Scores of international experts began talks on Monday in Edinburgh, Scotland, aimed at helping the Group of Eight (G8) industrial powers tackle disease and poverty in Africa at its July summit in Scotland, officials said.
The Scottish Parliament said about 80 lawmakers and policymakers opened talks on Monday morning in its main chamber to formulate recommendations on Africa for the G8 summit from July 6 to 8 at Gleneagles, north-west of Edinburgh.
The G8 International Parliamentarians’ Conference on Development in Africa, meeting at Holyrood, Scotland’s semi-autonomous Parliament, is focusing on HIV/Aids, sexual health matters and empowering women.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair will host the leaders of Canada, the United States, Russia, Italy, Japan, France and Germany at Gleneagles, with the problems facing Africa set to top the agenda.
Blair’s proposal for the summit, based on a Commission for Africa report, is that wealthy nations increase aid to Africa by $25-billion each year to 2010 while providing 100% debt relief and breaking down trade barriers.
At Holyrood, lawmakers from G8, European and African countries are debating with delegates from the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
WHO HIV/Aids department director Jim Kim told Britain’s domestic Press Association news agency that tackling the epidemic — which has infected 65-million people and killed 25-million worldwide — will be crucial to the Gleneagles summit’s success.
”This conference at the Scottish Parliament gives world parliamentarians and policymakers, some of the real experts on the Africa issues that matter, the chance to put on paper what they think needs to be done and when, and sends out a very clear signal of intent,” he said.
Isatou Njie-Saidy, Gambian Vice-President and Secretary of State for Women’s Affairs, said she hopes the debate will force G8 leaders to make good on their recommendations.
”For years, we seem to have talked about the same Africa issues over and over again, but the G8 summit at Gleneagles provides a chance for world leaders to take action on important issues such as sustainable development and trade barriers,” she said.
”I think it is important that a key meeting like this parliamentarians’ conference takes place in the Scottish Parliament ahead of the summit, and I hope it can rally support from organisations and parliamentarians, and give more seriousness to important issues, and not just be another talking shop.”
The 17-member Commission for Africa, launched by Blair in February last year, labelled widespread poverty and economic stagnation in Africa ”the greatest tragedy of our time” and proposed a sweeping series of actions by African nations and the international community. — Sapa-AFP