OUR CHILDREN ARE THE MOST LOSERS OF THE FINANCIAL CRISIS

The G-8 states have broken her promise, says UNICEF. To the bank rescue they gave billions, but not for the poorest of the world. The rich states of the world have broken her promises. Five years after the summit assents in the Scottish Gleneagles to raise the help to poor countries by 50 billion US dollars the G-8 states are far removed from her aim. While eight big industrial nations themselves put away a deficit of ten billions, the organization comes for development and cooperation (OECD) even on about 20 billion US dollars. While many use the worldwide economic crisis as an excuse, the poorest people should not pay the calculation for the financial mania joke of the rich world", criticized the international relief organization of Oxfam before the G-8 summit in Huntsville two hours to the north of Toronto.

Three billion people living in poverty and hunger are the most frequent causes of death in the world. This time in Toronto it is particularly about how the death of yearly six million children can be prevented in less than five years. These are 400 school coaches fully with children every year, says Sue Mbaya, Africa manager of the relief organization of World vision. About 350,000 women die every year through pregnancy or birth. “They all don't have to die.”

Host Canada has put the child mortality and mother's mortality on the agenda. But with no other millennium aim the progress is very slow.

Ten years ago the millennium conference had agreed to lower the mortality of the children till 2015 about two thirds and those of the mothers about three quarters. But to reach still around these aims, seven big industrial nations and Russia (G 8) would have to fork out, actually, in addition, 24 billion US dollars as the United Nations and relief organizations reckoned up. However, the G-8 states are still very far away from the promises they made in Toronto with new billion facilities.

In 2005, a promise of 25 billion US dollars was made in Scotland only for Africa, but till now half of it has not come. At that time Great Britain was in the plan, while Germany, France and particularly Italy hard limp behind. Oxfam called to the summit participants in Canada to make clear how they will mobilize to raise the promised funds till 2012. Relief organizations remind the G8 states of her assent to raise the support for poor countries till 2015, actually, on 0.7 percent of her gross domestic product, while hundreds of billions could be mobilized for the program by banks and through other economic measures.

KWAME SEREBUOR : Atwima – K'dua.