Bush challenged on poverty, Africa and climate change
-07/06/05
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is meeting with US President George Bush today, ahead of next monthís G8 summit of the worldís richest nations. His aim is to persuade the American leader to soften his stance on a fair deal for Africaís poor and the need for decisive action to avert climate change.
But Washington and London insiders say that his strategy of using the British governmentís support for the US-led invasion of Iraq as ëleverageí for a shift of heart in the Bush administration is unlikely to succeed.
Mr Blair, who is being urged on by tens of thousands of church and development activists gathered under the Make Poverty History banner, wants to encourage Mr Bush to halve world poverty by doubling aid, to make international trade rules fairer, to secure a new debt deal for Africa, and to increase poverty programmes by 50 billion dollars a year through mortgaging future aid on currency markets.
The latter initiative, the international finance facility, is a particular concern of British chancellor Gordon Brown. It has support in Europe but has been opposed by fiscal conservatives in the US. Some poverty campaigners, like the World Development Movement, have questioned its efficacy for different reasons.
Early indicators are that Mr Bush is turning his face against change. The president will today announce 700 million dollars more support for Ethiopia and Eritrea. But this is a relatively small sum, and it is interpreted by development analysts as a way of avoiding more radical measures.
The US, the worldís richest nation, is one of its least generous in terms of aid as a percentage of GDP. American assistance is also channelled through the private sector and heavily slanted to favour business interests, critics say.
President Bushís advisors are saying that any debt relief offered to poor countries must be taken out of the existing aid budgets. He is not under the kind of public pressure to change his stance that exists in Europe, although the National Council of Churches USA and other Christian groups are among those backing the ONE Campaign ñ the US equivalent of Make Poverty History.
On climate change, the US is likely to make some small move in recognising the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence. But its rejection of the Kyoto protocol and any future development in line with it is likely to remain in place. It also says it is waiting for others to take action.
Britainís hope for shifting the agenda therefore involves getting India, China and Brazil around the same table as the US to agree an agenda for progress. Between them these countriesí greenhouse gas emissions amount to 80 per cent of the worldís total.
Bush challenged on poverty, Africa and climate change
-07/06/05
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is meeting with US President George Bush today, ahead of next month’s G8 summit of the world’s richest nations. His aim is to persuade the American leader to soften his stance on a fair deal for Africa’s poor and the need for decisive action to avert climate change.
But Washington and London insiders say that his strategy of using the British government’s support for the US-led invasion of Iraq as ëleverage’ for a shift of heart in the Bush administration is unlikely to succeed.
Mr Blair, who is being urged on by tens of thousands of church and development activists gathered under the Make Poverty History banner, wants to encourage Mr Bush to halve world poverty by doubling aid, to make international trade rules fairer, to secure a new debt deal for Africa, and to increase poverty programmes by 50 billion dollars a year through mortgaging future aid on currency markets.
The latter initiative, the international finance facility, is a particular concern of British chancellor Gordon Brown. It has support in Europe but has been opposed by fiscal conservatives in the US. Some poverty campaigners, like the World Development Movement, have questioned its efficacy for different reasons.
Early indicators are that Mr Bush is turning his face against change. The president will today announce 700 million dollars more support for Ethiopia and Eritrea. But this is a relatively small sum, and it is interpreted by development analysts as a way of avoiding more radical measures.
The US, the world’s richest nation, is one of its least generous in terms of aid as a percentage of GDP. American assistance is also channelled through the private sector and heavily slanted to favour business interests, critics say.
President Bush’s advisors are saying that any debt relief offered to poor countries must be taken out of the existing aid budgets. He is not under the kind of public pressure to change his stance that exists in Europe, although the National Council of Churches USA and other Christian groups are among those backing the ONE Campaign – the US equivalent of Make Poverty History.
On climate change, the US is likely to make some small move in recognising the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence. But its rejection of the Kyoto protocol and any future development in line with it is likely to remain in place. It also says it is waiting for others to take action.
Britain’s hope for shifting the agenda therefore involves getting India, China and Brazil around the same table as the US to agree an agenda for progress. Between them these countries’ greenhouse gas emissions amount to 80 per cent of the world’s total.