Italy/G8 Summit

Hunger tops G8 agenda on final day of summit

Article published on the 2009-07-10 Latest update 2009-07-10 08:35 TU

US President Barack Obama shakes hands with Libya's leader Moamer Kadhafi
(Photo: Reuters)

The G8 summit heads into its final day in Italian city of L’Aquila with the world’s richest nations preparing to discuss future policy on hunger.

United States President Barack Obama is expected to announce an international initiative worth 15 billion dollars (11 billion euros) to boost global food supplies, the head of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad) said.

"We expect President Obama to make this announcement [Friday] and to call other G8 countries and emerging economies to support this initiative," said Ifad head Kanayo Nwanze, adding that the plan is a "shift from food aid which is like providing medication after the child is ill to providing assistance to help the countries themselves to put in place the right policies to be able to produce food by themselves",

Nwanze said the US would contribute 3.5 billion dollars (2.5 billion euros) to the three-year initiative.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will join the talks in his role as head of the African development body, Nepad.

Also present will be Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi in his role as chairman of the African Union, while the presidents of Algeria, Angola, Nigeria and Senegal will also join the talks.

Yesterday, Kadhafi and Obama shook hands warmly in a move that suggested relations between the US and Libya were continuing to thaw.

Senior White House official Denis McDonough, however, played down the handshake, saying that relations between the two countries had been restored.

"I don't know that he's given much consideration to whose hand he will shake or whose hand he will not shake. I'm confident, knowing the President, that presented with the opportunity to greet any of the leaders, that he'll do that,” he said.

Earlier, the G8 agreed a long-term commitment to reduce their carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. They were joined by Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Mexico and South Africa.

However, they made no shorter-term target, despite warnings from a United Nations panel that they must cut emissions between 25 per cent and 40 per cent by 2020 to keep average global temperatures from rising more than two degrees above preindustrial levels 150 years ago.

Obama said the world's biggest economies had reached a "historic consensus" on cutting pollution, saying rich nations had a duty to set an example, but UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon expressed disappointment at the outcome, saying leaders had passed up a "unique opportunity."