The former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who chairs the APP, and the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, were present when the report was officially handed over in Berlin.
"Building bridges between continents"
The report should foster dialogue between the governments of Africa and the international community, said Merkel. It also looks at how the states of Africa can deliver on their commitments.
Germany will be taking up the impetus generated at Gleneagles at the next G8 summit, which is to be held in Heiligendamm in June. In 2005, when they met in Scotland, the leading industrialised nations agreed to double the funding made available for development cooperation.
It is not, however, only a question of financial support, said Merkel. More importantly the general framework for development must be improved, for instance through the WTO's Doha Round.
At the end of the year, the Chancellor will meet APP members again, and will take stock of what the German G8 presidency has done for Africa.
She also announced a conference to be held in September in Germany, which will look at ways of combating AIDS and other infectious diseases.
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
Annan reminded those present of the promises made by the industrialised nations to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations. These include halving global poverty by 2015, achieving primary education for all, and combating AIDS and malaria.
He also called on the states of Africa to respect the agreed goals, and deliver on good governance, sustainable development, peace and security.
What is the APP?
Tony Blair launched the APP on 26 June 2006 at King’s College, London, building on the work of the Commission for Africa (CfA), which had been founded two years earlier. Africa was the priority of the British G8 presidency in 2005. The Irish rock musician Bob Geldof, initiator of the Live Aid concerts, is co-founder of the APP.
The forum meets once or twice a year and will publish an annual report on development in Africa, which addresses international decision-makers.
Alongside Kofi Annan and Bob Geldof, other leading individuals from the world of politics are on board, including Michael Camdessus, the former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Mohammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Bank and winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize. The German member is Peter Eigen, the founder of the international anti-corruption organisation Transparency International. The former Minister of Education and Culture of Mozambique, Graça Machel, and the former US Treasury Secretary, Robert E. Rubin, are also actively involved.
The APP has the financial support of Bill Gates and the technical support of Bono’s organisation, DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa). In 2006 DATA for the first time documented the progress made on realising the pledges made at the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles.
