Critics round on Brown as G8 hopes fall short of dream

Key quote

"The world can't wait. With all the knowledge, technology and wealth at our disposal, another generation must not be consigned to a life of misery and unnecessary struggle for the want of political will." - Cardinal Keith O'Brien

Story in full IT WAS a vision of hope delivered less than 24 hours after one of Britain's darkest days.

The leaders of the world's richest nations lined up in front of the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire to announce a set of bold pledges: poverty would be eradicated, debt would be dropped and trade would be fair.

Yesterday, those promises came back to haunt Gordon Brown, as campaigners and activists accused his government and the other members of the G8 of falling short. Church leaders, pop stars, schoolchildren and activists all piled pressure on the Chancellor; Hilary Benn, the International Development Secretary, and Jack McConnell, the First Minister, at a meeting to gauge the achievements of the last two years.

Kofi Annan, the former secretary general of the United Nations, was also there to call for more aid for the developing world.

The meeting was held in a tent in the grounds of Gleneagles where the 31st G8 summit was held. On 8 July, 2005 - just a day after the London Tube bombings - its leaders pledged to increase aid to $50 billion (£23.3 billion) by 2010.

However, this week the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development found contributions from those countries had fallen by 9 per cent from 2005 to 2006. The main culprits are the United States, Japan, Canada and Italy. But charities claim the UK is also lagging behind, with only 0.38 per cent spent on aid, excluding debt relief, 37 years after the UN asked all countries to commit at least 0.7 per cent to aid.

As the main representative of the governments present, Mr Brown was not about to get an easy time.

The first to take to the podium were Church leaders, who pulled no punches in holding him to account for spending millions on "weapons of mass destruction" while the poor of the world continue to suffer.

The Rev Alan Macdonald, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, spoke directly to Mr Brown as he attacked Trident, the nuclear base on the Clyde. He questioned how money could be spent rebuilding the nuclear arsenal at an estimated cost of £25 billion - some say even £76 billion - when 30,000 children a day were dying from poverty and it cost so little to feed them.

"What aid could £25 billion or indeed £76 billion deliver for the poor of the world?" he asked.

He recalled the enthusiasm felt in Edinburgh two years ago, when nearly a quarter of a million people marched through the city's streets. "There was huge optimism that this could be the break to make poverty history," he said. "However some of that enthusiasm has dribbled away and some of those promises have not arrived."

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, of the Roman Catholic Church, also attacked Trident to applause from the audience, including Mr Annan.

He complained about government spending on the Iraq war being more than the Department for International Development spent in 2004-5 and said: "The world can't wait. With all the knowledge, technology and wealth at our disposal, another generation must not be consigned to a life of misery and unnecessary struggle for the want of political will."

A message from Bono read out by the cardinal said: "Enough is enough. If we truly believe that the value of a child's life in Africa is equal to that of our own children, we cannot break our promises to them."

A message from Bob Geldof said: "The poor of Africa will not be forgotten, despite the best efforts of their governments and our own."

Sweating in the heat of the tent, Mr Brown gained no spontaneous applause, unlike the previous speakers, despite a passionate speech. The father of two likened the fight to eradicate poverty to the one to end slavery 200 years ago. "Let nobody tell us there are no good causes left," he said. "That 30,000 children will die today because of our inability to help. Each child is unique and special and we desire for each child what we would desire for our own children."

Mr Brown insisted progress has been made on the G8 promises. Aid in Britain had gone up by 13 per cent between 2005 and 2006 to £6.4 billion.

He went on: "By your efforts, $170 million of debt relief is available to the poorest countries of the world. And by your efforts, because of debt relief, it has been possible now, even already, for education for millions of children and healthcare for millions of adults and children at risk.

"Let nobody say that debt relief doesn't work. What doesn't work is doing nothing and we're determined that we act."

He announced £20 million for the UN's children's agency, UNICEF to establish a fund for education for those in war-torn or unstable areas of he world.

He also repeated a pledge of £50 million for a fund to plant a billion trees around the world and planted one in the grounds of Gleneagles.

However, the Chancellor also admitted that more had to be done and promised to take the fight to the World Bank, Westminster and the G8.

But Mr Annan called for action, not just "lip service". He said: "I think it is important that we maintain the pressure and we remind the governments that they made promises and we took them seriously and we want them to honour those promises.

"We do not want lip service; we do not want promises that are made to be forgotten."

Judith Robertson, the head of Oxfam in Scotland, said rich countries were breaking the promises they made at Gleneagles. "In 2005, the G8 promised to increase aid by $50 billion annually by 2010. Although far from what is needed to end poverty, this money could pay for every child to go to school, save the lives of 500,000 women who die each year in pregnancy and childbirth, and help train the six million teachers and health workers urgently needed around the world."

Ben Young, national co-ordinator of Jubilee Scotland, demanded progress on debt, as only 22 out of 60 countries in debt have been helped. "The culprits behind the debt crisis must be named and shamed. Debt is at the root of global poverty, and the blame for it can be laid at the door of western banks and governments," he said.

Jasmine Whitbread, the chief executive of Save the Children, praised Mr Brown's UNICEF donation and said:

"This announcement sends out a clear challenge to the rest of the world's richest countries to raise their game."

'I'm doing the most important job in the world'

THE G8 Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh in July 2005, was a seminal moment for many of the 250,000 people who took part - but for me it was a life-changing moment.

That day was absolutely inspirational. It is clear to me that making poverty history should be the number one priority for the world. It is a scandal that one billion people live on less than $1 a day - around 52p.

After working as a steward on that day, I gave up my job as an investment manager in Edinburgh's financial sector and I now earn around a third of my former salary.

I now lead a team responsible for policy, campaigns and media at Scotland's biggest international development charity, the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund.

My old job was well paid, but in some ways you could say the cause I now work for is the most important job in the world.

Two years on from G8, I'm as passionate as ever about the cause - but disappointed with the G8 leaders.

It's all about having sufficient political will. We manage to find billions of pounds to build nuclear weapons and pay for the London Olympics, but choose not to meet our international aid commitments.

Britain is shamed by many of its neighbours. Many of the smaller countries which surround us manage to spend a higher proportion of their national income on aid, such as the Republic of Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands.

While the UK government has made some progress, there are a number of simple steps they are not taking that they could.

One thing that Gordon Brown could do is meet the commitment made 37 years ago to spend 0.7 per cent of our national income on aid - we currently spend just 0.38 per cent of our gross national income on aid.

The other thing I'd really like the government to do is flex its diplomatic muscles to bring about change in the world's trading system, which is very unfair to poor countries.

For example, at the moment the EU dumps its subsidised agricultural products on the developing world, which drives down prices, ruins local farmers and destroys economies.

What the government promised and how the G8's progress is rated

HIV

The promise: Universal access to anti-HIV drugs in Africa by 2010.

Governments say: A global fund has been set up to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB. Unitaid, a joint venture between France, Britain and other countries, has also been set up.

Charities say: The current estimate of AIDS sufferers in Africa is 28 million, only 20 per cent of whom receive treatment. More than 90 per cent of children who need access to drugs do not get them.

Trade

The promise: To reduce subsidies and tariffs that inhibit free trade.

Governments say: Work is ongoing with the World Trade Organisation for a deal that will reduce agricultural subsidies to the developed world.

Charities say: Nothing has happened since talks at the World Trade Organisation's Doha Round collapsed in 2005.

Developing countries should have the right to help themselves if they can.

Aid

The promise: £23.3 billion a year pledged to developing nations by 2010.

Governments say: Total aid has gone up by £20 billion since 2004 and is rising. Britain aims to give 0.7 per cent of gross national income by 2013.

Charities say: Target will not be met at current rate. The contributions of G8 countries dropped by 9 per cent between 2005 and last year. Britain should give 0.7 per cent of wealth by 2010 at the latest if poverty is to be cut.

Debt

The promise: To cut debt owed by poor countries in return for good governance.

Governments say: More than 20 countries have had their debt cancelled and negotiations are ongoing with another 19. Some £40 billion of debt relief has been delivered so far.

Charities say: More than 30 countries still need debt relief and many are struggling to meet the conditions attached. Less than 1 per cent of aid to Zambia was available to cut poverty.

Education

The promise: Universal primary school education by 2015.

Governments say: Announcement of £20 million for Unicef to deliver education in post-conflict countries, with £8.5 billion of Britain's aid budget over the next ten years going to education. In 2005 there were 100 million out of school - now it is 80 million, so it is a 20 per cent improvement

Charities say: Aid remains low and 80 million children are still not in school.

Environment

The promise: No agreement was reached largely due to US opposition, but the G8 did agree that global warming exists.

Governments say: Britain has vowed to cut emissions by 60 per cent by 2050.

Charities say: The government's own Stern report admits that emissions need to reduced by at least 80 per cent by 2050 to prevent a rise in the world's temperature of 2C. The poorest will be the worst affected.