Africa and the Fight Against Poverty Among the Italian G8 Presidency's Priorities
01/01/2009
Africa, the fight against poverty and the Millennium Development Goals are to be the priorities in Italy's G8 Presidency, and they will be pursued both through bilateral channels and in the international fora, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini pointed out in a message which he addressed to Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone to mark World Peace Day.
In his message, Frattini highlighted the crucial role played by cooperation and reiterated Italy's commitment to making an important contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, through cooperation initiatives designed to foster economic recovery and development.
The Foreign Minister went on to devote special attention to Africa, where serious conflict situations are still ongoing, ranging from the "forgotten crisis" in Somalia to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to Darfur, and indeed wherever there are regions in which democratic stability and peace have yet to be achieved. Italy, Frattini wrote, is committed in the G8 context to aiding and overcoming the causes of these conflicts which, in Africa, often take the shape of bloody interethnic strife and religious oppression. By the same token, Italy will endeavour to use development cooperation to improve living conditions by combating poverty, disease and illiteracy, bearing in mind only that the ultimate aim of cooperation must be respect for human dignity.
The establishment of a Global Partnership for Agriculture and Food Safety will be another key issue under Italy's G8 Presidency, together with health, education and the issues involved in ensuring fairer access to water and ways of sharing out such a precious resource. Frattini underscored the humanitarian nature of these emergencies, which need to be addressed as rapidly and as efficiently as possible. He also pointed to their impact on political and social stability and on peace: crises trigger painful conflict situations, Frattini wrote, as has already been seen in several of the countries worst hit by the food crisis.
Defeating pandemics and endemic diseases, and strengthening health systems in developing countries are two other crucial and closely interlinked objectives for Italian cooperation, Frattini stressed. He pointed both to Italy's commitment in this direction on the bilateral and multilateral levels, and to the often leading role that our country plays in terms of innovative forms of funding for health and for the struggle against HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
In conclusion, the Farnesina incumbent highlighted Italy's commitment to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, in accordance with the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
