Dear G20

Yesterday, we wrote about this weekend’s G20 Summit in Washington, DC that will give an opportunity for world leaders to discuss the current financial crisis. Bob Geldof, organizer of Live Aid and Live 8, and a founding inspiration of the ONE Campaign, published an op-ed in the Financial Times asking the G20 to remember the world’s poorest as they forge ahead with decisions and proposals that will affect all of us.

Excerpts below, full piece here

For those in Africa who live in the world’s hardest circumstances, this crisis can seem academic. Yet there is a threat that they will be overwhelmed by a new wave of poverty, just when there had been the beginnings of real sustained economic change. While Africa is sheltered from the immediate impact of the crisis because of its relative isolation from the global financial system, it will be buffeted by the after-shocks: falling demand for exports, slowing capital flows, reduced remittances, sluggish growth and the threat of development aid drying up.

The food and fuel crisis knocked the poor off their knees; the financial crisis threatens to kick them when they are down. This must not be allowed to happen. Instead the crisis offers a moment of opportunity. When financial vested interests are weak and laisser faire fundamentalism on the ropes, there is a chance to finally live up to the oft-broken commitment to the poor while also regulating the more irresponsible sides of capitalism.

Just as the crisis has been international because of globalisation, any new reforms will also need to be international. As Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank, has remarked, a modernised multilateralism must put global development on a par with international finance. The next round of globalisation must be one where economic opportunities and responsibilities are more widely shared.

-Chris Scott

Bob Geldof on the White House Lawn

Right after Bob Geldof spoke at the White House Summit on International Development yesterday, he spoke with CNN International on the White House lawn. ONE’s Tom Gavin was there and captured it on tape for our ONE Blog readers. Some of Bob’s most striking comments:

“I think there’s a great understanding that we can’t let the economic crisis turn into a human crisis. You know the food and fuel crisis already knocked the poor back and what we can’t let happen is the financial crisis smothers them…

The impact upon us by cutting aid to the poor will be enormous. This isn’t the time to do it. So you know I hate getting activisty emotional rhetoric, but it is betrayal to the weakest people. The problem with this for me is that the political commitment of the powerful to the weak is the most sacred promise you can make. It’s the powerful to the weak, the rich to the poor. When you break it you kill them. It’s really simple stuff this. “

The full video clip below, and transcript after the jump.

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Bob Geldof’s Remarks at the White House Today

Bob Geldof just finished speaking at the White House Summit on
International Development. As always, he spoke bluntly and honestly about the motivations for investing in development and the potential returns for doing so.

Bob said that America is unique in that it represents an idea, one that it must live up to it through its relationship with the world’s poor. In regard to potential calls to cut foreign assistance during this turbulent economic time, he noted that the U.S. currently only gives 0.2% of its gross national income to development, meaning that the remaining 99.8% can be used to improve the lives of people here in the U.S. Given the small percentage going to development, he asked about that 99.8%: “Isn’t that enough?”

Bob also spoke about the importance of the U.S. fulfilling the commitments it made to Africa at the 2005 G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. He said the if the U.S. keeps its promises to the world’s poorest people, then Europe cannot hide behind us and will be forced to do the same. Bob criticized Italy for slashing its foreign assistance even as it puts Africa on the agenda for this year’s G8 summit, which it will host in July.

Today’s speakers all helped highlight the difference between rhetoric
and results. The full impact of this difference is being felt now, as
lives and livelihoods hang in the balance. Bob gave this idea melody and
meaning.

-Josh Lozman

G8 ‘08: Day 1

The G8 Summit kicked-off today in rainy Toyako and first on the agenda, happily for us, was Africa. The G8 leaders, 7 African leaders and heads of the African Union, UN and the World Bank met for a working lunch and into the afternoon.

We know that African leaders spoke to the G8 leaders about the importance of keeping their commitments, especially for increasing devleopment assistance to Africa. But, as yet, no clear announcements have been made. We expect some outputs from the G8 on Africa and Development tomorrow as well as a statement on the food crisis – I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed for positive outcomes.

Our own ONE campaigning kicked-off in style too. This morning, Max Lawson and Takumo Yamada from Oxfam and our own Olly Buston packed the room for a media briefing on the G8 and Africa. Olly talked about the G8 countries’ mixed performances on aid - and highlighted the importance of boosting investment in health and agriculture. “The G8 promised at the Gleneagles summit in 2005 in Scotland to boost aid to Africa by a further $25 billion by 2010. But so far the G8 has boosted development assistance to Africa by only $3 billion - It’s fair to say the progress so far has been desperately slow,” he said to an audience of international reporters.

Our other highlight of the day was Bob Geldof’s arrival in Hokkaido in the late afternoon. Even after a long journey from London to Tokyo, another flight to the northern island of Hokkaido and a two hours drive once he landed, his mind was completely focused on the G8 and African issues. Expect to hear a lot more from him tomorrow.

-Mikiko Imai