The ONE Campaign launches its 2011 DATA Report on the 16th May at the sametime as the Financial Times reveals the 2011 G8 Accountability Report will attempt to cover up the failure to meet the 2005 Gleneagles Commitments. Oxfam win the best quote of the day by accusing the G8 of cooking the books.The DATA Report, the first of their new style forward looking reports, focused solely on aid to Africa and shows that although the G8 did ramp up its aid substantially, it failed to meet its 2005 aid commitment to Africa. According to the report, the G8 made 61% of its commitment to Africa, but the shortfall meant the $7 billion less aid was distributed to Africa alone in 2010.
The report condemned Italy and France for failing to deliver on their commitments. ONE Campaign Executive Director, Jamie Drummond, commented "Unfortunately it comes as no surprise that Prime Minister Berlusconi has yet again abjectly failed to deliver on his promises – and we continue to call for Italy to be at least temporarily removed from the G8 for this reason. But it’s worrying that President Sarkozy and France are so far behind in a year when so much is expected of them as hosts of the G8 and G20, and at a time when African development, peace and democracy is at the top of the global agenda."
Perhaps timed to coincide with DATA Report, the Financial Times, revealed on Monday, that the leaked G8 Accountability Report shows the G8 is trying to cover up its failure to meet the 2005 pledges. According to the FT, the G8's figures put the gap between commitments and actual aid at only $1 billion per year and not $19 billion per year as calculated by the rich countries' own think tank, the OECD. The FT puts the gap down to the fact that the G8 Accountability report does not include inflation in the figures, which creates a very different outcome. The FT article quotes, Oxfam's financial guru, Max Lawson with the bext quote of the day: "It is shameful that the G8 are choosing to artifically inflate their figures. Cooked books will not feed anyone on Africa."
The G8 Accountability Report will be officially released on Friday 18th May.
More reading:
DATA Report Press Release
Financial Times Article: G8 Accused of cover-up on failure to meet aid targets.
Global Health Council blog post on the DATA Report.