The final communiqué endorsed by G-20 world leaders at the end of their summit in France and news reports about the meeting paint two different pictures of what leaders focused on during their discussions in Cannes, according to Douglas Herbert, international affairs editor of France 24, who added that development and aid groups are largely disappointed with the summit’s outcome.
The communiqué barely mentioned Greece’s bailout issue and the broader eurozone debt crisis but online reports and from local newspapers in Cannes, where the summit was held, paint a different picture on what leaders of the world’s top 20 economies discussed in France.
“[The Greece debt crisis] practically eclipsed every other issue that was meant to be on the agenda of a grouping that represents 85 percent of the world’s economy: agriculture, aid to small farmers, food price volatility, bank regulation, climate change, tax havens…You name the issue, chances are it was eclipsed,” Herbert opines in France 24.
Non-governmental organizations who camped near Cannes throughout the length of the G-20 meeting slammed the summit as a disappointment that once again failed to outline long-term solutions to address the needs of the world’s poorest populations, Herbert said.
>> G20 Falls Short of Aid Groups’ Expectations
Herbert adds that other aid organization officials also criticized the summit for “addressing problems the old way” and focusing on “narrow, short term fixes” instead of longer-term solutions.
Read more G-20 coverage and development aid news online, and subscribe to The Development Newswire to receive top international development headlines from the world’s leading donors, news sources and opinion leaders — emailed to you FREE every business day.
