Material from this article may be freely reproduced, with attribution to
"Africa Recovery, United Nations". We would appreciate a copy of the reproduction.

From Africa Recovery, New Releases, July 2002

Sustainable development summit will be test of G-8's commitment to Africa, UN Secretary-General says

UN Africa Recovery, New York -- The world will be watching the leaders of the richest countries to see if they live up to the pledges they have made to Africa, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said at the close of the 26-27 June Group of Eight (G-8) summit in Kananaskis, Canada. A key test, he said, will come at the UN-sponsored World Summit for Sustainable Development, to be held in South Africa, "in the heart of a region acutely affected by poverty, by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and now also affected by a terrible drought, with a serious threat of famine in several countries." He urged all the G-8 leaders to attend the summit, to be held 26 August­4 September in Johannesburg.

Reducing poverty and meeting sustainable development goals face the "toughest challenge" in Africa, Mr. Annan stated in a letter to the G-8 before his departure for Kananaskis. And it is "in Africa that their achievement will depend most crucially on international solidarity."

Photo : ©UN / #EDD494 / Eskinder Debebe

The appeal came as G-8 leaders devoted particular attention to Africa. Five African heads of state were invited and four took part: President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria. President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt was unable to attend. All are central promoters of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), a continent-wide development strategy adopted by African leaders last year.

At the summit, the G-8 adopted an "Africa Action Plan" that endorsed NEPAD and strongly welcomed its emphasis on peace and good governance. However, the G-8 failed to mention the need for investment in infrastructure and made no new commitments to improve the access of African exports to Northern markets, both prominent NEPAD priorities. Up to $1 bn in additional debt relief may be provided, the G-8 said. Its pledge of more official development assistance fell short of African expectations and was conditional: about $6 bn in additional annual aid "could be directed" to African countries that meet the G-8's political and economic policy criteria, the Action Plan said.

Humanitarian organizations active in Africa were highly critical of the summit's outcome. The G-8 "failed to deliver the much-hyped breakthrough for Africa," declared Oxfam, a UK-based non-governmental organization.

The African presidents who attended the summit highlighted its positive aspects, not only the endorsement of NEPAD but also the unprecedented prominence given to African issues by such an exclusive group of industrialized nations. Mr. Annan said that the summit "might come to be seen as a turning point in the history of Africa," provided African leaders stick to their NEPAD commitments and G-8 countries actually carry out their Action Plan. "One clear indication of whether we are living up to it or not" will come at the sustainable development summit, he added.

President Mbeki, the summit host, also stressed the importance of ensuring that it leads to implementation of the pledges made ten years ago at the UN Conference on Environment and Development (the Rio "Earth Summit"). Among those commitments was a significant rise in the incomes and opportunities of poor people, since poverty has been a key factor in overfarming, tree-clearing and other environmentally damaging practices in Africa and other developing regions.

"People continue to die of hunger," President Mbeki said on the eve of the G-8 summit. "Babies get born, grow up and die without being able to read or write. Many fellow humans do not have clean water to drink. And people die of curable diseases. The gulf between rich and poor members of the human race widens as we speak."

Such problems are especially acute in Africa, the only continent where poverty is actually worsening. More than 40 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa's 660 million people survive on less than US$1 a day. Nearly 40 per cent of adults remain illiterate, 164 of every 1,000 children die before they reach the age of five and average life expectancy is 48.6 years, the lowest in the world by far.

The responsibility for changing these conditions rests first and foremost with the leaders of Africa and other developing regions, Mr. Annan said in his letter to the G-8. Progress has been made in establishing democratic systems in most African countries, and Africa's NEPAD programme rests on improved governance, respect for human rights and public accountability. Yet even Africans' best efforts will be insufficient unless they receive greater international support. Mr. Annan recommended a series of concrete steps:

• Open Northern markets to more exports from poor developing countries
• Increase official development assistance by an additional $50 bn a year globally
• Provide greater and speedier debt relief
• Ensure that primary education becomes available to all children
• Help stem the spread of killer diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Nowhere, he said, are such steps more urgently needed than in Africa. "The special needs of Africa were clearly recognized by world leaders in the Millennium Declaration [in 2000], and the United Nations system as a whole is firmly committed to supporting African efforts."

Africa Recovery
1 United Nations Plaza, Rm. 550
New York, NY 10017 USA

Tel: (212) 963-6857
Fax: (212) 963-4556
Email: africa_recovery@un.org

Website: www.africarecovery.org
Contact us by email: africa_recovery@un.org