Posted on 06/11/2009 12:06:50 AM PDT by bruinbirdman
Italy has failed to meet its commitments to reduce poverty in Africa and has lost credibility in its relationship with the region, a group backed by high-profile campaigners Bono and Bob Geldof warned on Thursday.
Anti-poverty group ONE, founded by singer and activist Bono, warned that Italy faces being embarrassed at the Group of Eight summit it will host next month.
The G8 – the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Russia – laid out ambitious plans at a meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland, in 2005, to increase aid to Africa by US$25 billion a year by 2010, more than doubling the 2004 level of aid to the continent.
"Italy has said it will put Africa at the forefront of the agenda at the G8 Summit. Based on its performance against the Gleneagles commitments, it has no credibility to host discussions of such global importance," ONE said in its fourth annual report.
ONE, which also has the backing of singer Bob Geldof, said Italy has cut development assistance to Africa and is planning more cuts this year.
Italy's Premier, Silvio Berlusconi, appeared to respond to the report's charges during a joint press conference with Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi on Wednesday, calling for decisive action from wealthy countries to help bring Africa out of its misery.
But he rejected the idea that aid should simply continue to pour in, and said leaders in certain African countries had funnelled aid into their own Swiss bank accounts rather than use it to help their people.
He said donors had to make sure governments used the aid for schools, hospitals, roads and railroads, and not to enrich political elites.
Nevertheless, he stressed the need for aid to improve conditions in poor countries, saying it was in Europe's interest to stem the
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Berlusconi is absolutely right. Leaders in most of these countries are a bunch of corrupt bastards. I wonder how much Bono and the other idiot have given?
Italy’s doing something right then...
Screw these two leaches and the squirrels they rode in on.
>Anti-poverty group ONE, founded by singer and activist Bono, warned ....
Warned? LOL! News flash: Times are hard on the productive taxpaying people.
Take a hint you vastly overpaid musical parasites.
Africa will take care of itself without all of the money being poured into a bottomless pit.
OOOoooo..Italy will be taunted by someone name “Bono”...how terrible!
.../wise ass
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