ONE’s Statement on G8 Muskoka Accountability Report

Washington, D.C.-After the release of the Muskoka Accountability Report today, ONE made the following statement to emphasize the need for past and future poverty-fighting commitments to be accountable, measurable and transparent. This G8 report comes less than a week in advance of the Muskoka G8 Summit.

Sheila Nix, ONE’s U.S. Executive Director, said:

“ONE warmly welcomes today’s Muskoka Accountability Report, a much needed assessment of 56 commitments to development made by the G8. The findings make it clear that for any poverty-fighting or development commitment to be effective and impactful, it must be accountable, measurable and ultimately delivered upon.

“Accountability must be more than counting. That’s why this week the G8 must set clear plans for how those countries that are off track will get back on track with commitments, such as those made at Gleneagles and those made on food security in L’Aquila. The legacy of a G8 Summit, including this week’s Muskoka Summit, is not found in the fanfare of press conferences or pledges, but ultimately in the delivery of those pledges by every country involved to help the world’s poor battle poverty and disease.

“The quality of promises is very important. That’s why ONE has been pushing the G8 to formally adopt ‘TRACK’ accountability principles and to apply them to all new commitments, including what we hope will be a clear and ambitious G8 maternal and child health initiative.

“TRACK principles allow all governments, citizen watch groups, reporters and the public to answer critical questions: Is the commitment transparent? Is it results-oriented? Is it additional? What conditions are attached? And how will we all know it has been kept? We welcome the report’s adoption of many of these points. By having answers to these questions from the start, the chances of meaningful pledges coming out of Muskoka will be boosted as all countries will be held to their word.”

Significant progress has been made in Africa since 2005. Forty-two million more children are in school. Three million Africans are on life-saving AIDS treatments compared to only 50,000 in 2002.  Malaria deaths have been cut nearly in half in a number of countries. Commitments can be catalysts for change, but must be kept for progress to continue.

In May, ONE released its own annual assessment on G8 commitments, specifically those made to African countries at the 2005 Gleneagles G8 Summit. The 2010 DATA Report found that these 2005 promises have yielded historic increases in development assistance and life-saving results on the ground over the past five years, but predicted that by the end of this year, G7 countries (the G8 minus Russia) will have delivered 61 percent of their 2005 pledge to double aid to sub-Saharan Africa.

ONE’s report found that the Canada, Japan and the United States set relatively modest targets in 2005 but have exceeded them. France and Germany set more ambitious goals but are likely to deliver approximately one quarter of them. The UK continues to show leadership in its progress towards reaching its ambitious aid targets. Italy’s dismal delivery, however – cutting aid to Africa by 6 percent from 2004 levels – brought down overall performance and is a key example why a new framework must be put in place to help make promises more transparent and enforceable.