06.08.07
Heiligendamm
 
Bono, lead singer of U2 and co-founder of DATA, said: “G8 leaders say they are serious about keeping their promises from 2005, but today they have made their job seriously harder. They say $60billion for AIDS, TB and malaria and it sounds great, but that’s not earmarked for Africa, it’s a global figure and there’s no timeline. Even if their laudable commitment to put 5 million people on lifesaving drugs had a due date of 2010 – which it doesn’t – it would only be half their stated ambition of 2005.

"This summit outcomes document isn’t readable in any language, it’s called a communiqué but it seems to have been deliberately designed not to communicate the real facts. Do they think we can’t read or count? We are looking for accountable language and accountable numbers: we didn’t get them today. The G8 do reiterate their commitment to the $25 billion for Africa in 2010, but the whole point of this year’s Africa piece of the G8 puzzle was to show a critical path for how these great nations would keep their great promise to Africa. Clear year-by-year steps were needed but this labyrinthine language offers no path - it’s a maze designed to lose an ever increasing movement of engaged global citizenry.  But we are not lost; right now it’s the G8 that are lost.

"It's worth remembering that these aren’t statistics: these are hospitals without the electricity or clean water they’ve been promised, schools without roofs. Mothers without vaccinations for their children. The bureababble reveals a struggle within the G8. Some leaders have been stepping up but collectively they are slipping up. We’ve had plenty of fights with them this week – but they’ve had more with each other. Maybe the biggest achievement of 2007 is the emerging passion and commitment of the German people including the Chancellor herself – if only we could have turned her passion into more cash.

Jamie Drummond, DATA Executive Director said: "During these negotiations some leaders wanted the party to turn back, but their path was blocked by the people of the global campaign so leaders had no choice but to face forward. They didn't take the big leaps they needed to this week, but on AIDS financing and education commitments, some concrete pieces of the promise keeping puzzle were put in place. It's crucial that commentators do not get too distracted by the $60bn figure - we must keep our eyes on the promised prize of 25b more for Africa in 2010. There are some good specific numbers on health and education in the text but the words walk around actually committing the g8 to delivering these sums. There was a plainly a good fight for specificity and accountability waged by some - but the fudgers won. We will hold the G8 accountable to these sums even though the commitments aren't clear."
 
PRESS CONFERENCE
BONO and BOB GELDOF will join others at a press conference this afternoon at the G8 media centre in Kuehlungsborn.
Time: 1600
Location: "The Power of Ideas" tent behind the media centre
 
DATA media contacts at G8 media centre, Kuehlungsborn
Katy Cronin DATA + 44-7788-710-789
Taylor Thompson   DATA   +1 202 215 2003
 
www.thedatareport.org
www.data.org