International
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.
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The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
07/10/2009 at 6:39 pm
thank you for the opportunity you gave me to comment about the last summit and i will appreciate if only the world leaders will stop supporting dictators in africa then we can hopefor a changerover.We want again your help for ourself when we are not able to connected by ourself.your help is needed too.
08/10/2009 at 5:21 am
the climate crisis has to be part of any and all such talks. No measures to address poverty will work unless climate change is addressed.
08/10/2009 at 4:31 pm
I, for one am disgusted at the outcome of the G20 meeting nothing has been done for anyone other than the Bildeberg Group. People are still being murdered in Palestine and their murderers get paid for doing it. If my memory serves me right are Palestinians not Africans to. Giving more loans to countries which are struggling to make ends meet, makes very little sense. We should be demanding that some thing is done immediately for the souls suffering all over Africa and donate the money from the world bank after all they owe it to the African people, if they paid back the taxes they have stolen by mining gold,diamonds, and other precious metals which the world holds dear like uranium. We don’t have time to sit back and enjoy gatherings, people are dying,crying out for the world to help them, and what does the G8 do, agree to poisoning us with swine flu,aids, and place their keenest heartless yes men in charge. I am so angry at their back slapping antics, these are human beings they are in control of, they control every factor of our western society and argue against aid to places like Gaza. I am getting old now but the fire in my belly is burning by the flaunting of wealth before desperate homeless people, paying taxes on everything they need to live, jailing them if they don’t, when it is them that are breaking the law. I want to see people refusing to pay tax to the Federal Reserve it is a privately run organisation, gathering hard earned cash and spending it on killing sprees. They were behind every major war of this and the last century and evidence proves this. They can find money to mame and kill but they can’t give money to the poor and needy across the globe. What kind of world are we living in ? Where to love your fellow man is seen as a weakness of character !! Don’t ask demand, don’t give anymore money to poor people in loans it only puts the noose tighter round their necks. Give it freely demand that a section of the G20 is set aside as a provider for the poor, teach them the skills they need, not how to be good christians,muslims or jews.
Peace,Love and Happiness,
P. Plunkett, Scotland
P.S.
What about the two guys arrested from Twitter ? for keeping touch with protestors ?
13/10/2009 at 3:41 pm
I don´t think a chage is possible because some leaders are supporting the “dictators”, and we know who they are. The deep and dirty water is still here, killing innocent people, and there´s nothing we can do to change it. They don´t want peace, they want war.
04/11/2009 at 4:29 pm
nice… i think