Group of Eight chair Russia said on Tuesday the world's richest nations must honour past commitments, pleasing campaigners who are pressing them to deliver aid to Africa pledged at last year's G8 summit.
"The important thing is that we carry out the commitments that we have taken on ourselves," Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hosts the G8 leaders at a July 15 summit, told a conference of international charities and pressure groups. Putin added: "We must follow through with the decisions that we have taken already before taking on new commitments."
Spurred on by millions of people who attended rock concerts around the world to press for action, G8 leaders in 2005 promised an extra $50 billion a year in aid for all developing countries by 2010, including $25 billion for Africa. One year on from the summit in Scotland, campaign groups say most G8 nations are increasing aid too slowly to meet the target.
"We are very encouraged that President Putin has put the emphasis on implementation," said Nicholas Colloff, Russia programme manager for Oxfam, one of the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) leading the campaign to end global poverty. "We hope they (the G8 leaders) will follow through with their decisions," he said. Aid agencies say they do not expect any big new initiatives on aid to developing countries during Russia's G8 chairmanship.
But they say time will be given over at the summit, in Russia's second city of St Petersburg, to discuss how the commitments made in Scotland are being carried out.
Putin was speaking at the Civil G8, which styles itself as a shadow G8 summit. Major international NGOs including Oxfam, Amnesty International and the conservation group WWF took part.
The forum adopted recommendations for the G8 leaders meeting this month. They focused on boosting aid to poor countries, protecting the environment and safeguarding human rights.
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