HIV/Aids and health

They say: G8 will “scale up” efforts to achieve the 2010 prevention, treatment and care target and provide “at least a projected $US60bn” over the “coming years” for AIDS and other diseases.

We say: A “smokescreen.” A hastily arranged big number to grab the headlines Current overseas development aid funding is about US14bn a year – whereas this announcement involves less than $12bn a year.

They say: “As an important step to scaling up access” the G8 pledges to work collectively “over the next few years” to provide AIDS treatment for “approximately 5 million people” in Africa

We say: A significant scaling back of the 2010 treatment target, given that the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS estimate that between 10-16m people will require treatment by 2010.

Climate Change

They say: New deal on climate change is a “breakthrough”

They say: G8 restated the Gleneagles pledge of an extra 50bn USD by 2010, with half of it going to Africa.

We say: There was no acknowledgement of the fact that the G8 is massively off track on reaching this goal (it fell short by $8bn in 2006 if double-counted debt relief is stripped out), nor any identification of the steps it must take to get back on track.

Trade

They say: Pushing Aid for trade and the $4bn package announced last year.

We say: Nothing new; in any case the real meaning of aid for trade is “we’ll give you aid if you liberalise your trade” – it is just greasing the skids of liberalisation.

Women's Rights

They say: Final communiqué talks about the political and economic empowerment of women, and “welcomes” the World Bank gender action plan.

We say: No specific commitment.

Investment 

They say: G8 presidency support for investment in Africa, including a “business leaders campaign” and “an investment conference aimed at improving Africa’s image as a continent of “opportunity.”

We say: It's all about making Africa good for investors; it totally dodges the need for  governments to impose tougher regulations on multi-national companies in order to ensure that investment will be good for Africa.

They say: We will encourage “sustainable investment through African private sector networks,” including the UN Global Compact, UN Principles for Responsible Investment and strengthen also mentions strengthening the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

We say: Voluntary initiatives such as Global Compact and EITI don’t have the teeth to stop corporations violating the basic rights of poor people as ActionAid’s research and experience in Ghana and other countries shows.

Education

They say: Talk about the G8 continuing to work with, “partners and donors to meet shortfalls in all FTI endorsed countries, estimated by the FTI secretariat at around 500m USD for 2007.”

We say: The G8 has said something like this in every single communiqué since 2001 yet the shortfall is still there. No mention of removing the donor and IMF conditionalities that restrict govt spending on education especially on teacher salaries.

Overall

"Despite last-minute face-saving measures the G8 has failed its credibility test on Africa."