English - EPF

Declarations and Calls to Action2005The G-8 International Parliamentarians Conference on Development in Africa took place inthe Scottish Parliament in June 2005.The nearly 80 Parliamentarians in attendance seized the opportunity to act before the G-8Summit in July 2005 to develop a declaration providing a clear sense of direction for theimplementation, monitoring and ongoing support of G-8 Summit commitments.The declaration includes six action points:• improve the quality and quantity of aid to Africa• strengthen African capacity to benefit from the international trading system• agree on ways to expand debt relief• place women’s rights at the heart of development policy• address the specific health burdens of African countries• strengthen partnership with African-led initiativesVisibility for the G-8International ParliamentariansConference“If one clear theme emerged from this morning it was theneed to empower women in Africa and to have integratedstrategies for sexual health to combat the scourge of HIV andAIDS.”• Scotland Today (Scottish TV) 06 June 2005The G-8 International Parliamentarians Conference attractedsignificant media interest. There were 50 press articles publishedin ten European countries and it was featured in thenewswires and publications of media in Asia (China & Japan),Africa (South Africa, Zambia) and the USA.Over 40 Parliamentarians also signed a personal appeal to President Bush and PrimeMinister Blair on the need to strongly support and promote the goals put forth by theCommission for Africa as a blueprint for action at the G-8 Summit in Gleneagles.G-8 Conference - Edinburgh, 200500