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The
2004 Summit of G8 Leaders have reneged on obligations to Africa
African
Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD)
June 04, 2004
In a press
statement released in Africa, Britain and the US prior to the G8 Summit,
June 8-10th 2004, representatives of some of the largest African
civil society organizations have working on development issues across
the continent declared a credibility gap between the well meaning rhetoric
and the limited tangible action that has emerged over the last two years
since the Africa Action Plan and NEPAD were released have warned that
the G8 is slowly screeching to a halt on Africa under the weight of well-meaning
rhetoric matched by limited tangible action. They have challenged the
G8 Summit to to build new bridges of confidence with the continent by
reinvigorate actioning focus on the Africa Action Plan.
"G8 commitments
to Africa have been appear buried beneath an avalanche of inaction on
core areas such as HIV/AIDS, poverty eradication and debt. Africa’s cheque
remains unsigned and un-cashable in spite of obvious need and progress
by the African Union and member-states to meet their obligations to Africa’s
poor and marginalized", said Afrodad Director Barbara Kalima,
who has travelled to the US for the G8 Summit.
The civil society
organisations have called upon G8 leaders to free release highly indebted
African countries from the strangle holdulation of heavy debt repayment
obligations which continuesd to divert scarce resources away from basic
social services and further fighting entrenched poverty.
"We call upon
the G8 to do the right thing in 2004 by announcing a comprehensive debt
cancellation strategy for heavily indebted countries which should include
widening the canvass of African countries eligible to debt cancellation",
said Godfrey Kanyenze of LEDRIZ and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade
Unions.
The G8 has been challenged
to narrow its ambition in multilateral trade and situate Africa’s need
for join the call by Africa for a a trading system that could helpthat
advances economic growth and alleviate eradicates poverty. TThe recent
EU proposal on reducing domestic and export subsidies is conditional on
reciprocity from other G8 members most notably the US. was welcome but
was tested by the lack of strong signals from the US to move in similar
direction and spirit.
"The G8 must
commit to make trade work for Africa by dropping their its demands for
an expansion of theto expand the WTO agenda at a time when the compelling
priority must be towards addressing existing inequities in current trade
agreements", which continue to undermine Africa’s economic growth
and fight against poverty", they observed.
The civil society
organisations warn that the development challenge of the HIV/AIDS epidemic
has been aggravated by the inaction and unwillingness of on the part of
the G8 to commit tangible resources to the Global Fund continues to cost
lives.. "The HIV/AIDS epidemic demands urgent prioritization.
which demands of tThe G8 mustto commit more resources to importing and
producing locally the drugs that are towards necessary to fighting the
epidemic. Key to this would be not whilst not encumbering African countries
in using flexibilities with obstacles that block on parallel importing
and compulsory licensing to access affordable life saving medicines",
they warned.
Contacts:
In Washington/Savannah, US – Barbara Kalima, AFRODAD Mobile +1-202-262-0814
In Harare, Zimbabwe - Thomas Deve MWENGO Mobile: +263-491-204793
In Nairobi, Kenya – Gichinga Ndirangu Mobile: +254-721-790164
In London, Britain
- Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Rahim Pan African Movement, Mobile: +44-7887798742
Visit the AFRODAD
fact sheet
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