At their 2010 summit, the G8 leaders’ credibility is on the line. In the midst of announcing yet more new initiatives, it is vital they prove they can deliver on previous commitments.

We are calling for the G8 to stick to their promises made on aid in 2005 at Gleneagles (where the member nations of the G8 took bold measures to sustain the targets of the Millennium Development Goals) and to deliver on their L’Aquila food security pledge in 2010. They must announce new timelines for the delivery of these commitments.

In response to the G8's Accountability Report, which takes stock of recent G-8 commitments related to development, ActionAid’s Head of G8 Policy, Meredith Alexander, said:

“Warm words alone don't feed empty bellies. Despite last year's bold pledge to fight hunger, the reality is the G8 has spent a million dollars less on food and farming last year than it did the year before.

"It's good that the G8 has recognised the key to solving the food crisis is investing in the 500 million smallholder farmers worldwide, who feed one third of humanity. But it's time for the G8 to be clear about how and when the money it promised will be spent.

"ActionAid's recent discovery that some G8 nations have been frittering desperately needed hunger aid to fund odour control and biofuels does little to inspire confidence and must not be allowed to continue. As the world is tightening it's belt, it's vital than every penny of aid is spent effectively and reaches the people who need it most.

"At Friday’s summit, before making new promises, the G8 needs to show they are serious about helping the one billion people who go hungry every day."

Our demands from the G8 2010:

• A clear and transparent timeline for the delivery of the full US $22bn pledged in L’Aquila.
• A plan to operationalise the L’Aquila pledge with a coordinated, comprehensive and country-led approach promised in L’Aquila, so as to ensure that every dollar and Euro spent has the maximum impact on hunger.
• Pledge support for developing an action-oriented and funded global plan for ending hunger at the UN summit on the Millennium Development Goals in September 2010.
• G8 leaders must reaffirm their Gleneagles aid commitments, and set-out binding timetables and an emergency rescue plan with detailed national timetables that spell out annual increases.

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’
• For the G8's accountability report on aid go to: http://g8.gc.ca/g8-summit/accountability/