting rainwater harvesting, and expanding medical control measures in anticipation increased vector-borne diseases.

Africa needs additional resources, over and above existing ODA commitments, to adapt to climate change. Financing adaptation to climate will be a formidable challenge, particularly as it involves additional costs above traditional development assistance – when ODA budgets are under pressure. Estimates of the amounts needed by developing countries to help them adapt to these challenges vary between 50 and 100 billion USD per year.

This is why Prime Minister Brown’s proposal last week on creating a fund for climate change is so welcome.

Failing to act now will not increase costs in the future – both financial and humanitarian. We all stand to lose from a reversal of the economic and social progress made across Africa in the past decade. Burgeoning markets might disappear and investment opportunities evaporate, while the risk of political instability will increase. Every percentage fall in growth has direct social consequences whether on nutrition levels, infant mortality or school attendance. Every person pushed back into poverty is another step away from achieving the Millennium Development Goals. For all of these reasons, the continued engagement and support of all of Africa’s partners including the G8 counties is vital.

As this year’s DATA Report from the Africa advocacy group ONE underscores, many donors are honouring their aid commitments despite the economic downturn. They realize the practical value of investing in Africa’s development, as well as the moral and political imperative of keeping their promises. They acknowledge that Africa is bearing the brunt of the economic and climate crises even though it was least responsible in creating them.

Regrettably, this is not the case for all G8 countries. Italy, in particular, has fallen behind its peers at a time when it is supposed to lead by example.

We need solutions that will prevent environmental catastrophe and that are equitable for every human being. This will require bold political leadership and unprecedented solidarity between rich and poor countries. At this G8 a breakthrough on supporting agriculture, investing in green technology and strengthening health systems is still possible.

We hope that the leaders assembled in Italy this week demonstrate this kind of leadership and include Africa in their deliberations. Africa’s international partners must not look the other way at this crucial time.