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G8
summit 2004: Africa's cheque remains unsigned & uncashable
Joint statement
from African NGOs and Trade Unions - published by MWENGO
Prior to the 2004 Summit, Sea Islands, USA 8-12th June 2004
We representatives
of some of the largest continental organisations and national networks
headquartered in several African cities, bringing together women's
organisations, labour, researchers, development and advocacy NGOs
across Africa note that a pre-occupation with domestic issues and
international security priorities have displaced the capacity of
the G8 to meet it's obligations to Africa in 2004.
Two years after the Africa Action Plan was announced, G8 commitments
to Africa 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.
We nevertheless call upon the G8 to do the right thing in 2004,
by announcing a comprehensive debt cancellation strategy for heavily
indebted countries; greater market access for African commodities;
an end to World Bank/IMF conditionality and delivery on the Africa
Action Plan. Should these actions be taken at the upcoming G8 Summit
on the Sea Islands, it would dramatically change current trends
and create conditions for the determined pursuit of the MDG's in
Africa.
Debt Cancellation
Noting the emerging consensus within the G8 on the need for debt
cancellation for Iraq and that current debt relief mechanisms are
unable to address debt sustainability among several African Countries,
we call on the G8 to announce debt cancellation for heavily indebted
countries in Africa. If there is one obstacle that stands in the
way of Africa meeting the millennium developments goals and assuring
basic human rights for its citizens, it is the odious debt that
strangles public expenditure and domestic economic growth. In many
African countries, significant resources are being diverted away
from basic social services into debt repayment obligations.
Broadening access to HIPC for African countries such as Somalia,
Sudan and Liberia for instance and deepening the relief, is a step
in the right direction but a miniscule step. HIPC countries' sustainability
criteria needs to be broadened beyond its narrow link to exports
and relate more to poverty and government expenditure on basic social
services. The cost of servicing debt continues to be a major source
of state failure in Africa. Prioritising only collapsed states and
states that have clearly become important to the war on terror for
the G8 is short sighted and could open the door to future crises.
The G8 must ensure that all future calculations of debt sustainability
for poor countries are linked to the Millenium Development Goals.
In addition, the G8 must commit an additional $2.3 billion to ensure
that all HIPC countries are brought down to the agreed 150 per cent
debt to exports threshold.
Trade Justice
The G8 must address the systemic imbalances in current trade agreements
which continue to prop up a multilateral trading system that undermines
economic growth and poverty alleviation. Current reform of these
agreements would help even the playing field and advance Africa's
economic interests. At the World Trade Organisation (WTO), emphasis
must necessarily shift away from expanding the trade agenda in favour
of addressing existing asymmetries. The G8 must therefore commit
to dropping demands on expanding the WTO agenda to include new multilateral
rules on the Singapore Issues. The recent proposals within the European
Union to reduce domestic subsidies and open up market access for
products of export interest to developing countries can create a
firm basis for progress on the Doha Development Agenda. All G8 members
must rally support for this proposal and submit tangible and time-bound
commitments on reduction of domestic and export subsidies including
all forms of export credits that have a subsidy component. The G8
needs to take greater leadership in injecting political momentum
towards realizing the objectives of the Doha Development agenda.
The G8 must make trade count for Africa by addressing World Bank/IMF
trade liberalisation conditionality, the dramatic fall in the value
of Africa's primary agricultural exports, current G8 tariffs on
Africa's exports including non-tariff barriers that continue to
discourage processing and value-adding of African commodity exports.
HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis
AIDS continues to undermine Africa's development, adversely impacts
on the provision of health services and constraints food security
and agricultural productivity particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa
which has been most affected by the epidemic. Access to affordable
life-saving medicines and policy flexibility on intellectual property
rights is a pre-requisite in the fight against AIDS. This G8 must
go beyond empty promissory notes and support the Global Fund on
fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis by increasing funding
to enable WHO meet its target of placing 3 million people, predominantly
from sub-Saharan Africa, on ARV treatment by 2005. The G8 must also
not unnecessary fetter African countries keen on using available
flexibilities on parallel importing and compulsory licensing to
avail affordable life saving medicines.
Continental Integration
Despite the failure so far of the G8 to live up to its promises
regarding support to important African initiatives, African States
have embarked on an ambitious programme of continental institutional
renewal with the formation of the Peace and Security Council, pan
African Parliament, African Court of Justice and the African Peer
Review Mechanism (2001-2004). Progress continues to be made on all
these fronts. Nevertheless, a lot more remains to be done by our
leaders to enable poor and vulnerable citizens inform their governments'
priorities and trade offs of national and international policy making.
As the G8 meets African leaders, we call on the latter to commit
to deepening democratic practise and public accountability across
our continent by supporting on-going initiatives and strengthening
institutions that enhance democratic culture and principles.
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