The African leaders associate themselves to this statement.
The Heads of State and Government of G8 countries, the President of the European Commission, the Heads of State and Government of Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa as well as Angola, the Chair of the African Union (the Leader of Libya), the President of the African Union Commission, the Chair of the Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) (the Prime Minister of Ethiopia) met in L’Aquila on 10th of July 2009, during the segment on Africa of the G8 Summit.
Recalling the mutual commitments undertaken in the framework of their partnership, they welcomed the strengthening of the G8-Africa dialogue in support of common principles, objectives and priorities, in particular those established through the NEPAD, and in line with the decisions and orientations adopted in previous G8 Summits. They welcomed the conclusions of the XII Africa Partnership Forum (APF) and the proposal for its reform.
The G8 and African partners agreed on the importance of continuing to reinforce their partnership, based on mutual accountability and respect, for the common good. In this spirit, they examined the issues on the agenda of their meeting, which are of particular relevance to Africa because of the current international context. Leaders:
Agreed that the economic and financial crisis is hitting hardest the poorest and risk jeopardising progress made in the health, the eradication of hunger and poverty. Leaders underscored the need to act swiftly to restore growth and implement adequate measures to protect the most vulnerable. G8 countries reiterated their commitments, including those made in Gleneagles and more recently at the G20 London Summit, to support African efforts towards promoting development good governance and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Discussed the impact of climate change on Africa and agreed on the need to ensure that the specific concerns of developing countries are adequately addressed in the agreement to be reached at the UN Conference in Copenhagen. They recalled the importance of preserving forest cover especially in the Congo Basin region, and addressing access to energy.
Reaffirmed their commitment to promote peace and security. They stressed the importance of and discussed progress in establishing a credible system of regional security, in particular through the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), and the elimination of all factors of instability, including the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons. In this framework, they agreed on continuing collaborative efforts in fighting more effectively all forms of criminality and organised crime, including piracy off the coast of Eastern Africa, drug trafficking in Western Africa, money laundering and terrorism in all kind of ramifications.
The G8 and African partners, responding to the reciprocal call for improving joint work on water and sanitation made at the G8 and AU Summits in 2008, issued for the first time a joint statement expressing their determination to build a stronger partnership to support national plans to improve access to water and sanitation in Africa.
Finally, the G8 and African partners, concerned by long-standing underinvestment in agriculture and food security, price trends and the economic crisis, acknowledged the importance of issuing with other countries present in L’Aquila a joint statement on global food security and of supporting the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).
