ELMAU (dpa-AFX) – At the start of the G7 summit, development organizations are insisting on tangible commitments and resolutions from the participating states. Dirk Bathe from World Vision Germany welcomed the initiatives that have already been launched to combat hunger and climate change. “But we demand concrete statements on financing and concrete proposals for implementing the ideas,” he told the German Press Agency. “Empty promises don’t fill empty stomachs,” Bathe said. “Insubstantial announcements will not stop climate change.”
In May, the G7 development ministers proclaimed an “alliance for global food security” in response to the supply crisis triggered by the Ukraine war. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), on the other hand, advocates a “climate club”. Civil society organizations hope that the two initiatives will be given more life at the summit in Elmau, Bavaria, from Sunday to Tuesday. In addition to host Germany, the G7 also includes France, Italy, Japan, Canada, the USA and Great Britain. Also attending the summit as guests are representatives from Indonesia, India, South Africa, Senegal and Argentina.
Friederike Meister, Germany director of Global Citizen, an organization that fights extreme poverty, called for financial commitments. “The world’s major crises are deepening, but rich countries’ funds for everyone’s economic recovery are not reflecting that.” Referring to the topics of the first working sessions on Sunday, she said: “The G7 must now prioritize investments in the world’s poorest countries – they must not be forgotten in the talks on global economic development and infrastructure investments.”
Meister demanded a clear commitment from the G7 to invest at least 0.7 percent of their economic power in development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Like many other countries, Germany has committed itself to spending 0.7 percent of gross national income on development work. Gross national income is a measure of economic output.
“The G7 are carrying around promises that have been made for decades without actually implementing them,” criticized Meister. Last year only 0.32 percent was spent on development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Additional funds are needed for the poorest countries in the world./hrz/DP/nas