The G8 meet this week in Tōyako, Japan. Today’s discussions are due to focus on international development and Africa in particular.
Increasing structural support for agricultural reform in developing countries (see posts passim) is firmly on the agenda. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wants the G8 to triple research and development aid. He has also echoed calls for export restrictions for d to be lowered and for excessive agricultural subsidies in developed countries to be phased out.
In a similar vein, according to The Guardian, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown believes that the meetings can be used to bolster support for trade liberalisation at the WTO. The summit must “secure a breakthrough or ‘risk protectionism rapidly spreading across the globe’.”
Despite all this, the FT reports that G8 leaders are not expected to uphold their 2005 promises to increase development aid to $25bn annually. Additionally, attempts to include the so-called G5 of emerging economies (China, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and India) are failing.
G8 conferences have real power to control the degree and direction of macropolicy on a number of crucial issues. Yet the fact that little has been said publicly about the significance of the meeting is concerning. The rhetoric of “high stakes” diplomacy can often be a precursor to real developments. All the usual demonstrations have been going on, but compared to previous protests, they have seemed muted so far, perhaps due to the saturation police presence. It is still early to say, but unfortunately, judging by the media commentary on the event, this conference looks in danger of ending not with a bang, but a whimper. I look forward to being proven wrong over the next few days.
