More Post Conference Review (10 July 2005):
More commentators are leaning towards hailing the G8 commitments to Africa as successful, especially since there is reportedly some movement towards G8 countries cancelling export agricultural subsidies and opening up their markets to competition.
Trapped in a vicious circle of poverty and disease, the aid packages and pledges to tackle HIV/aids and Malaria will go a long way to stabilise populations and hopefully increase the worrying low life expectancy to be found in some African countries.
But unless African countries infrastructure, healthcare and educational standards improve to become world standard, its hard to see how private investors will see Africa as anything but a risky venture. Its in these areas that more help is needed, because a modern economy must possess these basics to allow a free market to develop and flourish.
This may follow in time, perhaps the biggest priority for the G8 was to stop people dying in the short term.
© Ethical Earth 10th July 2005
Post-conference Review (8 July 2005):
As our preview suggested, the pre-conference analysis of Andrew Marr proved to be right. The G8 agreed to increase aid, while reducing the debt burden African countries carry, but they came up short on a committment to fair trade. The G8 also agreed to target malaria and HIV/Aids to reduce the unnecessary deaths these diseases cause.
Why countries that are committed to free trade, should insist the terms be unfair is rather irrational. Its rather like saying, we've wiped your slate clean, given you some subsistance to help stop you dying, but we won't help you work your way out of it.
Does this settlement suggest the foundations have been laid to help Africa become self reliant within the next 20 years?
© Ethical Earth 8th July 2005
Preview of the G8 Africa Agenda (4 July 2005):
The long awaited G8 conference is nearly upon us. Will the intense lobbying and pressure upon the '8 men in 1 room' produce the policies that will finally end poverty in Africa? Or do you get the feeling that the conference is ideologically unfit to meet the challenge it is facing?
There's talk of the US increasing aid, but also of targeting it to specific Governments and to projects such as reducing malaria deaths - a worthy cause, but is this type of action ever going to be enough to genuinely eradicate poverty? The European Union on the other hand, is afraid of looking too closely at its trade position with African countries for fear of opening up a can of worms on its Common Agricultural Policy - but without progress on this subject how can Africa ever hope to trade fairly and escape poverty?
Watching the Live 8 concert on TV the BBC political Editor, Andrew Marr, seemed to believe that some of the objectives will be met, in terms of debt relief and aid, but that reforming trade will be more difficult.
The UK is in a unique position at this conference, because its not as reliant on the social economic model as Germany and France are, and its also not hypnotised by the ultra free market thinking of the US; so it can steer a course between these two viewpoints and hopefully bring the G8 together - pragmatism not ideology is required here to meet the goal everybody wants.
In the Spring, Gordon Brown proposed the establishment of an African Style 'Marshall Plan' as a way to build up the economies of Africa in a similar way to how Europe was rebuilt after the Second World War. This is a serious proposal, because its clear that uncoordinated aid by governments and piecemeal charity has only sticky-plastered the deep wound that is African poverty up 'til now.
But there's now less talk of an African style 'Marshall Plan' - it doesn't look like it got off the ground. If the G8 prefers a laissez-faire approach, then the least they should do at the conference is deliver Trade Justice, to allow Africa to trade its way out of poverty - but even on this vital point they could be found wanting.
All the G8 leaders should realise that times are changing and that they have a perfect opportunity to signal clear leadership to the world. How? Through recognising the new reality - that the worlds resources are more abundant than ever before, and these should be shared among all human beings on the basis of co-operation rather than competition.
Because to compete unfairly when there is plenty and then allow fellow human beings to suffer and die in Africa, or anywhere else come to that, is folly at best and perverse at its worst.
Over the next few days at Gleneagles, lets hope something changes among the G8 and they get serious about properly tackling poverty.
© Ethical Earth Limited 4th July 2005.
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