EDITORIAL: inACORD News August 2005
Poverty in Africa: A look at the 2005 Global initiatives
By Ken Bluestone
(Northern Programme Director -London)
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It has been
said that 2005 could be a momentous year for poor people living
in Africa. The calendar seems packed with significant events:
Tony Blair’s Africa Commission Report was published; both the G8
and EU Presidencies take place under UK leadership; the UN’s
Millennium Review Summit will focus on achieving the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).
According to G8 leaders, historic
decisions were made in Gleneagles: full cancellation of IMF,
World Bank and African Development Bank debt for up to 14
African countries; doubling of aid over the next 10 years; and a
commitment to address wealthy countries’ trade subsidies in the
next WTO ministerial in Hong Kong later this year.
Before the ink had even dried,
however, it became obvious how fragile these agreements really
were. European officials began insisting on greater
conditionalities for debt relief at IMF meetings held soon after
in Washington.
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Children in Malawi … the African continent suffers devastation
on the same scale as the Asian tsunami each fortnight. These
deaths occur because of the effects of preventable water borne
diseases, chronic malnutrition, severe shortages of food and the
pressure to meet unjust debt repayments - all linked to severe
poverty
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World Bank officials are asking for money
upfront from G8 members before committing to their part of the debt
deal. Upon closer scrutiny, it became clear that the doubling of aid was
not based on new money and new financial instruments, such as the
International Finance Facility, did not receive the support required to
achieve a massive scale-up. As for trade, the WTO seems unlikely to
break its deadlock on easier issues, let alone radically transform the
way international trade is structured.
Meanwhile
life in Africa goes on, regardless of what others claim to be doing on
its behalf. In the few months that have passed since the G8 Summit, the
deepening famine in Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso has finally
come to the media’s attention. The newly won stability in Sudan has been
rocked by the death of Vice President John Garang. The end of conflict
in areas such as Northern Uganda seems tantalisingly close, yet still
out of reach. And the on-going negotiation of Economic Partnership
Agreements between the European Union and African countries continues to
raise concerns on the impact they will have on what is left of Africa’s
agriculture and industry.
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INACORD NEWS -
AUGUST 2005
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These
realities call into question the whole G8 process and the outrageous
assumption that the non-democratic decisions of 8 people can find
solutions for an entire continent. It is clear that Africa needs to look
after its own people and resources if any solutions are going to be
found, rather than waiting for the G8 to decide its fate. Future
discussions on development for Africa should not be based on increased
aid and handouts, but should take place with African Governments
participating as equals on areas of mutual interest, such as trade. The
presence of India, Brazil and South Africa at the recent G8 was a
starting point towards this end, but there is still far to go before the
same respect is given to other countries.
Real
solutions cannot happen by top-down policies imposed by donors. They
will only come by recognising and supporting the daily efforts of
Africans themselves to overcome the challenges of conflict, hunger and
inequality. Strengthening civil society and the democratic spaces in
which African citizens can make their own voices heard lies at the very
heart of this struggle.
No matter
what gets decided in 2005, there is still a lot to celebrate: the
response of civil society has been momentous. The Global Coalition
Against Poverty (GCAP) and the Make Poverty History campaigns have
mobilised millions of people worldwide to express their solidarity with
people feeling the impact of social injustice and inequality. This is
the legacy that ACORD hopes to build on.
Despite
the rhetoric, however, it is essential to remember that 2005 is just a
brief moment in time. In ten years, it is not what happened in 2005 that
will be important, but what we did next that will have made all the
difference.
