>> G8 Summit Agenda
Chancellor Angela Merkel and the entire German government place great importance on dialogue with civil society. This is why the German G8 presidency is working to strengthen the dialogue process started by the British and Russian presidencies. The Chancellor is scheduled to meet personally with NGO representatives in mid-May.
The aim is to talk with and learn from one another. In doing so, the two sides must acknowledge and accept their respective responsibilities. Preventing misunderstandings and fostering joint policy objectives is a key focus of the German G8 presidency.
Welcoming forum participants on behalf of the German government, Federal Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul emphasised that the G8 must step up efforts in achieving more equitable globalisation.
The minister pointed to the successes already achieved through G8 initiatives. These included debt cancellation for the world’s poorest countries and the Global Health Fund to eradicate infectious diseases.
The Development Minister also called for the G8 nations to boost the fund’s financial resources, adding that the fund has saved two million lives since it came into being.
>> On the Summit Agenda: HIV/Aids
Focus on climate change mitigation
NGO representatives and the minister all stressed the importance of climate change mitigation in Germany’s G8 agenda. "Climate change is the greatest threat to security this century”, said Wieczorek-Zeul. Climate change mitigation raises issues of equity and justice between industrialised, emerging and developing countries.
This set of issues is of exceptional importance in the work of NGOs. Both Regine Günther (German NGO Forum on Environment and Development) and Ulrich Post (Venro) called for the G8 nations to do more in this area. Emissions of greenhouse gases must be cut significantly.
Focus on Africa
The minister stated that Germany would uphold the pledges made to Africa at the G8 Summit in Gleneagles in 2005.
The G8 nations agreed to increase the financial aid provided to developing countries for the period up to 2010 (then at USD 79 billion) by another USD 50 billion. Half of the increase (USD 25 billion) would go to Africa, thus doubling official development assistance compared with the base year 2004.
Minister Wieczorek-Zeul also highlighted the main points of Germany’s Africa agenda. These included strengthening regional organisations to assist market expansion.
The German G8 presidency recognises that achieving tangible reductions in poverty at source is reliant on healthy economic growth. To achieve this growth, Africa needs peace, good governance, the right conditions to attract investment and improved health and education systems.