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Africa: Rich Nations Vow to Fulfil Aid Pledge
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The Nation (Nairobi)
9 July 2008
Posted to the web 9 July 2008
Bakari Machumu
Hokkaido, Japan
Group of Eight leaders have renewed their commitment to promises made before, including restating the much talked about Gleneagles target in their communiqué.
They also made new promises targeted at helping Africa attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Japanese Foreign Ministry press secretary, Mr Kazuo Kodama, said on Tuesday at a press briefing in Hokkaido, where the International Media Centre is located, 30 kilometers away from the Summit venue.
At the beginning of the Summit inHokkaido, a northern city of Japan, there were reports that the G8 draft communiqué had left out the $25 billion target figure in additional aid to Africa by 2010 rich nations had promised in Gleneagles, Scotland, in 2005.
After meeting with seven African leaders from Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, Algeria and Senegal on Monday, where they spent about four hours in discussion, the G8 leaders spent two hours discussing Development and Africa on Tuesday.
Of the two hours, said Mr Kodama, they used 30 minutes discussing the Zimbabwe crisis, which they were expected to continue discussing later over dinner.
"We are firmly committed to working to fulfill our commitments on ODA (official development assistance) made at Gleneagles, and reaffirmed at Heiligendamm, including increasing, compared to 2004, with other donors, ODA to Africa by $25 billion a year by 2010," said Mr Fukuda quoting the official G8 declaration on Development and Africa.
Meeting in Heiligendamm, Germany last year, the G8 leaders omitted the two figures in their final document, a situation which raised eyebrows as to whether they were really committed to honour their pledges.
"We renew our commitment to these goals by reinvigorating our efforts, and by strengthening our partnerships with, as well as encouraging the efforts of, the developing countries based on mutual accountability," the G8 leaders said hoping that this will go a long way in attaining the MDGs come 2015.
In return, noted Mr Kodama, African leaders will be required to guarantee proper use of funds, including following international standards in procurement processes.
Meanwhile, five big emerging economies staked out tough positions on greenhouse gas emissions and food security on Tuesday, adds Reuters.
In a statement, the five nations urged the G8 countries to shoulder their own responsibilities on climate change by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
Mexico, Brazil, China, India and South Africa also urged all developed countries to commit themselves to absolute emission reductions based on a medium-term target of a 25-40 per cent cut below 1990 levels by 2020.
Negotiations for reductions of greenhouse gas emissions must take "into account historical responsibility and respective capacities as a fair and just approach", the five countries said in a joint declaration.
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"We also urge the international community, especially developed countries, to promote sustainable consumption patterns and lifestyles responsive to mitigation requirements."
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