G8 Meeting - 5th Jun, 2007

Sian James has considered the potential implications of the G8 meeting and work on Making Poverty History.

Sian James MP said:-

"In 2005 my constituents response to Live 8 and the Make Poverty History campaign showed that the people of Swansea East demanded action to improve the lives of millions of the poorest people in the world.

"As a direct result, Zambia introduced free health care for people living in rural areas, scrapping fees which for years had made health care inaccessible for millions. This was made possible using some of the $5.3bn Zambia received from debt cancellation and aid increases agreed at Gleneagles.

"More than 8 million of us wore a white band and hundreds of thousands marched in the streets to show our support for ending poverty in the poorest countries of the world.

"It was a moment when people in Swansea East and the rest of Britain spoke with one voice to show we would lead the fight against extreme poverty and injustice in our world. And politicians really listened.

"I received a considerable number of letters from my constituents in Swansea East on these issues. I represented all of these to the Prime Minister and Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for International Development.

"This week, the leaders of the G8 countries – the same ones that promised to cancel debt and increase aid to Africa – are meeting in Germany to decide what to do next. And we can now see whether our campaign made a real difference to people for whom our help can mean the difference between life and death.

"I am pleased to say that the UK Government has kept its promises. We are on track to increase the amount we spend on aid to 0.7 per cent of national income by 2013, we have cancelled every single penny owed to us by the world’s poorest, most indebted countries; the debt deal agreed at Gleneagles has cancelled all the debts owed to the IMF, World Bank and African Development Bank of 22 of the world’s poorest countries; and we have worked hard to end conflict around the world, especially in Darfur. We are also pushing hard to make sure other countries keep their promises too.

"There’s still a lot to do. But we can see that our work is helping people in practical ways. In fact, UK aid now helps about 5,000 people get out of poverty every single day.

"We should all be proud that we, together with others, are helping 17 million children a year go to primary school in Bangladesh; more than 1 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa get treatment for HIV, so saving more than 250,000 lives a year, and helping African peacekeeping troops to get training, 7,000 of whom are now in Darfur. And proud that a new vaccination fund we started should save 10 million lives.

"Of course, it is important that we work hard to stamp out corruption so that every single penny of our help gets to the people who need it most. So I am really pleased that 87 countries have now ratified the UN convention against corruption, and we are working to help countries set up effective systems to deal with corruption, and to co-operate with one another in the global fight against it. Because if we are going to help people, we need to be tough on anyone who thinks they can get in the way.

"I am proud of what we have achieved. But this should be just the start of a much bigger change. I would like to hear your ideas about what we should focus on next. Because if we learned one thing from Make Poverty History, it is that when politicians really listen to what people want and take action, we can really change things together.

"I always encourage people to write to me about any concerns about world poverty and I will listen and represent these to the Government."