Campaigners demand 'more than hot air' from leaders at G7

Anti-poverty campaign group ONE has called on G7 leaders to put the poorest first, prioritize women and girls, and ensure that their summit is not "full of hot air".

With giant balloons of the G7 heads of government flying high above Odeonsplatz in Munich, anti- poverty campaign group ONE and 250 of its young activists from across the EU and the G7 countries, demands concrete commitments from world leaders to end extreme poverty.

The G7 is an important opportunity in 2015 to set the global agenda in what is a fundamental year for international development. Ahead of key moments this year including the Financing for Development Summit in Addis Ababa and the UN Summit where the new Global Goals to end extreme poverty will be announced in September, ONE is calling for the G7 to:

• Recommit to existing aid promises, such as the commitment to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA).
• Commit to investing 50% of their ODA in the least developed countries (LDCs).
• Enable people to lift themselves out of hunger and malnutrition with new ambitious and measurable targets.
• Put girls and women at their heart of all development initiatives because poverty is sexist and we won’t end this until women have the power to reach their full potential.
• Commit to increase effective resources for improved global health through health systems strengthening.

Brussels Director of The ONE Campaign Tamira Gunzburg said: "This is the first G7 summit for new EU leaders Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker. It marks the middle of a pivotal year for development: ambitious new global goals to end extreme poverty are being negotiated, as well as an agreement on how they will be financed. Putting the poorest people at the centre of these efforts from the onset will be critical to their success.

“The spotlight is firmly fixed on Schloss Elmau. If we really are to end extreme poverty by 2030, G7 leaders must commit to spending at least half of all development aid on the world’s poorest to ensure that no-one is left behind.”

Extreme poverty has been halved in the last 20 years, and could be virtually eliminated by 2030, but only if we collectively rise to the challenge.

1) Photos: Link to balloon heads stunt photos here and here.

2) About ONE: ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organisation of more than 6 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Not politically partisan, we raise public awareness and press political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programs. To learn more, go to ONE.org.

3) About the ONE Youth Ambassadors: More than 250 young campaigners from across Europe will gather in Germany this weekend (5-7 June) to demand that world leaders put the poorest first at the G7 Summit. ONE’s Youth Ambassadors will take part in a series of stunts and actions in Munich, just a short distance from the G7 Summit at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria. One of these actions is the “Unite Against Poverty” mobilisation rally. It takes place on June 6^th in Konnigsplatz, Munich. For more information please visit the Unite Against Poverty website here.

4) About the Least Developed Countries: 43% of people living in Least Developed Countries live in extreme poverty, compared with 13% of the population in non-LDC developing countries. LDCs are projected to make up 50% of the global poverty burden by 2030. However, according to ONE’s 2015 DATA Report, the share of aid that LDCs are receiving has actually fallen in the last year.

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