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NewsNGOs think G8 should pay more attention to Africa01.01.70
July 17 Non-governmental organizations said the G8 countries should pay more attention to Africa, but were satisfied with discussions on assistance to Africa at the summit, and made a statement on the issue. Representatives of Oxfam and ActionAid said at a briefing in the media center in Strelna that Africa was an emergency as acute as the Middle East, and its problems should be addressed without delay. The anti-globalization representatives said healthcare and education were of special concern. They welcomed the initiatives that provided for additional allocations to fight HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa. They said they expected not only declarations, but also practical decisions on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and on programs to provide quick access to education for 100 million children in poor African countries. The representatives thanked the Russian government for the chance to hold an alternative meeting in St. Petersburg during the G8 summit. The NGO delegates also said that international civil society would try to keep the problems of poor countries raised at the St. Petersburg summit in the spotlight of the next meeting of the global leaders. The anti-globalization activists' alternative summit, which brought together about 1,500 people in St. Petersburg, is over. The tent camp in the Kirov Stadium has been dismantled, and the majority of the participants have returned to their countries. Officially, the alternative summit will end at 5 p.m. today, when the anti-globalization activists will play football against the St. Petersburg government at the stadium. |
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