G8/G20 Viewpoint

The impacts of the global economic crisis are not happening within a vacuum. As
the developing world struggles to protect any economic progress that has been
made, it also continues to cope with health, hunger, and climate change issues.
The G8/G20 Summit in Toronto, Canada is an opportunity for global leaders to
reaffirm their commitments to the poor and vulnerable and to clarify their solutions.
InterAction supports the commitments made at L’Aquila and Pittsburgh.
Nonetheless, more work needs to be done and each commitment must be followed
with action.

We strongly urge finance ministers at the G8/G20 to consider the following:

Climate Change is dangerously near irreversible tipping points, and the

intensifying impacts of climate change are threatening the lives of vulnerable
people across the globe. Meaningful action by G8 and G20 leaders has never been
more urgent.

1. G20 countries must raise the level of ambition on their mitigation targets to
ensure that the increase in global temperatures stay as far below 2° Celsius
as possible.
2. The G20 countries must commit to innovative mechanisms to generate
substantial new and additional public funding to support developing countries
to adapt to the impacts of climate change, transition to clean energy
economies and reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation. The
vast majority of this funding must be directed through a funding mechanism
under the authority of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
Conference of Parties (UNFCCC - COP).

Food Security has seen substantial progress since the Pittsburgh Summit. The
World Bank Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) has recently
announced inaugural grants for five developing countries. This action represents an
important first step towards achieving food security.

1. Fully fund and create a mechanism to document the three-year $20 billion
commitment made in the L’Aquila Joint Statement on Global Food Security in
Italy, 2009.
2. Ensure civil society—including smallholder farmer organizations—is
integrated as a full partner into: (a) country-level planning and food security
programs; (b) governance, technical assistance and implementation
structures of the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, a World Bank
Multi-donor Trust Fund; (c) reformed world institutions (i.e. reform of the
Committee on Food Security) and the emerging global partnership on
nutrition, agriculture and food security.
3. Reiterate support for a holistic response to food insecurity as described in the
2009 L’Aquila Joint Statement on Global Food Security: (a) support
humanitarian assistance, social safety nets, nutrition, and agricultural
productivity programs that focus particular attention to women farmers; (b)
ensure that agriculture-related trade agreements strengthen and do not
 harm food security and promote participation, including through the provision
of technical assistance at local, national, regional, and international levels.

Global Health should be universal, accountable, and country-led. The G8 should be

applauded for its decision in 2009 to improve accountability on its global health
commitments and to build on the revised “Toyako Framework for Action on Global
Health.” However, to improve the health of the global poor, multilateral
organizations and other G8/G20 countries should commit to at least double
investments in maternal, newborn and child health.

1. Prioritize maternal, newborn and child health needs (MNCH) and ensure the
necessary international investment to achieve Millennium Development Goals
4 and 5 — The G8, under U.S. leadership, must commit to finalize a global
MNCH consensus and to fund fully its share of resources for strategies and
programs to accelerate reduction of MNCH mortality and morbidity in
developing countries. This will require at least a doubling of donor investment
and exploration of global funding mechanisms focused on MNCH.
2. The G20 must commit in an accountable way to provide its fair share of
support for achievement of MDGs 4, 5 and 6—given its significant share of
global resources, the G20 should exercise greater responsibility for
achievement of the health MDGs. The U.S. and other G8 nations should lead
the rest of G20 countries to add health and other development priorities to its
Pittsburgh Summit framework for strong, balanced and sustainable growth
and adopt accountability mechanisms for such commitments.