G8 Meeting, Evian, 1 to 3 June 2003 (Hansard, 15 May 2003)

§ The Secretary of State for International Development (Baroness Amos)

We believe that the G8 has an important role to play in promoting poverty elimination. At their summit on 1 to 3 June, the G8 will discuss a number of development issues. On the specific issues mentioned:

(a) Regarding trade, the Government remain fully committed to fulfilling the bold and ambitious development agenda set out in Doha in November 2001. Progress to date has been disappointingly slow, however, we are working with all our partners, including those in the G8, to ensure a successful mid-term WTO ministerial conference in Cancun in September. Regarding agriculture specifically, the Government remain committed to substantial improvements in market access, reductions of, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies, and substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support.
(b) On debt cancellation, our main priority remains the full implementation and financing of the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative. At the last meeting in Kananaskis, in June 2002, the G8 agreed to the UK proposal to fund their share of the shortfall of up to 1 billion US dollars needed to fully finance the HIPC initiative. We welcome the positive outcome of the World Bank HIPC financing meeting in Paris in October that year; pledges worth some 850 million US dollars were secured for the HIPC Trust Fund to meet the existing shortfall, and the additional top-up needed at completion point, to ensure that countries exit the HIPC process with sustainable levels of debt. We also welcome the general consensus that the overall replenishment should be around 1 billion US dollars to finance fully the HIPC initiative. It will be important that pledges now turn into commitments and that those non-G8 countries yet to pledge do so quickly. The UK has pledged 95 million US dollars plus our share of EC contributions.
(c) The G8 made pledges on polio, Global Health Fund, Africa Action Plan and Education Task Force:

(i) This year has seen a scaling back of polio eradication activities in critical areas, due to inadequate funding. Polio is on the verge of being eradicated in Africa, and indeed globally. The funding gap to achieve eradication is small (275 million dollars globally), to which the UK has committed 25 million dollars. We are urging other G8 partners to deliver on their G8 commitments urgently.
(ii) The G8 agreed in Okinawa to aggressive new targets for AIDS, TB and malaria control matched by a commitment of African heads of state in Abuja. The UN General Assembly Special Session on AIDS concluded with agreement to create and support a global fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which the G8 financed with 1.8 billion dollars of initial capital at their meeting in Genoa. The UK believes the fund adds value through its ability to deliver donor coherence, support for national health systems and its ability to purchase drugs and commodities in bulk and to establish reliability of supply. UK has pledged 200 million dollars to the fund over five years-80 million dollars of which has been disbursed.
(iii) The UK is committed to providing 0.4 per cent of GNI in ODA and increasing bilateral assistance to Africa to £1 billion by 2005–06. G8 progress will be discussed at the Evian summit. Africa personal representatives will be producing a progress report for the Evian summit, which will outline the G8 members' aid spending in Africa.
(iv) Education remains a priority for the UK and existing undertakings will be honoured. Between 2002 and 2007 we expect to spend £1.3 billion on the achievement of universal primary education (UPE) provided that we can agree quality programmes with our partners. We will work with G8 partners to ensure increased support and resources to meet the education MDGs.