G20 Summit 2009 – Pittsburgh
On 24–25 September, leaders of twenty of the world's most powerful nations met in Pittsburgh for the G20 Summit.
What's Oxfam's reaction to what was decided?
G20: Cake for the rich, crumbs for the poor (Blog, 28 Sept 09)
Oxfam's reaction
Poor people across the world face three massive challenges: climate change, the economic crisis and hunger. The G20 failed to rise fully to any of them.
Climate change
Poor countries need $150bn-a-year from rich nations to adapt to climate change and develop in a sustainable way.
But with 72 days to Copenhagen, rich countries have once again refused to put up the funds. Scrapping fossil fuel subsidies is a potentially welcome step but it must not mean the poor paying for emissions cuts that should be the responsibility of the rich.
Developing countries are rightly asking whether the rich are serious about a global climate agreement. G20 leaders even scrapped proposals not to raid development aid to pay for climate funds. For the hard-hit countries already on the frontlines of climate change, the rich countries’ failure to act is particularly devastating.
Economic crisis
As the economic crisis pushes 100 people a minute into poverty, helping the poor has fallen down the G20’s agenda. The agenda set by the US hosts was nowhere near ambitious enough to protect the poor.
The G20 promised to prevent reckless ‘banking as usual’ but they also have a responsibility to help its victims. Leaders opened the door for a tax on currency transactions, an obvious way for bankers to pay to clear up the mess they created.
Food
We welcome the G20’s commitment to tackle hunger. But they did little more than repackage recycled money. People affected by the food crisis don’t need a new fund, they need practical help.
Voice Project: Get the inside scoop
Usually, big, international conferences and policy debates like the G20 meetings are walled events, with little coverage in mainstream media on the issues that affect poor people’s lives.
Now, with a new initiative Oxfam has helped set up, the world's most interesting and influential bloggers are your eyes and ears at the key meetings.
See the G20 blogs here (right-hand column) or find out more: the Voice Project
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In depth
Detailed resources on how the global financial crisis is affecting poor people.
