G8 pledge $60bn for Africa
The G8 leaders are meeting African leaders today
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Friday, 08, Jun 2007 08:53
Leaders of the world's eight most industrialised countries have today pledged $60 billion (£30 billion) over the coming years to combat HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis (TB) in Africa.
The money will be used to safeguard universal access to treatment programmes and to develop health systems at a local level.
African representatives said they would fulfil their commitments regarding democracy and good governance.
German chancellor Angela Merkel, who is hosting the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, said that the discussions with African representatives were "very honest, very open".
"We will focus on promoting growth and investments in order to combat poverty and hunger, to foster peace and security, good governance and the strengthening of health systems, and to assist the fight against infectious diseases," the leaders said in a commitment to Africa.
Commenting on the pledge, Dr Michel Kazatchkine, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, said that it is a "strong agreement" that will help to make it possible to "defeat" these diseases.
But some campaigners have attacked today's pledge, claiming it does not go far enough and that it is shrouded in complicated language.
"I am exasperated," anti-poverty campaigner Bono told the Reuters news agency. "I think it is deliberately the language of obfuscation. It is deliberately misleading."
And Oxfam said in real terms the deal works out as just £3 billion in extra aid.
Conservative international development spokesman Andrew Mitchell said: "The headline figure of $60 billion to tackle killer diseases sounds impressive. but we need to know that this figure isn't just more smoke and mirrors, that G8 taxpayers are going to get value for money, and that this money really will reach the people at the end of the track who lack access to basic healthcare, education, water and sanitation."