WaterAid at the G8 blog

Day 2 pm

So the communique was finally released at 7pm last night.

In short the G8 have failed to deliver any concrete actions on water and sanitation as they resolved to do in Japan last year. The text hadn't changed from that leaked earlier and WaterAid's fears were confirmed. The best the G8 were able to do after a year of deliberations was to give themselves more time - leaving the billions of people affected by the global water and sanitation crisis with little hope.

Our verdict: 3/10

Below, we've pulled out the three key points on water and sanitation in the G8 2009 development communique:

1. We've got a problem:

G8: "Many developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia-Pacific are still far from achieving sustainable access to water and sanitation... indispensable for sustainable development."

WaterAid: "Yes but... let's be clear what 'still far from achieving sustainable access' actually means: there is a global water and sanitation crisis with 2.5 billion people without sanitation and 1 billion without safe drinking water. If we don't get the basics right all development efforts stand to be undermined".

2. We need action:

G8: "Despite clear advances, much needs to be done."

WaterAid: "Yes no kidding more needs to be done - the MDG target for sanitation will not be met in sub-Saharan Africa until 2108. Global progress to deliver water and sanitation is unacceptable and nothing less than a concerted international effort on water and sanitation will deliver the progress required to meet the MDGs".

3. But we're not going to act:

G8: "We will continue working with partners at all levels, with a view to achieve tangible progress in the advancement of the partnership by the end of 2009."

WaterAid: "No, not nearly good enough. No decision to take action and no actual date by which they will decide to take action. All we have is a vague 'view to achieve' something at some point this year. A long way short of the 'strategic enhancement plan' promised in Toyako, Japan. Difficult to see any benefit for the world's poor in this".

Attached to the communique was the progress report on G8 commitments on water and other key development issues. We're going to have a look at it now to see how the G8 think they've done on water - here's betting the G8 give themselves more than the 3/10 WaterAid gave them.

Don't forget that there is more to come from the G8 - it's rumoured that there will be a joint G8/Africa statement issued tomorrow.

Stay tuned.