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2008 G8 Summit

African development was again the subject of G8 discussions as world leaders gathered in Toyako, Hokkaido in northern Japan from July 7-9 for the 2008 G8 Summit. The 2008 Hokkaido Summit marked an important moment in the fight against poverty -- the critical halfway point to both the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the G8 Gleneagles promises to Africa. The G8 are dangerously behind on their landmark commitments to the region, having delivered only $3.16 billion of the promised $21.8 billion in additional assistance to Africa by 2010, according to the 2008 DATA Report.

After difficult negotiations, the 2008 G8 Summit yielded small gains for the poorest. The bulk of G8 agreements on development, Africa and food security reiterated previous pledges rather than outlining new measures to get the group back on track. The G8 did announce plans for a new effort to tackle the global food crisis, though more details are needed to ensure its effectiveness and delivery. They highlighted the UN High-level meeting on the MDGs in September 2008 as an important opportunity to review progress and identify actions needed to overcome remaining challenges.

At a time when G8 credibility is at risk due to slow progress in delivering on commitments, there was a strong call for greater accountability in the 2008 G8 Communiqué. The G8 agreed to track progress against previous commitments in health, education, water and agriculture, as well as compliance with anti-corruption measures. Overall, the U.S., UK and Germany provided strong leadership in negotiations and have significantly increased their funding for Africa in recent years.

 

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May 31 2011

Balance of the G8: The intentions are there, but what about concrete action?

Posted by Sara Kianpour

Sara Kianpour from our ONE France office reports live from the G8 in Deauville. The G8 Summit ended yesterday and here's a quick summary of what we learned:For the first time, freedom and democracy are headlining and ONE welcomes them. However, we are concerned that the final statements ... More

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May 31 2011

Dear G8 leaders, what if the 2.8 million children dying each year were yours?

Posted by Sara Kianpour

Sara Kianpour from our ONE France office reports live from the G8 in Deauville. The Final Deauville Declaration has been made public. It is full of good intentions. Great. However, you must read between the lines to find (or not) concrete commitments, particularly on immunization, from the G8.At ONE ... More

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May 27 2011

From the e-G8: We must do a better job of connecting Africa to the Internet

Posted by Sara Kianpour

Sara Kianpour from our ONE France office reports live from the G8 in Paris. During two days, the French capital was the world capital of the Internet. The e-G8 gathered the web elite –- from Google's Eric Schmidt to Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg to Rupert Murdoch -- in the Tuileries Park ... More

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May 26 2011

From the G8: A mixed record for this first day

Posted by Sara Kianpour

Sara Kianpour from our ONE France office reports live from the G8 in Deauville. The first elements of the final communique were revealed in the press. The Arab spring and democracy in North Africa placed high on the agenda. At ONE, we are delighted. However, we believe it is essential ... More

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May 20 2011

G8 accountability report: Read the small print

Posted by Friederike Roder

We have another new face on the ONE Blog, Friederike Röder. She is ONE France's new policy manager and we are very excited to have her on board. Say hi in the comments below! Following the tradition started last year at the G8 in Canada, this year’s French ... More

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Jul 16 2010

On accountability, G8 fails to walk the walk

Posted by Nora Coghlan

More details have emerged in the past couple weeks on the G8’s commitment to improve maternal, newborn and child health through the “Muskoka Initiative,” but not enough to deliver on the G8’s other critical commitment at the 2010 summit - to enhance their own accountability.The initiative (which includes ... More

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