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G20 Must End World Poverty – Ban …As G8 Tasks African Leaders, Pledges $5bn For Maternal, Child Health
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has urged leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) industrialised and developing economies to take urgent steps to help the poor and make ends meet through investment.
Speaking at a working dinner on Saturday in Toronto, Canada, Ban said governments must mobilise investments and not depend on consumption alone to recover from the global downturn.
He cautioned that in spite of rising budget deficit and severe fiscal problems, the G20 countries should resist the temptation to “balance budgets on the backs of the world’s poorest people”.
Ban took part in the two-day summit to highlight the need for world leaders to step up efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
He urged world leaders to invest in three areas of high return, which he identified as agriculture, green recovery and health systems.
“Healthy populations, particularly women and children can leverage countries out of poverty,” Ban said.
He also urged the G20 to make concrete commitments for the recently released Joint Action Plan for Women’s and Children’s Health.
Experts said the plan would require 15 billion dollars for immediate implementation in the 49 least developed countries, and up to 45 billion dollars per year by 2015.
“Let us be determined to turn around these three areas of high-return investments into a reality.
“Tomorrow, the G-20 can make clear its intention to do so,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the Secretary-General met on the sidelines with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia.
In addition to discussing the summit and the upcoming MDGs conference in New York, Ban commended the Prime Minister for his leadership in co-chairing the Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing.
The UN chief head to additional bilateral meetings on Sunday in addition to taking part in the main discussions at the summit.
The G20 Toronto Summit focused on recovery from the global economic and financial crisis and the implementation of commitments from previous G20 summits.
It is also expected to lay the foundation for sustainable and balanced growth.
President Goodluck Jonathan who was invited for the G8 meeting left Canada on Friday after attending a special session between African leaders and the leaders of the world’s largest economy.
Jonathan also participated at a G20 business meeting on Thursday.
The G20 comprises 19 countries and the European Union (EU), including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia and Italy.
Others are Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom and U.S.
Meanwhile, the eight rich nations of the world, otherwise called G8, has called on African leaders to meet their primary responsibilities to their citizens especially on good governance.
“We call on developing country governments to meet their primary responsibilities for social and economic development and good governance, in the interests of their citizens,” a communiqué issued at the end of G8 Summit in Huntsville, Canada said.
The G8, which comprises the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia, said its support for development, would be based on mutual responsibility and a strong partnership with developing countries.
The G8 communiqué said Africa remained a cornerstone of the G8’s approach and reiterated that it would pursue a comprehensive approach to development, aiming at sustainable outcomes.
“We reaffirm our commitments, including Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) and enhancing aid effectiveness.
“ Since the most vulnerable states have made the least progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), we will place special emphasis on helping them build the foundations for peace, security and sustainable development,’’ the communiqué noted.
The G8 leaders, which met with seven African leaders at the Summit including President Goodluck Jonathan, commended the increased ownership that Africa had over its development process.
The rich-nations leader noted the high economic growth rates that had been attained in Africa immediately prior to the onset of the global economic and financial crisis.
The communiqué explained that they reaffirmed their shared commitment to continued collaboration to advance economic development of the continent, in addition to entrenching a more stable, democratic and prosperous Africa.
It noted that G8 and African Leaders recognised that the attainment of the MDGs was a shared responsibility and that strategies based on mutual accountability are essential to going forward.
“They noted that, while significant progress has been made in some areas, greater efforts are required by all actors in order to achieve the MDGs in Africa.
“In this regard, African Leaders expressed support for the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Muskoka Initiative.
“Mindful of the central importance that maternal and child health has to development and Africa’s ability to achieve the MDGs and of the consequent need for urgent action, leaders undertook to explore how to accelerate progress in the implementation of their respective commitments in Africa,’’ the communiqué said.
On security, the G8 communiqué noted that African leaders also welcomed the G8’s continued efforts to help strengthen the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA).
It said the eight developed nations were assisting in institutional capacity, to prevent and manage conflict through, peacekeeping training centres in Africa.
The G8 leaders also acknowledged the important contribution of African leaders to the L’Aquila Food Security Initiative.
The major highlight of the 2010 G8 Summit was the financial pledge of $7.3 billion by the Group for maternal and child health issues in developing countries.
The eight G8 countries pledged $5 billion with Canada contributing 20 per cent of the funding or $1.1b and other non-G8 countries and foundations such as Gates Foundation and the UN Foundation contributing the remaining $2.3 billion.
However, development agencies have strongly criticised the amount, saying it fell short of the amount that was hoped, although the funds would still be useful.
UN estimates that about $12 billion in budgetary allocation are needed annually to check pregnancy-related deaths of mothers and under-five children.
UN figures estimate that each year, between 350,000 and 500,000 women die in pregnancy and childbirth while
3.6 million children die within their first month of life and 5.2 million more die before the age of five.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.