A year ago, Blair patted himself on the back for the Gleneagles G8 summit and the promises made by the richest countries. Debt relief, HIV drug assistance, cuts to government farm subsidies for fair(er) trade was all in there. Like many of these summits, the talk was just talk and the action was considerably more limited. Blair continues to spin, as he does, the great success of Gleneagles but once again Blair and his talk has fallen short.
Writing in The Independent today, the Prime Minister insists there has been a "great deal of progress in many areas" over the past 12 months, but acknowledges there have been "disappointments", particularly the failure to reach a global trade deal. And in a speech tonight, he will hail the agreement reached at Gleneagles.
But detailed analysis by the charity Action Aid strikes a more pessimistic note, concluding that many of the much-lauded commitments from the world's most powerful leaders have not been met.
Its report, entitled Mission Unaccomplished and seen by The Independent, says millions of lives are still being lost in Africa and the rest of the developing world by the failure of Western countries to live up to the favourable headlines generated by the summit. The charity is calling for the millions of people who supported the Make Poverty History campaign to use the first anniversary to increase pressure on the Government over the failed pledges.
