Put the poor first: Secretary-General urges G8 leaders
30 May 2003
Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon has sent a strong message to G8 leaders ahead of their summit next week in Evian, France. Protectionist policies in the rich world continue to harm the development prospects of poor countries, particularly in Africa, he warns, in a letter sent to all G8 leaders. Mr McKinnon urges them to show leadership to mobilise the political will needed to support the development agenda.While developing countries are told to trade their way out of poverty, he says, they are impeded by two factors: rich countries awarding themselves agricultural subsidies, allowing them to 'dump' products on developing countries; and high trade barriers which prevent the developing world from accessing rich countries' markets.
Mr McKinnon outlines the action leaders in the industrialised world must take to prove their commitment to fighting global poverty.
The Secretary-General call upon the G8 summit to:
• give the highest priority to securing early agreements on agriculture, affordable drugs and special and differential treatment in trade
• boost economic growth in poor countries by encouraging the International Monetary Fund to increase its concessional financing for exogenous shocks
• support the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer's proposal for an International Financing Facility to double aid flows to US$ 100 billion
• broaden the approach to debt relief by linking it to the financing needs of nationally owned and internationally supported poverty reduction strategies and the achievement of the millennium development goals
• address the challenges faced by small and vulnerable states and their special needs in the context of globalisation.
delicious
digg
reddit
facebook
stumbleupon
News feedsLatest Speech
- Commonwealth ICT SummitBetty Mould Iddrisu, Director, Legal and Constitutional Affairs
Useful Resources
Subscribe to our weekly email news bulletin and quarterly ezine - click here