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African Civil Society Statement to the AU and the G8 countries
African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD)
June 28, 2005

Statement to the G8 Summit
The African Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) demand total and unconditional cancellation of Africa's debt owed to multilateral institutions. Failure to do so will compel African CSOs to mobilize their constituencies and the African Union to repudiate the debt.

The Commission for Africa realizes that one cannot separate human security from development, and therefore there is no peace and security without development. Development aid should therefore not be used to undermine permanent peace building and reconstruction as is the current practice.

African CSOs demand Aid without any conditionalities attached to it, especially taking into account that more than two thirds of Aid to Africa goes back to the North through overpriced technical assistance, tied Aid, cumbersome and ill-coordinated planning, monitoring and evaluation, excessive reporting requirements, and excessive administrative costs.

There is need for better quality and quantity of Aid to Africa. According to the UNCTAD report, between 1970 and 2003, Africa borrowed USD540 billion from the West, and paid back USD550 billion, but as at the end of 2003, Africa still owed USD293 billion.

Statement to the African Union
In the continuing fight against Africa's poverty and quest for sustainable development of the continent, the African Union must take a firm and united stand for total and unconditional cancellation of multilateral debt to the G8 Summit to be held in July 2005. The African Union should also gear itself to repudiate debt in the event that calls for total debt cancellation are not taken on board in the G8 Summit.

The AU should also take a firm stand on corruption.

Realizing the negative and widespread impact of conflict to the continent's development, African CSOs urge the AU to strengthen conflict detection, conflict prevention, conflict management and conflict resolution mechanisms. Africa is in urgent need of preventive peace-building measures.

Civil society participants at this meeting urge all CSOs across the world to note and actively support the recommendations stated herein.

Visit the AFRODAD fact sheet

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