5 February, 2005

With or without you - G7 meeting in London

UK continues its debt relief plan, but the US opposes it

UK Chancellor Gordon Brown is trying to persuade the G7 group to support his plan to alleviate debt in the third world. But the US is the nation that oppose this proposal and wants to change money from loans to grants instead.

» BBC News | Debt aid and dollar on G7 agenda

» The Guardian | US opposes UK's debt relief plan

We might have got used to this usual situation, that is, the US is the only country to disagrees and insists on something different from what the rest have agreed.

Poverty has been a major issue for ages. To combat poverty, the rich nations should have made efforts, but many of them were superficial, bringing little to the poor countries. Economists have kept saying the rich should open their markets to the poor so that they can get a chance for better economy, and ministers of the rich countries say "we consider the poor". But has anything happened to bring a drastic change to the third world? If we take a look at the WTO issues, for example, the WTO's decision in August last year on the EU sugar regime may possibly be a "big" change. But it hasn't been solved yet.

Yes, this discussion is nothing new. However, there is the fact that the situation in Africa hasn't become better yet. This is also nothing new, unfortunately.

This may be a stupid simple question, but "why can't we achieve?"

BBC offers "Have Your Say" on this matter as usual. Take a look at it. You will know why the world cannot achieve.

» BBC News | What can the G7 meeting achieve?

I do not expect the G7 to achieve much because the poor nations mostly in Africa they want to help are the enemies of themselves. If corruption is not curbed there will be no progress.

Benedict Ageloisa, Benin City, Nigeria

It strikes me as odd that it has not occurred to anybody that in order for the rich to stay rich the poor must stay poor. Do any of the wealthy countries really want to give up some of their comforts so that another country can reach middle class status? Summits give the appearance of effort and concern not real solutions. Get with the politics of life people! Just as beauty queens protest in pageants that they want world peace, I do too, but I am not giving up my daily Starbucks and my three family cars for world peace. Sorry!

ED, Houston, TX

To Ed, Houston: You are jolly lucky you can afford Starbucks and three cars, when so many of the world's population is starving. It's all about the collective conscience and how those who have a comfortable life can help others rise from poverty. To use the reasoning that the poor have to stay that way in order for the rich to be so is utterly ludicrous and completely shallow. The G7 is always the same - a huge photo-op for the suits, feeding their egos and accomplishing exactly nothing.

D Stewart, North Carolina, USA

As you see, ED's comment seems to have heated up the discussion there.

At last, Nelson Mandela addressed a speech. Here is its excerpt from BBC.

As you know, I recently formally announced my retirement from public life and should really not be here.

However, as long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.

Through your will and passion, you assisted in consigning that evil system forever to history. But in this new century, millions of people in the world's poorest countries remain imprisoned, enslaved, and in chains.

They are trapped in the prison of poverty. It is time to set them free.

Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. And overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.

While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.

» BBC News | In full: Mandela's poverty speech