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Leaders of the G8 nations at the end of the Gleneagles G8
Summit. We met at Gleneagles for our annual Summit, 6-8 July2005
Africa and Development
We were joined for our discussion on Africa and development by
the leaders of Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana , Algeria, Senegal,
South Africa and Tanzania and by the
heads of the African Union Commission, International Monetary
Fund, United Nations and the World Bank. We discussed how to
accelerate progress towards the
Millennium Goals, especially in Africa which has the furthest to
go to achieve these goals by 2015.
We welcomed the substantial progress Africa has made in recent
years. More countries have held democratic elections. Economic
growth is accelerating. Long running conflicts are being brought
to an end.
We agreed that we and our African partners had a common interest
in building on that progress to create a strong, peaceful and
prosperous Africa; we share a strong moral conviction that this
should be done, and have agreed the actions that we will take.
The African leaders set out their personal commitment,
reaffirmed strongly at this week’s African Union summit, to
drive forward plans to reduce poverty and promote
economic growth; deepen transparency and good governance;
strengthen democratic institutions and processes; show zero
tolerance for corruption; remove all obstacles to intra-African
trade; and bring about lasting peace and security across the
continent.
The G8 in return agreed a comprehensive plan to support Africa’s
progress. This is set out in our separate statement today. We
agreed:
• to provide extra resources for Africa’s peacekeeping forces so
that they can better deter, prevent and resolve conflicts in
Africa to give enhanced support for greater democracy, effective
governance and transparency, and to help fight corruption and
return stolen assets to boost investment in health and
education, and to take action to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB
and other killer diseases to stimulate growth, to improve the
investment climate and to make trade work for Africa, including
by helping to build Africa’s capacity to trade and working to
mobilise the extra investment in infrastructure which is needed
for business .
The G8 leaders agreed to back this plan with substantial extra
resources for countries which have strong national development
plans and are committed to good governance, democracy and
transparency. We agreed that poor countries must decide and lead
their own development strategies and economic policies.
We have agreed to double aid for Africa by 2010.
Aid for all developing countries will increase, according to the
OECD, by around $50bn per year by 2010, of which at least $25bn
extra per year for Africa. A group of G8 and other countries
will also take forward innovative financing mechanisms including
the IFF for immunisation, an air-ticket solidarity levy and the
IFF to deliver and bring forward the financing, and a working
group will consider the implementation of these mechanisms. We
agreed that the World Bank should have a leading role in
supporting the partnership between the G8, other donors and
Africa, helping to ensure that additional assistance is
effectively co-ordinated.
The G8 has also agreed that all of the debts owed by eligible
heavily indebted poor countries to IDA, the International
Monetary Fund and the African Development
Fund should be cancelled, as set out in our Finance Ministers
agreement on 11 June. We also welcomed the Paris Club decision
to write off around $17 billion of Nigeria's debt.
The G8 and African leaders agreed that if implemented these
measures and the others set out in our comprehensive plan could:
• double the size of Africa’s economy and trade by 2015 deliver
increased domestic and foreign investment lift tens of millions
of people out of poverty every year
• save millions of lives a year get all children into primary
school deliver free basic health care and primary education for
all provide as close as possible to universal access to
treatment for AIDS by 2010 generate employment and other
opportunities for young people bring about an end to conflict in
Africa.
In order to ensure delivery, we agreed to strengthen the African
Partners Forum and that it should establish a Joint Action Plan.
But we know this is only the beginning. We must build on the
progress we have made today. We must take this spirit forward to
the UN Millennium Review Summit in New York in September, and
ensure a successful conclusion to the Doha Development Agenda.
Financing commitments (as submitted by
individual G8 members)
• The EU has pledged to reach 0.7 per cent ODA/GNI by 2015 with
a new interim collective target of 0.56 per cent ODA/GNI by
2010. The EU will nearly double its ODA between 2004 and 2010
from € 34.5 billion to € 67 billion. At least 50% of this
increase should go to sub-Saharan Africa.
• Germany (supported
by innovative instruments) has undertaken to reach 0.51 per cent
ODA/GNI in 2010 and 0.7 per cent ODA/GNI in 2015.• Italy has
undertaken to reach 0.51 per cent ODA/GNI in 2010 and 0.7% ODA/GNI
in 2015 • France has announced a timetable to reach 0.5 per
cent ODA/GNI in 2007, of which 2/3 for Africa, - representing at
least a doubling of ODA since 2000 - and 0.7 per cent ODA/GNI in
2012. • The UK has announced a timetable to reach 0.7 per cent
ODA/GNI by 2013 and will double its bilateral spending in Africa
between 2003/04 and 2007/08. • A group of the countries above
firmly believe that innovative financing mechanisms can help
deliver and bring forward the financing needed to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals. They will continue to consider the
International Financing Facility (IFF), a pilot IFF for
Immunisation and a solidarity contribution on plane tickets to
finance development projects, in particular in the health
sector, and to finance the IFF. A working group will consider
the implementation of these mechanisms. • The US proposes to
double aid to Sub-Saharan Africa between 2004 and 2010. It has
launched the Millennium Challenge Account, with the aim of
providing up to $5 billion a year, the $15 billion Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief, an initiative to address Humanitarian
Emergencies in Africa of more than $2 billion in 2005, and a new
$1.2 billion malaria initiative. The US will continue to work to
prevent and mitigate conflict, including through the 5-year,
$660 million Global Peace Operations Initiative. • Japan
intends to increase its ODA volume by $10 billion in aggregate
over the next five years. Japan has committed to double its ODA
to Africa over the next three years and launched the $5 billion
'Health and Development Initiative' over the next five years.
For the "Enhanced Private Sector Assistance (EPSA) for Africa"
facility, Japan will provide more than $1 billion over 5 years
in partnership with the AfDB. • Canada will double its
international assistance from 2001 to 2010, with assistance to
Africa doubling from 2003/4 to 2008/9. As well, the 2005 Budget
provided an additional C$342 million to fight diseases that
mainly afflict Africa. The C$200 million Canada Investment Fund
for Africa, will provide public-private risk capital for private
investments and Canada will provide C$190 million to support the
AU's efforts in Darfur, as well as C$90 million for humanitarian
needs. • Russia has cancelled and committed to cancel $11.3
billion worth of debts owed by African countries, including $2.2
billion of debt relief to the HIPC Initiative. On top of this,
Russia is considering writing off the entire stock of HIPC
countries' debts on non-ODA loans. This will add $750m to those
countries debt relief.
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