On September 6th 2000, under the aegis of the United Nations, 189 state leaders signed the Millennium Declaration and made a commitment for 8 ambitious objectives: drastically reducing extreme poverty, hunger, HIV and malaria, illiteracy, the degradation of the environment, discrimination toward women, child mortality but also improving maternal health and developing solidarity between Northern and Southern countries.
The G20 summit is officially starting today in Cannes, at 12 pm CET.
So far, France, which chairs the Summit this year, has called for a common and sustainable dynamic for development. However, tensions about the Euro crisis may overshadow action against global poverty at this year’s conference.
“Development will be a second major challenge for the G20. I want our dual presidency (G8 and G20) to make Africa its priority”
Nicolas Sarkozy said at his press conference in January 2011.
On the eve of the G20 summit, hundreds of ONE members, along with celebrities Yann Arthus Bertrand and Friedreric Diefenthal, gathered on the steps of the Hôtel de Ville in Paris to tell world leaders that though drought is an act of nature, famine is man-made.
Supporting Africa is “not just a moral imperative, but a strategic imperative” said Bono this week in Paris, reminding the French people of the importance of the upcoming G20 Summit in Cannes and the impact it could have on people living in some of the poorest parts of the planet. The co-founder of ONE was in France for two days last week working to raise awareness about the issues at the upcoming Summit that will no doubt have significant implications for the continent of Africa as a whole.
The second edition of the G(irls)20 Summit opened today in Paris, and will run until October 21. Because girls and women are half of humanity and that they are always the first affected by the different global challenges, this international summit is dedicated to women and to solutions they can provide to major global economic issues. The G(irls)20 is an integral part of the international campaign “3.3 Billion Ways,” based on the assumption that the planet has 3.3 billion women and therefore, there are 3.3 billion ways to change the world!
Sara Kianpour from our ONE France office reports on the G20 Agriculture meeting in Paris.
G20 ministers of agriculture are in Paris this week to decide the fate of the entire world’s small holder farmers. These small farmers spend between 50 and 80 percent of their income on food, and in the 21st century, this fact is alarming.
At ONE, we hope that this data will give the G20 ministers of agriculture a good reason to find sustainable solutions to stop excessive speculation on commodities that affects the poorest.
Therefore, we recommend some concrete measures for the G20 Agriculture to be a success:
Fulfill L’Aquila commitments: Almost two years after the G8 Summit of L’Aquila in 2009, donors still have yet to declare precise when and how they are going to deliver their promises. Donors must urgently and rapidly fulfill their L’Aquila commitments on aid quality and quantity for agricultural development and food security. G8 and other L’Aquila Food Security Initiative contributors, including G20 members that endorsed the statement on the AFSI and had pledged to provide technical assistance, must clarify and deliver on these commitments.
Sara Kianpour from our ONE France office reports live from the G8 in Deauville.
The G8 Summit ended yesterday and here’s a quick summary of what we learned:
For the first time, freedom and democracy are headlining and ONE welcomes them. However, we are concerned that the final statements are primarily statements of good intent.
We would like first to refresh the G8′s memory regarding the $14 billion to help sub-Saharan Africa that is still missing compared to the G8′s promises in 2005.
Right now, some of the world's biggest oil companies are fighting to keep some of their deals with foreign governments secret. Let's tell big oil we won't be bullied.
Cuts to poverty-fighting programs won't balance the budget, but they will set back progress on Canada's development priorities and risk jeopardizing existing investments.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
Photo courtesy of GirlsandWomen.com.
