7th July, 2009
AMREF will be taking the voice of African communities to the 2009 G8 Summit taking place in the Italian city of L’Aquila from July 8-10. AMREF will also be participating in the pre-Summit Civil Society Meeting of the G8 from July 6-7.
Last month, AMREF was invited to participate in the G8 Development Ministerial Meeting that was held in Rome Italy owing to the organisation’s proactive membership in the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, an international alliance of trade unions, community groups, faith groups, women and youth organisations, and NGOs.
AMREF in Italy has taken a lead and participated in all strategic processes leading up to the summit. During the civil societies G8 meeting, Victoria Kimotho from AMREF HQ was appointed the speaker for the Common Goods Group that included water and sanitation, health and education. She was also selected to speak on behalf of the health working when GCAP has an audience with the G8 development ministers.
Below is the full text of the statement presented to Italy’s foreign minister his honorable Minister Franco Frattini:
“At this time of economic crisis, wealthy nations including the G8 may be tempted to limit increases to or even cut development assistance. It is only through continued support for global public health for the poorer countries that we can avert a global health crisis. A health crisis will undermine economic growth. People in Africa and other regions of the developing world that had escaped poverty are now falling back in the cycle of poverty and poor health. Which means that poorer nations will require more assistance for a longer period of time from wealthier nations, and will forestall the other benefits of economic growth.
Most people in the wider developed countries will be able to survive this economic crisis, but if G8 countries reduce investments in global public health the poorest will suffer. The absence of functioning health systems will lead to needless, avoidable, and extensive loss of life. The poorest and most vulnerable, including mothers and children already struggling, will suffer more. Macro-economic stability cannot and should not be restored at the expense of the health and life of the world’s poorest and marginalised citizens, who have done nothing to contribute to this crisis. The G8 countries must ensure policy coherence and instruct the IMF to cease obstructing public spending on health care and the G8 must ensure that the agreement on intellectual property rights protects access to affordable medicines.
The G8’s commitments in health are important because the economic crisis will increase poverty in developing countries and increase reliance on the public sector of their health systems, including health workers.
We therefore are asking for the following:
- In order to meet MDGs 4, 5 and 6 by 2015 and the G8 HIV Universal Access to Treatment commitment by 2010, we ask that the G8 set out how the $60 billion by 2011 for major infectious diseases and health system strengthening and the $1.5 billion for maternal and child health care and voluntary family planning will be delivered. This needs annual commitments by country.
- The Global Fund to fight against AIDS TB and Malaria was launched in 2001 at the Genoa Summit so we are asking which role does Italy should play in continuing the success of the GFTAM, considering its current estimated 5 billion $ financial gap for 2009-2010.
- We ask the G8 to address the $10.2 billion annual shortfall for maternal, newborn and child health, including sexual and reproductive health and to reverse the lack of progress on maternal mortality, and set out plans to fully fund this shortfall.
The future of Global health and specifically health in Africa and other developing countries will be defined by the decisions made by you, the G8 development ministers. We require a political commitment for investment in global health during this economic crisis.”
