Draft G8 communique does not cite 2010 deadlines for development aid, universal access to HIV prevention, care

Jul 2 2008

A draft communiqué scheduled to be issued at the Group of Eight industrialized nations summit in July in Hokkaido, Japan, does not cite 2010 targets for universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment or for $25 billion in annual aid to Africa that were set at the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, the Financial Times reports.

The Gleneagles commitments, which were reiterated at the G8 meeting last year in Germany, were seen as an "important boost" for Africa, according to the Financial Times.

The 2008 draft says that the G8 will continue "working towards the goal of universal access" to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care, as well as commit to fulfilling "our commitments on [development aid] made at Gleneagles," but it but does not specifically mention the target dates, the Financial Times reports. Some diplomats said that the draft, dated June 25, might change, especially if African leaders increase opposition to the language over the next week.

G8 leaders also appear "divided" on how to fulfill a pledge made at the 2007 G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, to provide $60 billion "over the coming years" to bolster health care systems in developing countries and fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, the Financial Times reports. According to the Financial Times, the pledge is in brackets in the 2008 draft communiqué, indicating that "no agreement has been reached" (Williamson, Financial Times, 6/30).