 About us
|
WaterAid at the G8 2009
First published on 6 July 2009 WaterAid has been lobbying Gordon Brown to be a sanitation champion at this year's G8 summit, where the leaders of the world's eight richest countries meet to discuss matters of international importance including international development. At last year's Hokkaido Summit, the G8 agreed to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goal targets on water and sanitation. However, it's now clear that the G8 leaders will not deliver. WaterAid is calling on the G8 leaders to recognise the importance of water and sanitation and support a Global Framework for Action that will bring the same level of concerted international action as seen in health and education. G8 blogFind out about WaterAid's take on events throughout this year's summit by following WaterAid's Policy Officer Oliver Cumming's blog updates. Day 3 - Friday PM:Everyone's packing up now. Helicopters are whirring overhead delivering the G8 leaders to their next appointment. Obama just left - surrounded by screaming journalists/fans - in a huge jeep on his way to meet the Pope at the Vatican. Before I sign out, I wanted to quickly reflect on the G8 Summit in L'Aquila Italy and the outcome for water and sanitation: The good: Well done. Accountability - let's see what happens but any mechanism that seeks to track G8 progress on meetings for the promises is a good thing. As one G8 official said 'no more free lunches for the G8 - everyone is going to have focus on delivery'. Food security - although we don't know how much of the money is new nor where it will come from and G8 movement on this important issue is a step forward. US engagement on global challenges - let's just say things are very different with the new President... The bad: The water and sanitation section of the G8 communiqué - nothing concrete in the way of action. The Progress Report on Evian Water Plan - despite the G8 reporting a 'tripling' of G8 aid for water since 2003 and claiming that the Evian Action Plan was a key 'milestone' in this trend, the G8 brushed over the fact that the majority of this increase was due to reconstruction efforts in Iraq. In fact, Africa's share of G8 aid has declined from 24% to 18% since 2003. The G8/Africa Joint Statement on Water and Sanitation - not sure why the G8 thought it was worth releasing this and the water section of the development communiqué separately. Same words and no commitments. The ugly: Squandered political opportunity to build momentum on water - despite resolving to deliver a 'strategic enhancement plan' in 2009. This opportunity was betrayed by a woeful lack of ambition. Hosting the G8 in a town still recovering from an earthquake where many of the inhabitants are still living in tents and where reconstruction efforts have been delayed by G8 preparations - the best activist slogan I've seen here has been from a group of locals: 'YES WE CAMP'. So, what's the final verdict? The G8 leaders and the Italian chair could have used this G8 to build momentum on water and sanitation - capitalising on the progress made in the International Year of Sanitation and adding to the movement behind the Global Framework for Action - but instead squandered this. However, in delivering a lacklustre communiqué devoid of concrete actions they did at least not damage other positive efforts. In fact there is much in the communiqué that makes the case for the Global Framework for Action. So, no real progress by the G8 but hopefully no damage. Where now? The Global Framework for Action is now supported by a number of governments, UN agencies, the World Bank and civil society organisations and the first High Level Meeting will be hosted will take place in the spring of 2010. WaterAid supporters have brought real pressure to bear on the UK government to champion the Global Framework for Action - making it clear the UK must actively champion this initiative at the international level. Together we must all focus on generating anticipation and expectation around the first High Level Meeting and continue to put pressure on the UK and other governments to lift the bar of ambition for the Global Framework for Action. Ciao! Day 3 - Friday AMWell, the leaders have now left the G8 Summit. After the G8/Africa Joint Statement on Water and Sanitation was released this morning, leaders held individual press conferences. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown focused on the food security announcement in his press conference giving only a passing reference to the water and sanitation statement. Clearly not a priority for the UK at this G8. A missed opportunity for the UK to gather momentum for the Global Framework for Action on Water and Sanitation which they are supporting but which was not referred to in the communiqué. We want to see more from the UK government at the international level on water and sanitation. After this President Jacob Zuma of South Africa gave a press conference. Khumbuzile Zuma (no relation!) from Mvula Trust and a member of the End Water Poverty Campaign challenged the President on the issue of African leadership on water and sanitation. With South Africa taking up the Chair of the regional water and sanitation body, AMCOW and with South Africa hosting the bi-ennial Africa Water Week in November, they are uniquely positioned this year to take a lead. He acknowledged these opportunities and said that South Africa would push on water and sanitation regionally through AMCOW but also through the AU. Not as strong as we would have liked but a good start. Sadly, President Barak Obama's press conference was restricted to US press so we couldn't ask him how he feels about the water and sanitation crisis and what he's going to do to address it. But we did happen upon his bullet-proofed departure from the summit. There was a huge press scrum that we got our way to the front of - got a wave as he drove out! Going to grab an espresso now... Day 2 - Thursday PMG8 and accountability - not two words that sit together easily. But the G8 have this year declared that they will report on what progress they have made in meeting their historic G8 commitments. Among these promises, is the commitment on water and sanitation made at the Evian Summit in 2003. So how have they performed? What they said: Collectively, the G8 is the largest donor to the sector:
What we think:
And a couple of points the G8 forgot to mention:
VERDICT: No need to revise the score we gave the G8 on the back of the communiqué - a paltry 3/10. Tomorrow, the G8 meet with African leaders and hope to announce a joint statement. Let's see what they come up with but we're not expecting big things. Day 2 - Thursday PMSo the communiqué was finally released at 7pm last night. In short the G8 have failed to deliver any concrete actions on water and sanitation as they resolved to do in Japan last year. The text hadn't changed from that leaked earlier and WaterAid's fears were confirmed. The best the G8 were able to do after a year of deliberations was to give themselves more time - leaving the billions of people affected by the global water and sanitation crisis with little hope. Our verdict: 3/10 Below, we've pulled out the three key points on water and sanitation in the G8 2009 development communiqué: 1. We've got a problem: G8: "Many developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia-Pacific are still far from achieving sustainable access to water and sanitation... indispensable for sustainable development." WaterAid: "Yes but... let's be clear what 'still far from achieving sustainable access' actually means: there is a global water and sanitation crisis with 2.5 billion people without sanitation and 1 billion without safe drinking water. If we don't get the basics right all development efforts stand to be undermined". 2. We need action: G8: "Despite clear advances, much needs to be done." WaterAid: "Yes no kidding more needs to be done - the MDG target for sanitation will not be met in sub-Saharan Africa until 2108. Global progress to deliver water and sanitation is unacceptable and nothing less than a concerted international effort on water and sanitation will deliver the progress required to meet the MDGs". 3. But we're not going to act: G8: "We will continue working with partners at all levels, with a view to achieve tangible progress in the advancement of the partnership by the end of 2009." WaterAid: "No, not nearly good enough. No decision to take action and no actual date by which they will decide to take action. All we have is a vague 'view to achieve' something at some point this year. A long way short of the 'strategic enhancement plan' promised in Toyako, Japan. Difficult to see any benefit for the world's poor in this". Attached to the communiqué was the progress report on G8 commitments on water and other key development issues. We're going to have a look at it now to see how the G8 think they've done on water - here's betting the G8 give themselves more than the 3/10 WaterAid gave them. Don't forget that there is more to come from the G8 - it's rumoured that there will be a joint G8/Africa statement issued tomorrow. Stay tuned. Thursday AMI'd hoped to be talking about what the G8 have decided to do on water and sanitation but the communiqué was still not out by early evening. It was supposed to be released at 5 o'clock but two hours later we'd heard nothing. The leaders emerged from their meeting and President Obama and Prime Minister Berlusconi took a walking tour of L'Aquila. As they surveyed the damage perhaps they reflected on those still living in tents in L'Aquila unable to return to their homes and living without many basic services we take for granted. After any earthquake, securing drinking water and sanitation are the most immediate of concerns. Often in those situations water and sanitation are first on the list of priorities as the authorities seek to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera. For some reason though when it comes to development water and sanitation are way down or even of the agenda. Let's see if L'Aquila will inspire action by the G8 for the 2.5 billion in the world without sanitation and 1 billion without water. Watch this space. G8 press releases 2009
|
@WaterAid:
@EndWaterPoverty|
Bookmark or share the page: 
|
