Keep Poverty Geography! G8 fails us...

[martin_e]

In a statement, Christian Aid said: "This will not make poverty history.

"It is a vastly disappointing result. Millions of campaigners all over the world have been led to the top of the mountain, shown the view and now we are being frog-marched down again.

"There are nuggets of good sense in here – particularly on the language which states poor countries must be allowed to develop at their own pace.

"But overall this is a sad day for poor people in Africa and all over the world. Tony Blair says this is a start and it will not please everyone: he is horribly accurate in this because this package will not deliver poor countries from the terrorism of poverty which kills 30,000 a day."

John Hilary, of War on Want, said: "On debt it is a 10th of what we were asking for. On aid it is just a fifth. On trade it has gone totally backwards. The G8 has turned its back on the world's poor."

Jo Leadbeater, of Oxfam, said: "The world's richest nations have delivered welcome progress for the world's poorest people, but the outcome here in Gleneagles has fallen short of the hopes of the millions around the world campaigning for a momentous breakthrough."

Steve Tibbett, of Action Aid, said: "While there are some nuggets on debt and hints of progress towards cutting strings on aid, the G8 have failed to deliver on trade."

Cafod's George Gelber added: "For the G8 leaders the cost of making poverty history was too high. Sadly it is the poor who will pay the price with their lives and their livelihoods."

Oh well, guess hoping things would change was a bit pointless... another 24,000 mothers wailing into the african sky as they mourn their dead children tonight. And tomorrow, and the next day ...

 

[RedZebra]

G8 had no intention of "making poverty history" from the beginning. Even if they totally wiped the slate clean and reduced debts to zero that doesn't fix the unfair trading conditions and the insurmountable trade barriers which prevent Africa from competing with G8 countries. Any amount they do wipe from the debt will come from aid money they were to receive, and will be contingent on allowing foreign investment - ie: the further loss of resources and privitasation of essential services like water. Geldof and Bono are complicit in praising Bush and Blair for what they should realise are two-faced promises if not bare-faced lies. Ok, maybe "complicit" is a bit strong - maybe they're just hopelessly naive.

 

[martin_e]

Quick recap of our generous leaders promises:
A $50bn "boost" to aid for developing countries. Compare that to the cost of the war in Iraq (about $192 billion so far, and rising by $1 billion a week).
No further movement, it seems, on the EU pledge to spend of 0.56% of GDP on poverty reduction by 2010, and 0.7% by 2015.
The promise to spend 0.7% of GDP was a target for all donor governments established by the UN General Assembly in 1970 - 35 years ago - and the deadline for reaching that target was 1980. By 2015 the target will be 45 years old. The US spends 0.16% of it's GDP on aid. Generous buggers aren't they ?
The debts of the 18 poorest countries to be forgiven. Fantastic news. Especially the conditions for the majority of developing countries yet to qualify for the relief: to "boost private-sector development" and eliminate "impediments to private investment, both domestic and foreign".
Which roughly translates as "Let Big Business sell your oil and diamonds". Similar policies have cost sub-Saharan Africa US$272 billion over the last 20 years; about enough to wipe out all of its debt and allow all of its children to be vaccinated and go to school.

Fair Trade is the only way to eradicate poverty. So the "you go first" game between the EU and the US is a pointless stalemate which will directly kill millions.

Still, at least we're going to stop climate change with imaginary technology. So that's OK then.

 

[martin_e]

Anyway, if they're not going to do anything then I'm going to try. Just sent off for a VSO application pack. Go and spend a couple of years in the sub-sahara helping build computer systems for the relief workers, micro-loan organisations and NGOs...

 

[duracell_pixie]

What about the amount that the government wants to spend on identity cards( another pointless idea along with the millenium dome!) What a waste of money that was!Also the money that is going to be spent so we can host the Olympics, surely there are far better uses for the money like providing food and healthcare- theres an idea.......... It really angers me that we spend so much money on things that are not even close to necessities and that there are people across the world who cant even afford to feed themselves. Maybe something Mrs Beckham should think about next time she pops into Gucci.

 

[Ben3rdEye]

apparently only 20 of that 50Billion is "new" money.
bah humbug

The truth is Africa don't need bloody aid.
We want to trade equally with the rest of the world and not be restricted and unfairly taxed-after all we get nothing for gold.

 

[tortoise]

... another 24,000 mothers wailing into the african sky as they mourn their dead children tonight. And tomorrow, and the next day ...

sorry, this is the bit that really gets me. It's only when you have a child that you fully realise what this means...I can't imagine losing my child, it would end my world, that pain, doubled by 24,000, every day...it's too much to bear.

It's so easy, talking in numbers. But when you imagine an individual case, and then multiply it by 'just' 100, you start to see.

Our attitude is so patronising, what Africa needs is investment, not charity.
She needs not to be sucked dry by foreign powers. She needs not to be exploited by arms manufacturers and governments keen to make money. She needs to be treated as an equal.