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G8 leaders condemn Zimbabwe's Mugabe

by Hazel Southam
Posted: Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 15:58 (BST)
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Non-governmental organisations were swift in adding their own condemnation of the Mugabe regime.

"By flagrantly and consistently violating the values upon which present day Africa is premised, Mr Mugabe has done great disservice to the people of Zimbabwe and the continent," said Kumi Naidoo, Chair of Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP).

"The humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe is overwhelming," said Tearfund's Karyn Beattie, Disaster Management Officer for Zimbabwe.

"Five million people are in serious need of food and this figure will increase even further if something is not done to resolve the crisis and restore peace."

Much of the G8 Summit concentrated on the twin concerns of Africa and climate change. There were no announcements on when promised aid would be given to developing nations. At the Gleneagles Summit in 2005, the G8 leaders promised to increase funding to developing nations by $50 billion by 2010 - just two years' away - half of this would go to Africa.

Campaigners also condemned the G8's limited moves on climate change. This week the leaders of the world's eight richest countries - Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Canada, Japan and the US - agreed only to "consider and adopt the goal of achieving at least 50 per cent reductions in global emissions by 2050".

Today, the leaders of the major developing nations slammed the G8 for not going far enough.

"It is essential that developed countries take the lead in achieving ambitious and absolute greenhouse gas emissions reductions," they said in a statement this morning.

The heads of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa - known as the G5 - called on the summit's leaders to go way beyond the global 50 per cent by 2050 target and slash their own emissions by "between 80 and 95 per cent".

The G5 nations said they were "committed" to cutting emissions, but asked rich countries to give increased funding to help them cope with global warming.

The biggest lifestyle changes to cut emissions needed to be made in the West, not in the developing world, the G5 said.

"We urge the international community, particularly developed countries to promote sustainable consumption patterns and lifestyles responsive to mitigation requirements."

Discussions on climate change will continue at the UN in Poland in December.



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