londonsummit2009

We have just had another G8 Summit. As other blogs here have discussed, there are clearly problems with the G8. Campaigners, lobbyists and developing country governments put huge amounts of time and attention into deceasing returns.

During the last eight weeks, while I’ve been in Niger, I’ve often been overwhelmed by the scale of the problems people face here. It’s not just the current food crisis and the number of people who are going hungry now but also the future and what this has in store.

The G8 summit has now drawn to a close and the Deerhurst resort in Muskoka will be getting back to normal. The world leaders flew back to Toronto by helicopter with Obama and Cameron flying together to start their bilateral meeting. Apparently Cameron and Merkel will be watching the England v Germany World Cup match together tomorrow and the press are invited can't imagine he'll look anything other than awkward!

The WHA is seen by some as an ineffective UN meeting but it has much greater legitimacy than the G8/G20 on account of its democracy. Unlike the rich countries' clubs of the G8 and G20, all countries, however poor, have the right to speak out and to vote.

In a world in piracy crisis in Somalia is being a profitable business, the only operating in a country destroyed by war: 75 million euro profit in 2008 with 40 ships hijacked. This year, with a fleet of destroyers, frigates and patrol of United States, Russia, India and the EU, Spain has assumed command of the European aircraft-deployed in the waters of the Indian Ocean under a Security Council mandate, the number incidents has increased in three and a half months there have been 60 attacks. (...)