PART I
: Global Health Outcomes from the Toya-ko Summit
PART II
: G8 Pledges for Global Health
PART III
: HIV/AIDS and Global Health - G8 Guidebook
- » Part III--TOP
- 1. The G8 Process
- 2. The General Flow of the G8 Process
- 3. Creation of Civil Society Networks in Host G8 Country for the G8 Process
- 4. Global Health as an Agenda Item
- 5. Media and Civil Society
- 6. Towards the G8 Summit: Initial Phase (January - February 2008)
- 7. Towards the G8 Summit: Mid-Phase (March - April 2008)
- 8. G8 Summit Process: Civil G8 Dialogue
- 9. Towards the G8 Summit: Final Phase (May - June 2008)
- 10．G8 Summit: International Media Center
- 11．G8 Summit: The Alternative Summit
EPILOGUE
: Civil Society and the G8 Process: Creation of an Insitutuional Memory
PART III: HIV/AIDS and Global Health - G8 Guidebook
7.Towards the G8 Summit:
Mid-Phase (March - April 2008)
1Overview
At this phase, the directions the G8 leaders/G8 Countries would take on the major agenda items decided at the initial phase becomes definite. Furthermore, urgent issues that must be discussed at the G8 Summit are in determination. The direction of the Summit is almost settled at this phase. Moreover, civil society is now on track on the direction they will take in their advocacy and activities as the - minimum level of concession the G8 Countries will provide- becomes more evident.
In relation to poverty and development, at this phase, the Development Ministers Meeting takes place and the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) published their annual ODA data. This release of the ODA data is an important opportunity for advocacy. Furthermore, the Africa Partnership Forum took place at this time and provided and opportunity for the G8 and Africa to hold a dialogue. But most importantly, the Civil G8 Dialogue takes place. This is a process that first took place at the 2006 St. Petersburg Summit in which International Civil Society and the G8 Sherpas have a dialogue on various issues.
At the 2008 G8 Summit, adding to the complexity of the work of Civil Society, the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development took place. In March of 2008, the Ministerial Meeting for TICAD IV took place in Gabon, and towards the latter half of May, TICAD IV took place in Yokohama, Japan.
2TICAD Ministerial Meeting
TICAD IV and the G8 Process
- The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) is an initiative led by Japan to promote high- level policy dialogue amongst African leaders and their development partners for the development of Africa. TICAD was co-hosted in addition to the Japanese Government, by the United Nations Office of Special Advisor on Africa (UN-OSAA), the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank. Since the first TICAD was held in 1993, the conference has continued on every five years in Japan. TICAD stands as a core conference in the diplomatic exchanges between Japan and Africa.
- For the reason that TICAD is not an official process of the G8, it will not be discussed in full detail in this book. However, 2008 became a special year for Japan because they would host both the G8 and TICAD, leading to the Japanese Government to put African Development as one of the main agenda items of the G8, and in attempt to increase the international significance and standing of TICAD, inevitably placed TICAD as part of the G8 process. In such incidence of when a diplomatic initiative of one G8 country becomes connected to the entire G8 process, civil society response must be taken case by case.
Experience of the 2008 G8 Process
- The past three TICADs were held in the fall (September or October). However, in 2008, when the G8 and TICAD would take place in the same year, and in order to make TICAD an integrated process of the G8, TICAD was moved to take place before the G8.
- Heavily influenced by the advocacy from the African Diplomatic Corps, Japan, whose competence have been growing in the lead up to the G8, and irritated by the ever aggressive Chinese interest in Africa, Japan chose to take on economic growth and increasing private sector investments as their priority policies for TICAD IV. This decision made by the Japanese Government contrasted significantly with civil society who had been emphasizing on the Millennium Development Goals and the elimination of poverty.
- Towards the end of March, at the Ministerial meetings for TICAD in Libreville, Gabon, the Yokohama Declaration (See: http://www.ticad.net/ticadiv/yokohamadeclaration.shtml ) was adopted and the related document, the Yokohama Action Plan (See: http://www.ticad.net/ticadiv/actionplan.shtml ) was distributed. However, the contents of these documents, even on the major agenda items such as economic growth and private sector investment, not to mention the attainment of the MDGs and social development issues were extremely weak. Despite the victory of the African Diplomatic Corps, Japan which demanded a mechanism to ensure accountability on the TICAD Process, led to the drafting of the Declaration and the Framework for Action, the documents are meaningless when the content is extremely lacking and weak.
- For the Ministerial meeting for TICAD, civil Society in Japan and Africa worked in solidarity to present a joint civil society statement, which calls on the attainment to Universal Access to prevention, treatment and care by 2010(See Reference 5, page 54). Furthermore, the G8 NGO Forum worked in cooperation with the TICAD IV NGO Network, a Network of NGOs working for TICAD. Together, they came out with a more comprehensive civil society statement, "Voices" (http://www.ticad-csf.net/TNnet/download/Voices_Final(e).pdf ). 10 Civil Society members from Japan and about an equal number of Civil Society members within Africa representing various issues participated in the Ministerial Meeting in Gabon. After the Ministerial Meeting in Gabon and the weakness of the content of the Declaration and the Action Plan was revealed, Civil society worked actively with politicians and the media to advocate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and those in charge of TICAD to call for the attainment of the MDGs and the elimination of poverty as the priority issue.
- As part of the advocacy, civil society created and submitted a comprehensive alternative document of how MDG related issues could be included in the Action Plan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and co-organizers of TICAD had taken into account some of the items on the alternative document.
- The Action Plan that came out at the official TICAD IV in May, showed some success of the advocacy as some of the contents for MDG related issues improved. Specifically on health, such areas as Health System Strengthening and reproductive health came with a commitment to a comprehensive action plan. Furthermore, on the issue of accountability, although far from sophistication, there were attached matrices with specification on actions they will take as part of the TICAD process. However, on HIV/AIDS, there were no concrete goals; moreover there was no mention of Universal Access.
( Civil Society reacted by issuing a protest statement REFERENCE: [ Ref.6 ].)
3G8 Ministerial Meetings
Brief Overview
- In relation to poverty and development issues, one of the most important ministerial meetings that take place in the G8 process is the Development Ministerial Meeting. In the context of Africa and Development, they will make comprehensive decisions on issues such as quantity and quality of ODA, aid harmonization, responses to emerging donor countries and actions for the attainment of MDGs.
- As civil society, we must ensure that the decisions made at the Development Ministerial Meetings place emphasis on the attainment of past G8 commitments on poverty, development and MDGs and a comprehensive and concrete action plan for its attainment. We cannot allow this Ministerial Meeting become an abstract meeting or a "Saloon where they review developmental issues".
Experience of the 2008 G8 Process
- The Development Ministerial Meeting for the 2008 G8 Summit took place from April 5-6. From the viewpoint of the Japanese Government that this meeting would be a comprehensive discussion on development, rather then for the attainment of existing G8 commitments, the following issues became the center of their discussion:
- Climate change and development
- Emerging donors, partnership with private foundation and organizations
- Human Security (includes MDGs)
- In lieu of the Development Ministerial Meeting, the Poverty and Development Unit of the G8 NGO Forum submitted a demand paper centered on the policy demands on issues related to the MDGs, to Mr. Itsunori Onodera, the Japanese Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs.
- The OECD DAC annual data on ODA was released coincident to the Ministerial meeting on April 4, in which the results show that in 2007, the ODA of OECD countries as a whole has slightly increased, but the ODA of the G8 countries as a whole had decreased. The fact that the ODA of Japan, the host of this year's G8 Summit, has decreased 30% from the previous year and their ranking in the world (in term of amount, rather then percent of GDP) fell to number five in the world was revealed. In reaction, the G8 NGO Forum, emphasizing the results of this data, released a civil society statement titled Where has the 'the country that keeps its promise - Japan' gone?, criticizing the decrease of Japan's ODA.
Civil Society Meeting to prepare for G8 advocacy
4Africa Partnership Forum
Brief Overview
- The Africa Partnership Forum (APF), first established in the wake of 2003 Evian Summit, is a process in which Africa and the G8 have dialogue on African Development. Participants includes the Africa Personal Representative of each G8 country, representatives of the 5 NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development) countries (Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, and Nigeria and South Africa), representatives from the African Union, as well as representatives from several other African countries. Coordinated by the OECD, the Africa Partnership Forum takes place twice a year with one taking place in the G8 host country in the spring and another in a country in Africa.
- Although the Africa Partnership Forum process is part of the G8 process, it is not well acknowledged. However, there are many civil society groups in Africa, actively expanding their advocacy to include NEPAD and the African Union, has been actively releasing policy statements on the Africa Partnership Forum. It is important that in advocacy, we work in cooperation with these civil society groups in Africa.
Experience of 2008 G8 Process
- NGOs in Japan, including the G8 NGO Forum did not have much insight on the APF.
- This year, in lieu of the APF, NEPAD discussed with the Japanese Government and the OECD to hold a grand scale civil society session. As a result, although the "grand scale" did not come into reality, APF allotted one session as a civil society session. This included the participation of four representatives of different civil society groups who had submitted policy proposals to NEPAD and the AU. The participants are as follows:
- Ibidapo Oyewole
== Center for African Policy and Peace Strategy (Nigeria) - N'deye Bineta Diop
== Femme Afrique Solidarite (Senegal) - Fall Khady Mbengue
== Association des Femmes de l' Afrique de l' Ouest (Senegal) - Elizabeth Akinyi Nzioki
== Center for Land Economy and Women's Rights (Kenya)
- Ibidapo Oyewole
- The G8 NGO Forum and TICAD IV NGO Network worked in cooperation to create a task team and hosted the above civil society representatives from Africa arriving in Japan. On April 4, civil society from Japan and Africa held an APF preparatory meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and from April 5-6, held a workshop to draft a presentation for the APF civil society session. The guests from Africa were highly qualified and intelligent, and we could say that the civil society session ended successfully.
- The APF as an entirety is held with the Japanese Government and several African governments who has their own intention/agenda for this meeting. Thus, issues such as economic development and the promotion of private sector investment, rather then the MDGs became the main agenda items of APF (Civil Society Statement for APF: See: REFERENCE: [ Ref.4 ]).
- Although the Africa Partnership Forum process is part of the G8 process, it is not a well-known process. However, it is an important opportunity to strengthen cooperation with civil society in Africa and work together to advocate to the various governments. The civil society of G8 host country and civil society in Africa that has been working toward the APF should continue to work in cooperation in order to actively carry out advocacy.
PART I
: Global Health Outcomes from the Toya-ko Summit
PART II
: G8 Pledges for Global Health
PART III
: HIV/AIDS and Global Health - G8 Guidebook
- » Part III--TOP
- 1. The G8 Process
- 2. The General Flow of the G8 Process
- 3. Creation of Civil Society Networks in Host G8 Country for the G8 Process
- 4. Global Health as an Agenda Item
- 5. Media and Civil Society
- 6. Towards the G8 Summit: Initial Phase (January - February 2008)
- 7. Towards the G8 Summit: Mid-Phase (March - April 2008)
- 8. G8 Summit Process: Civil G8 Dialogue
- 9. Towards the G8 Summit: Final Phase (May - June 2008)
- 10．G8 Summit: International Media Center
- 11．G8 Summit: The Alternative Summit