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World Still Watching and Waiting for G8 Leaders to Help End Global Poverty
One year after the Live 8 concerts, the world is still watching and waiting for G8 leaders to live up to their commitments to help end global poverty.
On the anniversary of the Live 8 concerts, held in advance of last year's G8 meeting in Gleneagles, Make Poverty History is calling on the G8 leaders, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, to reaffirm their commitments to end poverty at the upcoming G8 meeting in Russia.
“The upcoming summit will focus health and education - and that's good. But no progress will be made unless G8 leaders live up to and surpass promises already made on aid, debt and trade,” says Gerry Barr, Co-Chair of the Make Poverty History campaign in Canada.
Canada's record to date is not impressive. No timetable has been set to reach the internationally-agreed to target for aid spending of 0.7 % of Gross National Income. And a briefing note to Foreign Affairs Minster Peter McKay, recently obtained through an access to information request, shows that the Prime Minster may use the G8 meeting in Russia to pressure other G8 leaders to expand the definition of what constitutes as aid spending to include military operations.
“As we are calling on G8 leaders to live up to past commitments, it is more than troubling to think that our Prime Minister may be using the meeting to push for expanding the criteria for aid spending,” says Barr. “The purpose of aid spending should be ending poverty. Period.”
The DATA Report: Keep the G8 Promise to Africa, released today by the organization co-founded by U2 singer Bono, analyzes what the G8 promised and what has been delivered. Unfortunately, G8 countries are falling short of the mark on aid and trade.
“The over 2 billion people who watched the Live 8 concerts last year won't stop calling on world leaders to make poverty history,” says Steven Page. “The concert was a launching pad for a world wide movement to end poverty. What is needed now is the political will to act.”
Across Canada Make Poverty History supporters are marking the Live 8 anniversary with a rally in Toronto, a banner drop in Manitoba and concerts in Prince Edward Island. Support for the Make Poverty History campaign in Canada has continued to grow since the Live 8 concert with over a quarter of a million Canadians signing on to the campaign.
“I'm proud to say that Toronto was one the many cities across Canada to issue mayoral proclamations declaring Make Poverty History days,” says David Miller. “From school children to church groups to politicians and celebrities there is an urgent call to end poverty.”
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