A major event marking five years since the Gleneagles G8 summit heard details of a sorry catalogue of broken promises.
Activists, campaigners and local people returned to Auchterarder half a decade after the world’s most powerful leaders descended on the normally-tranquil town.
Oxfam organised the “Auchterarder Audit” to take stock of the promises made at Gleneagles, reflecting on those kept and those broken.
Delegates also called on world leaders at this year’s G8 in Canada to “make broken promises history.”
Five years ago, 250,000 people took to the streets of Edinburgh and thousands more marched around the world demanding action to tackle global poverty.
The G8 leaders responded by pledging to increase overseas aid by $50 billion by 2010, $25 billion of this going to Africa.
But five years on-the year the promises fall due the Auchterarder Audit shows the global superpowers have come up $20 billion short, and only $11 billion of the $25 billion promised to Africa has arrived.
In particular, the audit shows that France, Germany, Italy and Japan have all failed to find the money they promised.
“Italy is the worst offender,” a spokesman said.
“Canada has also fallen short, but it is close to hitting the very low target it pledged.”
In contrast, the UK is almost on track to meet its 2010 promises, and close to reaching its commitment of 0.7% of gross domestic product going to overseas aid by 2013.
“The US is the only country to have met its promise, which was a meagre 0.2% of GDP in aid, a far cry from the UN target of 0.7%,” the spokesman added.
Oxfam also accuses the G8 of “cooking the books” by revising down their $50 billion target to $46 billion to take account of shrinking G8 economies due to the financial crisis.
They then calculated their commitment in 2009 dollars, rather than the 2004 dollars they promised which are worth much more.
Malcolm Fleming, Oxfam Scotland campaigns manager, said, “Here in Auchterarder, near Gleneagles, we are holding world leaders to account.
“The Auchterarder Audit shows the G8 has broken its promises to the world’s poorest people.Emergency plan”It is now time for the G8 to make broken promises history and deliver an emergency plan to come up with the full $50 billion by 2012.”
He said aid that had been delivered produced “incredible results” and saved lives.
“However, the £20 billion shortfall would have been enough to put every child in school or stop millions of children dying of malaria,” he added,
Chikondi Mpokosa, Oxfam’s global education adviser from Malawi, told delegates, “Where aid has been delivered and debts cancelled, it has made a massive difference to reducing poverty.
“In my country, Malawi, for example, debt relief has allowed us to train 10,000 more teachers.
“But each dollar the G8 failed to provide means a child without schooling, a patient without medicine, a woman dying in childbirth.
“G8 leaders must look beyond their own economic struggles and set out how they will fulfil the promises made in 2005.”
Kumi Naidoo, co-chair of global call to action against poverty, was a key player in the 2005 Make Poverty History campaign.
“At Gleneagles in 2005 I said the people roared, but the G8 whispered,” he said.
“Five years on, that whisper is barely audible, yet the roar against poverty and injustice is louder than ever.
“Leaders must set out how they are going to mend these broken promises.”