G8 Policy Paper: Recommendations for the G8 Deauville Summit (Updated)
InterAction’s G8/G20 Task Force urges G8 leaders to implement the following recommendations at the May 26-27 summit in Deauville, France. As the largest association of U.S.-based, non-profit organizations, InterAction and its members deal daily with the impact of global poverty. The current financial crisis has had a serious impact on commitments made by G8 members to developing nations. Through strong actions and a commitment to greater transparency, the G8 should leverage good governance efforts by its partners and remove impediments to economic growth. In a bid to maximize the outcomes of the Deauville summit, the following steps should be taken:
Food Security, Agriculture, and Nutrition
1. Fully fund the L’Aquila $22 billion pledge.
2. Rebalance donor funds to improve nutrition and reach small-scale producers.
3. Integrate resilience to climate change and civil society partnerships into food security plans.
Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH)
1. Implement MNCH commitments made under the 2010 Muskoka Initiative and ensure much needed international engagement, coordination, accountability and investment to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 through active support of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Strategy on Women’s and Children’s Health.
2. Coordinate donor funding to support integration of services within the health and other development sectors, and ensure equitable access to health services across the full continuum of care.
Accountability
1. Direct the G8 Accountability Working Group (AWG) to seek outside input to inform its reporting.
2. When the AWG establishes a new expert group, make public its terms of reference and the names and affiliations of all of the experts; then update the information in a timely and transparent fashion.
3. Require that the AWG conduct a comprehensive evaluation of all G8 commitments, make it publicly available 30 days before each summit and hold a public comment period.
4. Publish the report schedule (with probable topics) through 2015
