From 6-8 June 2007 the G8 summit 2007 will take place in a hotel in Heiligendamm next to Rostock at the Baltic Sea, Germany. Despite the promises made at the 2005 G8 meeting, aid to Africa has actually dropped since last year. Following the pattern of previous G8 summits, the promises made by world leaders seem to have been quietly abandoned once the TV cameras were turned off.
One of the main G8 goals was to double aid to Africa by 2010. A report published on 3rd April, by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), says that, barring large rises in aid during 2007 and 2008, the goal of doubling aid 'will not be credible'. For all the OECD's desire to soften the news and give European politicians a get-out clause, the report's authors must know that sudden huge rises in aid during 2007-8 are extremely unlikely.
This may come as a surprise to those who took the platitudes of the G8 seriously. Celebrity campaigner Bob Geldof famously gave the 2005 G8 'ten out of ten' on the topic of aid. During the 2005 summit Prime Minister Tony Blair and his heir apparent Gordon Brown both basked in media adulation, based on their apparent ability to sort out global poverty issues. See our report at the time: "G8: We Roared, they Whispered". And my letter a year on here.
News now that their flagship anti-poverty initiative is sinking may well embarrass them – although it will almost certainly not get the media attention that their initial grandiose promises did. Similarly any meaningful moves re climate change are missing from the agenda - sign petition here to see if we can change that - already 265,000 signatures and apparently a great atmosphere of hope amongst demonstrators who are already there.
Last week thousands were on the streets of Hamburg to protest against the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), another shindig during the run-up that brings together EU and Asian bureaucrats and business leaders. Greens were amongst them. European Green party spokesperson, Philippe Lamberts said: “The right to demonstrate peacefully is one of the hallmarks of a democracy and we think it is extremely important that those people who are critical of the G8 and want to promote an alternative vision of globalisation should take part in the demonstration in Rostock. The type of globalisation which is currently advocated by the G8 relies on an unfair relationship between industrialised and developing countries and threatens the conservation of the planet’s natural resources for the next generation. One of the things worth noting about G8 summits in recent years is the way in which the towns hosting the summit are transformed into fortresses, which in a sense is evidence of the growing abyss that separates world leaders from the people they represent."
EGP Co-Spokesperson Ulrike Lunacek continued: “One of the most crucial tests of the G8’s credibility is whether or not agreement will be reached on what measures to combat climate change the G8 nations will commit to. It looks likely that German chancellor Angela Merkel will not be able to convince the US and China to agree to a commitment to raise overall energy efficiencies by 20% by 2020 and to cut emissions to 50% below 1990 levels by the year 2050. President Bush‘s latest proposal on this issue, which is that the world’s 15 leading emitters of greenhouse gases should spend the next 18 months trying to reach a consensus on what measures they are prepared to take to combat climate change, is nothing more than a cynical delaying tactic which President Bush hopes will derail any prospect of a climate change at the G8 summit. If no agreement is reached at the G8 summit, Chancellor Merkel and the other EU leaders must make a commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% by 2020 as scientific analysis shows that only such a reduction would prevent the most disastrous effects of Climate Change.”
This year's G8 meeting might still make the odd press release re African poverty, but it's been tabled under 'any other business'. This conference will be more about expanding corporate and social control. As the German organisers have said: its time to "get back to the roots of the economic summits of the 1970s...returning the group to its focus on the global economy."
As SchNEWS report: "A session on the 'imbalances in the global economy' is not a drive against the inequalites that leave the rich elite richer and the many billions of poor ever poorer, of course - rather the G8 is concerned about the fact that so much money is ending up in China; and now Europe, the USA and Japan are beginning to feel the pinch. A plenary session on 'sustainable uses of resources' will not focus on cutting carbon emissions, but instead will give priority to the 'challenges to profitability' that a re-branded eco-capitalism must address."
The help Africa is set to receive is mainly through a 'partnership for reform' that will give an initial focus to the privatization of the African health system. All very sad but perhaps some more loud protests re this G8 will bring some concessions??? Will they be enough?
Recently I was pointed to look at a news item regarding Stroud campaigners in Edinburgh for the G8 protest in 2005 - according to our local SNJ, Stroud protesters "were swept up in a riot, in which 100 arrests were made. Concrete slabs, boulders and park benches were uprooted and hurled at police, with seven officers and 22 protesters being injured in the brawl."
One of those protesters wrote to me angered by this report - certainly the national press do not seem to give a fair report of events - too often wanting to focus on the odd incident or exaggerating incidents - I enclose his comments here:
"The only thing that I saw being hurled at the police were flowers from the gardens which resulted from (notably a small minority of) the people contained in the park's frustration at being completely surrounded by riot police in full combat /riot gear, and being kept in the relatively small confines of the park area , and so preventing them from joining the demonstration which was going on in Edinburgh on the day...We were contained in the area for at least three hours without access to toilets or food and water, on a very hot summer's day! I believe I've been misquoted several times in the report too. I would see the police's action as being what was quoted by your reporter, from the acting chief constable Ian Dickinson as "wholly unacceptable and threatening" to be made to feel like criminals/prisoners and to be under siege by those who are presumably there to protect our best interests, in full riot gear which is of itself very threatening! The report also refers to the demonstrators who were in the park as being a "500 strong mob" which is completely inaccurate and misleading There may well have been three hundred people contained in the park, the vast majority of whom were peaceful protestors, of whom I would like to count myself as one! You also say that we, the peaceful protestors that is, "grappled with mounted police", not only were there no mounted police in the park at the time but grappling with horses would be incredibly foolhardy!"
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In some ways slightly more than I was expecting but still woefully inadequate - below European Greens criticise G8 re failing to commit to binding targets on Climate Change. It does seem extraordinary when they know the science, know the risks....
Reacting to the conclusion of the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, today, the Spokespersons of the European Green Party have criticised the G8 for failing to agree to binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions.
EGP Co-Spokesperson Philippe Lamberts said: “Although there are some positive aspects of the deal on climate change which was struck at the G8 Summit, it is a weak compromise which demonstrates once again that the leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations lack the political will to deal effectively with climate change, which is one of the most serious threats facing the world.”
EGP Co-Spokesperson Ulrike Lunacek outlined the EGP’s criticisms of the G8 deal on climate change: We welcome the fact that the G8 countries, including the United States, have endorsed the UN process to combat climate change and agreed that they will negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Treaty within the framework of the United Nations. However, this deal cannot be considered a success overall when one considers that the world’s leading polluter, the United States under President Bush, has failed to commit to specific targets for CO2 reductions and ratification of the Kyoto Treaty. This is completely irresponsible and puts the future of the whole planet at risk.”
Both Spokespersons also criticised the G8 leaders for not honouring the promises to increase aid to the developing world which they made at the G8 summit at Gleneagles in 2005: “We share the anger of many NGOs and people in the developing world that the G8 have again repeated the promise they gave 2 years ago to double aid without actually showing how they are going to do that. The G8 countries have not kept their word up to now so how can we believe that they will follow the promises they have made at this summit with real action? If the G8 are serious about combatting poverty in the developing world, they must immediately cancel all debt owed by developing countries and dedicate 0.7% of GNI to Official Development Assistance (ODA), as donor nations promised to do at the United Nations in 1970. ” Lamberts and Lunacek concluded.
G8's political miracle an elaborate deception by Joschka Fischer
2007-6-20
TWO weeks after G8 leaders met in Germany an impression remains that they wrought a political miracle in Heiligendamm.
Three things were supposedly saved at the G8 summit: world climate, Africa, and relations between Russia and the United States.
It seemed that a world government had met on the shores of the Baltic Sea. In the face of European unity, George W. Bush was transformed from a notorious sinner against the world's climate to a born again climate protector.
Some bold observers, indeed, regard this change of heart by Bush as a clear indication that Europe has assumed a new role in world politics.
But no real miracles occurred; instead, the G8 will need a miracle not to lose its relevance.
What, then, was decided at the summit?
To begin with, the G8 countries decided to "seriously examine" cutting in half worldwide emissions by 2050!
This is a very long time in politics. This compromise was supposedly hammered out in tough negotiations. But translated into everyday speech, "examine" and even "seriously examine" mean nothing other than "to postpone."
What happened is that America's president, both before the summit and quite publicly at it, successfully spurned quantifiable goals and refused to make any concrete commitments. So in the end all that was left was a choice between doing nothing and deciding to postpone a decision in a "serious" way.
Thus, sadly, Europe's contribution to the conversion of America's president on climate change was very limited.
After all, whatever awakening Bush has had has more to do with changes in the US political climate, where climate change is now a real issue.
Indeed, the positions of Al Gore and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger have contributed more to Bush's awakening than all the efforts of the European leaders combined.
In the cold light of day, the US government's agreement to negotiate a successor treaty to the Kyoto Protocol within a United Nations framework is not a sign of real progress either.
This is so because members of both parties in the US Congress still repeat the mantra: Nothing without China! This position will not change after the next presidential election.
The problem becomes clear when you compare per capita emissions in the US and China rather than absolute numbers.
China may be the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases in absolute terms (behind the US), but its per capita emissions are those of an emerging economy that is still far behind.
The fact that the US, the world's largest economy and emitter of greenhouse gases - in absolute numbers and in per capita terms - is taking cover behind the largest emerging country with regard to climate policy does not bode well for the future.
Climate change is not the only place where the G8 summit now seems less than miraculous.
In the run-up to the summit, Germany announced that it would increase its foreign aid for Africa by 700 million euros (US$939.6 million). This was the only concrete step, one deserving of praise.
But otherwise the G8 only reaffirmed the decision they had taken two years ago in Gleneagles, Scotland. So in real terms Africa has received only more grandiose rhetoric.
The German presidency of this year's G8 cannot be held responsible for this state of affairs. Under the prevailing circumstances, it is hard to see how more could have been achieved, given the political conditions back home of the summit's participants.
Politically and economically, China and India are more important today than some European G8 members.
Indeed, Europeans should understand that this viewpoint is spreading around the world, particularly on the other side of the Atlantic.
As in the old Cold War days, Russia would love to sit once again at the negotiating table alone with America. The Europeans, with their disunity and weakness, are perceived as unnecessary, even bothersome.
If the Europeans continue to cultivate their weakness and disunity, it may well happen that Europe will become irrelevant across the international agenda.
This year's G8 is over. Next December things will start getting serious.
Environment ministers from around the world will meet at the next UN climate conference in Bali, Indonesia.
Only then will we know with certainty if a miracle did occur at Heiligendamm or if the summit was, indeed, yet another "political miracle play."
(The author was Germany's Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor from 1998 to 2005. A leader in the Green Party for nearly 20 years, he is now a visiting professor at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School. The views are his own. Copyright: Project Syndicate/Institute of Human Sciences, 2007. www.project-syndicate.org.)
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