G-8 development ministers reaffirm commitment to Africa

The Associated Press ,  Tokyo   |  Sun, 04/06/2008 10:22 PM  |  World

The world's richest nations agreed Sunday that industrially advanced countries must increase development aid to Africa and other impoverihed regions despite economic slumps at home.

The agreement came on the close of two days of talks between the ministers of the Group of Eight industrialized nations and emerging donor nations such as Brazil and China in Tokyo.

"We confirmed the importance of economic growth in developing countries," said Japan's Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, who chaired the meeting.

He said the ministers reaffirmed the need for G-8 countries to strengthen aid to needy areas, while at the same time striving to improve their own economies.

He said the ministers also discussed the growing threats of climate change and rising food prices.

"We are facing some big problems," Japan's Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said. "We are agreed that the G-8 countries must seriously face these problems and take action."

Harder economic times in the G-8 nations have made it harder for them to meet assistance goals.

The G-8 nations include Britain, Italy, Canada, the U.S., France, Russia, Germany and Japan.

Officials from the emerging donor nations of Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea and South Africa also attended the meeting.

The Tokyo talks opened one day after the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said aid from major donor countries slumped last year.

The Paris-based think tank said the United States and other wealthy nations were backtracking on pledges and falling behind ambitious targets set in 2005 to help the world's neediest.

"We need to first stop the decline and then reverse the trend," Komura said of Japan's shrinking aid.

Japan will host this year's G-8 summit in July.(**)

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