Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest • Volume 6 • Number 24 • 26th June 2002
Chrétien, Blair Struggle To Make G-8 Summit Meaningful For Africa
Strengthening world economic growth and sustainable development, fighting terrorism and an action plan/approval for the New Partnership For Africa’s Economic Development (NEPAD) are on the agenda for the 26- 26 June Group of 8 (G-8) Summit starting on 26 June in Kanasaskis, Canada. Chaired by Canadian Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien the summit will attended by leaders of the seven most industrialised countries and Russia, as well as by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, South African president Thabo Mbeki and four other African leaders.
Chrétien will be pushing to prioritise the Africa Action Plan that G-8 leaders committed to creating at the Genoa Summit of July 2001 (see BRIDGES Weekly, 24 July 2001). The action plan will be based on the mutual responsibility of industrialised and African countries, with African leaders expected to ensure good governance, uphold human rights and commit to democracy as they call for USD $64 billion in annual investment and support from developed countries to sustain a 15-year annual economic growth of seven percent. But talks on NEPAD have already been relegated to the latter part of the summit due to mounting pressure from some leaders to meet on US-European trade disputes over steel and farm subsidies. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who met Chrétien before the summit site in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, said the talks must focus on trade disputes and the economic crisis in Russia, rather than predominantly on African issues. Chrétien said he has agreed to help broker a deal between the US and the EU but will keep African development as the main issue of the summit.
Canada — which has already earmarked USD 500 million for Africa ahead of the summit — is being joined in its push for more African aid by the UK. But British Prime Minister Tony Blair has already run into US and Japanese opposition to his USD 6 billion aid plan proposal for Africa. As part of a push by both leaders on greater market access for African products, Chrétien will call upon G-8 countries to reduce trade barriers to African farm products, textiles and footwear while insisting that aid be focused on countries that did most to fight corruption and foster good governance.
Matthew Lockwood, UK head of campaigning at development group ActionAid, commented that while "a shower of recycled initiatives for Africa" would be witnessed at the summit, the truth was that "the mission to heal the scars of Africa has become bogged in the swamp of G- 8 politics". Lockwood said that the real test of Tony Blair’s success will be if he can overcome Japanese and American resistance and get a new deal for Africa back on the road. Critics have also charged NEPAD with replicating donor-driven structural adjustment conditions by providing an emphasis on attracting foreign direct investment and privatising domestic assets, which they believe have failed to improve Africa’s economic performance. The city of Calgary meanwhile saw peaceful protest marches ahead of the summit by individuals and groups angry at the perceived top-down decision-making style of the summit without involvement and input from local populations.
"Thousands Protest Peacefully In Canada Against G8," REUTERS/PLANETARK, 25 June 2002; "G-8: Leaders Prepare For Summit In Canada; Africa To Top Agenda," UNWIRE, 24 June 2002 at http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/util/display_stories.asp?objid=27225; "Britain fights for huge G8 aid boost to Africa," " US and Japan Dig In Heels Over Blair’s Call For $6bn Of Extra Funds," THE GUARDIAN, 22 June 2002.