The G8: What they said and what they meant

Leaders of the world's richest nations were accused of watering down pledges to help the poorest countries after they failed to get back on track to deliver aid promises they made two years ago at Gleneagles.

The G8 summit in Germany agreed a $60bn (£30bn) package to relieve suffering from Aids in Africa. But the leaders angered aid campaigners by merely reaffirming their 2005 pledges, which are already $8bn behind schedule, without taking action to bridge the gap.

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The $60bn headline figure amounts to $12bn to be spent annually on Aids, TB, malaria and reinforcing health systems.

Of that $12bn, up to $9bn has either been pledged already, according to Oxfam estimates, or is part of existing aid packages. So, the total annual increase in Africa spending amounts to just $3bn.

Adding to the frustration, the leaders' declaration set no specific timetable, saying the money would flow "over the coming years".

Max Lawson, senior policy adviser at Oxfam, said: "The headlines sound impressive but ultimately mean precious little. Instead of delivering what they promised, the G8 has tried to get the biggest possible headline number out of the smallest possible aid increase."

The announcement failed to break down individual countries' contributions or spell out how much of the sum had been previously promised.

"I am exasperated," said Bono, the Irish singer and anti-poverty campaigner. "I think it is deliberately the language of obfuscation. It is deliberately misleading," adding: "I might be a rock star, but I can count."

Kate Krauss, spokes-woman for the US-based Physicians for Human Rights, said that, despite commitments made two years ago, there has been little or no progress on achieving universal access to HIV/Aids prevention programmes, treatment and care by 2010, or toward developing and strengthening African health systems.

"Aids advocates are dismayed by its vague language and lack of planning to meet ambitious goals, despite its promise to add $30bn to US commitments," she said.

"The G8 communique is turning into a wish-list, not a document that is going to save lives. There needs to be a plan for meeting the previous commitments made at Gleneagles. If there is no specific plan for meeting the goals they are setting out, they don't happen."

Coming a day after seeming progress towards a global deal on climate change, there was fierce criticism from aid groups that the G8 had downgraded Africa to focus on global warming.

At Gleneagles, G8 leaders agreed to raise annual spending on aid from $79bn to £129bn by 2010, with half the $50bn extra going to Africa. But pressure groups say that on present trends the target will be missed by $22bn, and they have singled out Germany, Italy and Canada for criticism. They accused the G8 of backtracking from their 2005 pledge to provide universal access to Aids treatment by 2010, and said most of the money announced for diseases yesterday was not "new".

British officials conceded that it was part of the "cake" agreed at Gleneagles, but denied the universal treatment goal had been abandoned. Tony Blair defended the deal, saying that millions of lives would be saved by the $60bn commitment to tackle lethal diseases.

"The process we began two years ago is going to continue year on year," he said. "It's the very nature of these things that people are unhappy with the amount of the commitments given but I think you have to say that going back a few years, we have come a huge distance."

Aditi Sharma, head of Action Aid's HIV-Aids campaign, said: "Even this $60bn smokescreen can't cover up the abject failure of the G8 to move forward on their Aids promises. The G8 leaders are $8bn off track this year on meeting their Gleneagles aid pledges but you wouldn't guess it from reading their Africa declaration."

The reaction

Bob Geldof, Anti-poverty campaigner

"When richer nations so flagrantly view pledges as disposable ... their ability to urge the poorest countries to stick with difficult changes is much reduced."

Angela Merkel, German chancellor

"We are conscious of our obligations and want to fulfil the promises we made. And we will do that. We also gave a push to the fight against Aids."

Tony Blair, Outgoing Prime Minister

"It's the nature of these things that people are unhappy ... but I think that going back a few years, we've come a huge distance."

Margaret Chan, Director General, WHO

"Every day, tens of thousands of people benefit from G8 commitments. I welcome the G8 pledges of funds ... which will help to change people's lives."

Michel Kazatchkine, Global Fund To Fight Aids

"This is a strong G8 agreement that makes it possible for the world to defeat the pandemics of Aids, tuberculosis and malaria."