The Chancellor's message to the countries of Africa was this: "We are aware of our responsibility and we will honour our commitments." The G8 needed to "fulfil the promises we made," she said.
Photo: REGIERUNGonline / Bergmann Welcome at the assembly rooms At the same time, the G8 and the African partners were in agreement that they would also have to fulfil their commitments, for example as regards democracy and good governance. Now the task was to see what had already been achieved in that respect and what still remained to be done.
Speaking on behalf of the African Union (AU), the Chairman, Ghanaian President John Kufuor, said that African countries were also prepared to play their part in making the Outreach Process a "true partnership".
Kufuor proposed establishing a body which would be responsible for supporting and regularly reviewing the co-operation.
US$60 billion to combat infectious diseases
Over the coming years the G8 will be making a total of US$60 billion (around €44 billion) available to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. This is to be used to safeguard universal access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention programmes, treatment and care, and to develop health systems at local level.
Particular attention in the fight against infectious diseases is to be paid to the needs of adolescent girls, women and children.
Germany will be providing €4 billion to support efforts to combat these illnesses.
A continent on the move
In their Final Declaration on Africa, the G8 underlined again their strong interest in a stable, democratic and prosperous African continent. The governments of the G8 countries stressed their firm resolve to implement the commitments made at the 2005 G8 Summit.
The historic debt relief is "well on the way", the document claims. Official development assistance (ODA) for Africa will be increased by $25 billion a year, compared to 2004, by 2010.
Photo: REGIERUNGonline / Bergmann Working session Despite political and economic reforms and the associated economic growth in countries in Africa, the G8 feel that much still remains to be done. A "vigorous impetus" seems necessary to ensure that Africa will achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.
A further set of measures is thus to be introduced to promote sustainable development in Africa. The leading industrialised nations have made the following commitment: "We will focus on promoting growth and investments in order to combat poverty and hunger, to foster peace and security, good governance and the strengthening of health systems, and to assist the fight against infectious diseases."
Heiligendamm, Germany on Thursday, June 7, 2007
G8 leaders at the 33rd G8 summit have announced a deal pledging US$60 billion in aid to Africa. The deal, to which all the leaders agreed, called "Growth and Responsibility for Africa" is a commitment to fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria on the continent. It is similar to the pledge made at the G8 at Gleneagles two years ago.

The communique says the G8 will "implement a package for HIV prevention, treatment and care" to achieve "as close as possible to universal access to treatment for all those who need it by 2010."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "We are aware of our responsibility and we will honour our commitments." 

Critics have noted, however, that the document, "Growth and Responsibility for Africa," estimates that it will "support life-saving anti-retroviral treatment through bilateral and multilateral efforts for approximately five million people." The United Nations says that 9.8 million people need such care, 7 million of whom live in Africa.

Groups advocating for Africa aid say it falls short of United Nations targets. "While lives will be saved with more money for AIDS, this represents a cap on ambition that will ultimately cost millions more lives," said Steve Cockburn of the Stop AIDS Campaign.

"Do they think we can’t read or count?" asked musician/activist Bono. "We are looking for accountable language and accountable numbers: we didn’t get them today."