Posted on 06/29/2006 5:47:59 PM PDT by libertarianPA
LONDON (AFP) - Live 8 organisers including Irish rocker Bob Geldof has lambasted leaders of the Group of Eight rich nations for falling short of promises, made one year ago, to alleviate suffering in Africa.
In July 2005, Geldof helped to organise 10 Live 8 concerts worldwide -- timed to coincide with the G8 summit hosted by Britain -- to help raise awareness of the plight of Africans living in poverty.
Geldof, joined by fellow Live 8 performer and Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour, on Thursday issued a G8 progress update alongside campaigning body DATA -- which stands for Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa.
"One year on, a new report by DATA has found that G8 progress on meeting commitments is painfully slow, proceeding at best at half-pace," DATA said in its first annual report on meeting the goals set last year.
The main outcome of last July's G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, was a 50-billion-dollar (40-billion-euro) increase in annual development aid, including 25 billion dollars for Africa, by 2010.
The DATA Report 2006 noted that the G8 was "on track" to meet its commitments on debt cancellation, with 19 of the world's poorest countries, including 14 nations in Africa, having already had their debts cancelled.
However it called for action on the crucial issues of aid and trade.
"The G8 strode forward down the promised path on debt, but have shuffled with a halting half-pace on aid, while falling backwards on trade," said Jamie Drummond, executive director of DATA.
"The campaigners around the world who got the G8 close to the right path in the first place must now encourage them to accelerate down it.
Drummond added: "This debt-aid-trade package of policy promises isn't a menu to pick and choose from; it's a trinity that must be delivered together or neither one goes as far."
"Debt cancellation needs assistance, needs trade, if we are to truly help Africa beat AIDS and extreme poverty."
Some three billion people worldwide watched the series of Live 8 concerts that took place simultaneously around the globe on July 2 last year.
The concerts preceded the Gleneagles summit, which lasted from July 6-8, 2005, and was hosted by Britain. It was also attended by fellow G8 nations Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
The next G8 summit takes place in St Petersburg next month.
On Monday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair had restated his commitment to the aims set out at last year's summit.
Blair also formally launched the independent Africa Progress Panel -- an independent group that will monitor financial commitments made to the poorest nations.
The Panel, which will produce an annual report to be submitted to organizations including the United Nations and G8, will be co-chaired by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and will include Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Geldof.
You can't have it both ways Bob. You can't say that the money does no good when it just goes into the hands of dictators and then say we're not doing enough.
Put on a few more concerts if you don't think enough is being done.
I find it hard to believe that almost half of the world population watched the concerts. It's more likely that the concerts were broadcasted to countries which combined have about 3b people.
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