As G8 leaders meet in Canada (Friday), they must face that they have failed to deliver on the promises made to the world's poorest people at Gleneagles five years ago, Oxfam campaigners Annie Lennox and Jim Kerr say.

In 2005, leaders at the G8 Summit in Gleneagles responded to growing public pressure to fight poverty and pledged to increase overseas aid by $50 billion by 2010, with $25 billion of this going to Africa. But five years on, they have come up $20 billion short.

Lennox and Kerr's intervention comes just days ahead of 'The Auchterarder Audit' a free event being held by Oxfam Scotland this Saturday in the village next to the Gleneagles Hotel, where the 2005 G8 was held. The meeting will look at progress made since 2005, as well as which promises were delivered and which weren't.

In their open letter to the press, Annie Lennox, activist and singer, and Jim Kerr, songwriter and Oxfam campaigner, said:

"G8 leaders meeting in Canada this week must face the fact that collectively their countries have failed to deliver on the promises made to the world's poorest five years ago. Had the promised aid been delivered, it would have had a dramatic effect on the lives of poor people, allowing mothers to survive childbirth, children to attend school and people of all ages greater access to medicines and healthcare."

Kerr and Lennox are calling on G8 leaders meeting in Canada this weekend to set out how they will meet this shortfall and fulfil the promises made at Gleneagles. The letter continues:

"Where aid has increased, it has made a massive difference. The number of people receiving HIV treatment, for example, has increased tenfold in recent years.

Now recent gains in reducing poverty are under attack from the economic crisis, climate change and food shortages.

That is why the G8 club of rich nations must look beyond their own economic struggles and set out how they will fulfil the promises to poor countries made in 2005."

Oxfam is calling on G8 leaders meeting tomorrow to announce an emergency plan to provide the missing $20 billion by 2012. They have also pointed out that in the G8's own accountability report, they have attempted to minimise this breach of faith by calculating their commitment in 2009 dollars which are worth substantially less than 2004 dollars, thus showing only a $10 billion shortfall.

Malcolm Fleming, Oxfam Scotland's Campaigns Manager, said:

"Behind each dollar the G8 fails to provide lies a child without schooling, a patient without medicine, a woman dying in childbirth for lack of care. Empty promises don't make nutritious meals, buy school books or life-saving medicines.

Rich countries bailed out their banks but no one is bailing out the poorest people. The $20 billion owed to poor men and women is just 0.07% of the gross national income of G8 countries, yet is enough to put every child in school or stop millions of children dying of malaria.

Where additional aid has been delivered - an increase of $28 billion according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - lives have been saved and there have been some incredible results.

The G8 in Canada must announce an emergency plan to deliver the full $50 billion by 2012 and make broken promises history."