What happened after Gleneagles?
So often, we hear something in the news – some agreement, some promise, some announcement – but there is very little follow-through by the media to tell us what happened next.
Cast you mind back five years to the massive Make Poverty History campaign leading up to the G8 Summit hosted by the UK in July 2005 and held at Gleneagles in Scotland. The campaign aimed to reduce debt and increase aid in respect of the developing world.
I had a Make Poverty History banner on my web site and I attended a gathering in London’s Trafalgar Square addressed by the inestimable Nelson Mandela.
So what happened? The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has just published an assessment. The good news is that, compared to 2004, aid has increased by 35%. The bad news is that $21 billion (£13.3 billion) of the promises made have not been fulfilled.
In this article, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown – who was of course at Gleneagles – comments:
“.. let us be equally clear that the 50 billion dollar agreement made at Gleneagles has not been met. Some of the shortfall is due to reduced growth during the global recession. But I do not believe there can be any excuse for denying money promised to the poorest people on our planet.”