$ 20 Billion From G-8 For The Poorest Countries

The leaders of advanced industrial countries that joined in the group G-8 promises to help as much as USD 20 billion for the poorest countries to meet the needs of their food. This G-8 decision exceeds the previous expectations of the G-8 countries top meeting about climate change and food security and energy.

G-8 being criticized as elite club that does not reflect any changes in global economic power pattern. "Tackling the global challenges with the lack of major powers such as China, India and Brazil will seem increasingly difficult," said U.S. President Barack Obama as quoted by Reuters, Saturday (11/7/2009).

In the meeting, the United States told that they will provide investment aid in agricultural sector worth USD 3, 5 billion and will be provided for three years. Bantuan pangan, yang diberikan antara lain bagi Afrika. Food aid, which will provided, among others, for Africa.

"There is no reason for the people of Africa experiencing food shortages. In Kenya, hunger is real," he said.

G-8 is the Group of Eight, an annual meeting conducted by the world's leading industrial democracies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It began as the Group of Six, with a 1975 conference in France, where representatives of six nations (France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States) met to discuss international economic and political issues.

The goal of the meeting was to shore up cooperation on matters of concern to the member nations. Canada joined the group in 1976 and Russia in 1994 (though the nation did not participate fully in the sessions until 1998). Hosting responsibilities rotate among the eight member countries.

In 2004 the United States hosted the 30th meeting, on an island off the coast of Georgia. Among the agenda items were the training of international peacekeepers, setting up a global initiative to develop a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine, and developing a plan to end famine in the Horn of Africa (easternmost Africa, including Somalia, Ethiopia, and Djibouti) by 2009. The leaders and representatives of non-G-8 countries were invited to participate in discussions relevant to them.