Q: [inaudible question about upcoming G8 summit]

SG: I hope the focus on Africa, the fight against poverty, will help move our concerns forward. Already, there have been very good developments. The European Union members have more or less doubled the development assistance to poorer countries, and fifty percent of that will go to Africa. There are good indications that the G8 Heads of State confirmed the debt relief that has been recommended by their foreign ministers. And I hope they would also be forward-looking and take some concrete steps on trade and trade negotiations, the “Doha Round” as we call it, so that it would also become truly a development round. And that would level the field for goods coming from the Third World. And of course, we are also interested in environmental degradation, so we are very excited that [UK] Prime Minister [Tony] Blair has put those two issues at the centre of the discussions this weekend.

Q: What will your message be to those leaders this time?

SG: The poor need you, don't forget them.