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G8 summit in Japan
9 July 2008
Progress on climate change, food security and how to achieve the MDGs
The annual G8 summit,
this year hosted by the Japanese, took place in Toyako, Hokkaido on 7-9 July.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the other leaders of the G8 countries discussed various international affairs at the summit, including food security, the environment and the challenges we face in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where they are most off-track.
Commenting on the summit, UK Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said:
"I welcome the fact that the G8 members in Toyako reiterated their determination to meet the pledges made at Gleneagles – which included the delivery of $50 billion in extra aid by 2010, with $25 billion going to Africa, and to achieve universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment by 2010.
"Leaders also went further: to help recruit and train 1.5 million more health workers in Africa; to provide $10 billion to increase agricultural production and help those worst hit by high food prices; and to provide 100 million bed nets for protection against malaria by 2010 – which will help save 700,000 lives.
"It is morally right for the world’s richest countries to provide such aid to tackle hunger, illiteracy and disease in the world’s poorest countries. Yet beyond this moral imperative, such action is right because today’s world is increasingly interdependent – in terms of trade, health and security."
2008: A crucial year for fighting poverty
This year's G8 meeting comes at the halfway mark to the 2015 deadline for achieving the MDGs, and is part of the wider effort to make 2008 a turning point in the fight against poverty. The Prime Minister aims to use the outcomes of key international events this year (such as the European Council and the G8) to build momentum towards the high-level United Nations meeting on the MDGs on 25 September 2008.
- Read more about 2008: The Year of the Call to Action on the MDGs.
The European Council has already made progress by strongly reaffirming EU aid
commitments, and member states have agreed to establish indicative timetables on
how they will scale up their aid to achieve these targets. EU leaders have also
agreed the EU Agenda for Action, which contains a number of important targets
and
milestones. These include increasing spending on education by 4.3
billion Euros (approximately US$6.8 billion) and on health by 8 billion Euros
(approximately US$12.8 billion).
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Renewing commitments
At this year's summit, the "Group of Eight" reiterated their promises on development - including the delivery of $50 billion in extra aid by 2010 ($25 billion to Africa) and achieving universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment by 2010 - and went further on health, food and climate change:
On climate change:
- To consider and adopt the negotiations of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which set the goal of reducing global carbon emissions by at least 50% by 2050.
- To support the establishment of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), including the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF), administered by the World Bank. G8 members have so far pledged approximately US$6 billion as an ODA contribution to these funds.
On food:
- To work with the international community in forming a global partnership on agriculture and food, facilitated and coordinated by the UN. Since January 2008 the G8 nations have committed over $10 billion to support food aid, nutrition interventions, social protection activities and measures to increase agricultural output in affected countries.
On health:
- To reiterate the commitment towards providing at least a projected US$60 billion over five years to fight infectious diseases and strengthen health.
- To work towards meeting the World Health Organisation (WHO) threshold of 2.3 health workers per 1,000 people. This will apply initially in those African countries where we are currently engaged and that are experiencing a critical shortage of health workers.
On malaria:
- To continue to expand access to long-lasting, insecticide-treated nets, with a view to providing 100 million nets through bilateral and multilateral assistance, in partnership with other stakeholders, by the end of 2010.
Links
G8 summit website (in English)
- DFID and the G8