Behind the rhetoric of their final communiqué is the clear that the G20 have offered no solid solutions to address a still vulnerable global economy and it is the world's poorest who are going to suffer the most.

As the world’s leaders’ capacity to collaborate fades, politicians are even failing to agree to support their previous promises. The historic promises made at Gleneagles in 2005 have for the first time been dropped from the summit's final report.

Promises broken:

Meredith Alexander, Head of G8 policy at ActionAid said: “The G8 summit in Gleneagles was a historic event. Leaders made a massive pledge of aid in response to a global call to Make Poverty History. Muskoka, if remembered at all, will be seen as the year when G8 leaders couldn’t even agree to support their past promises.

Henry Malumo, ActionAid’s Africa Coordinator, commenting on the overall outcomes of the G8 and G20 summits, said: “The Canadian G8 and G20 summits have failed to deliver anything of substance on development and poverty issues.

“The G8 has actually taken a step backwards by reneging on their 2005 aid commitments.

“While the Canadian government has stimulated its own economy by spending $1.3 on the summits, the outcomes signal a failure to provide the same kind of assistance to the most vulnerable countries”.

Related links:

• More on the G8 2010
• ActionAid’s report on how some G8 countries have been frittering desperately needed cash for agriculture can be found here: ‘The $20 billion question: has the G8 delivered on its hunger promises’