MP joins Oxfam to get a result for Africa : ePolitix.com

MP joins Oxfam to get a result for Africa

Tom Watson MP is teaming up with Oxfam to urge Tony Blair to bring back aresult for Africa from the G8 meeting. The meeting of the world's eightrichest leaders in Canada provides an excellent opportunity to helpmillions of African people out of poverty.

African leaders joined last year's G8 in Genoa to talk about the issuesfacing the continent. In Canada in June those leaders will rejoin the G8to see what progress has been made to work together to tackle some of thecontinents problems and realise its potential.

Tom Watson MP said: "I'm delighted to support Oxfam's latest campaign toplay fair for Africa. The G8 summit later this month gives us a chance toget a winning result for the continent.

"I hope that the UK will play a leading role at the summit by pushing formore overseas aid and debt relief to fund education and healthcare.

"Britain needs to continue increasing its aid budget so that we can reachthe UN target of 0.7per cent of GNP going to overseas development. We also needto look at the rules governing international trade so that they help theworld's poorest countries."

Oxfam campaigner Ruth Stockdale added: "While Africa has its problems, thecontinent has enormous potential if only it had support and a fair dealfrom the richer world. For example debt relief and increased aid forUganda has helped to double primary school enrolment and reduce AIDSinfection rates. The richer international community must work with Africancountries to enable them to follow Uganda's example, so it is not theexception but the rule."

Oxfam and Mr Watson are supporting the recent call made by African nationsfor a partnership approach with rich countries. Oxfam is demanding thatTony Blair and other world leaders commit to:

increasing international aid and debt relief to fund education andhealthcare;
working with African governments on conflict resolution andtightening their country's legislation to ensure arms don't get into thewrong hands;
stopping the trade in natural resources from areas of conflict;
increasing funds to fight AIDS, TB and malaria;
making trade fair for Africa.

The G8 meeting is being held in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada from 26 - 28June 2002.

Photo opportunity at 11.30am on Saturday 15th June at the Newton Roadfootball pitches. See Tom Watson MP scoring a goal for Africa.

More than 300 million African people live on less than $1 a day.
Life expectancy in Africa is 48 years and falling.
28 million African people are living with HIV/AIDS and one newAfrican person is infected by HIV every 25 seconds.
But among 15 - 19 year old girls in Lusaka, Zambia and young peoplein Masaka, Uganda new rates of infection have fallen by half.
One third of African children are malnourished.
Women in Africa face a 1 in 13 chance of dying in childbirthcompared with 1 in 4,085 in industrialised countries.
40 per cent of the world's conflicts occur in sub-Saharan Africa andconflict affects one in five African people.
Average living standards have risen everywhere except Africa wherethey have fallen by 20 per cent
In Ethiopia, where coffee accounts for 60% of exports, the fall incoffee prices and reduced production caused export earnings to fall from$257 million to $176 million in one year.
Of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries qualifying for debt relief,15 are still spending more than 10% of government revenue on debtrepayment; more than half are spending more on debt than education andmore than two thirds are spending more of debt than healthcare.