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Group of Eight risks losing relevance: Bob Geldof
TOYAKO, Japan (Reuters) - The Group of Eight will have to make some tough decisions about its size and make-up or it will lose relevance, Irish pop star activist Bob Geldof said.
Geldof, in northern Japan to lobby leaders on the sidelines of the G8 summit, said the number of countries invited to share views with the rich nations showed that the G8 could no longer act on its own.
"The decisions can't be made by eight people in a small room any more because the rest of the world is developing and they need to contribute. But they also need to decide," Geldof told Reuters late on Tuesday.
"And so going forward to the UN, that's when I think a lot of real decisions will be made now and I think the G8 will either expand or will lose its relevance," Geldof said, referring to the next U.N. General Assembly in September.
This year's G8 summit brings together 22 countries in total, the greatest number since the grouping was first created in 1975, including the so-called "major economies" and seven African nations.
Many critics and even some members believe that the G8 should be expanded to include at least China and India.
Geldof said the G8 should speed up and increase their commitments to Africa, considering that the total amount of aid was small in contrast to the group's enormous wealth.
"We are talking about the wealthiest countries in the planet and the amount of money is small, so small for the poorest people on the planet," Geldof said.
The G8 comprises Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Britain, Russia, Canada and the United States.
The G8 leaders in 2005 pledged to raise annual aid levels to its poorer neighbors by $50 billion to 2010, including $25 billion a year to Africa.
On Tuesday they also put a time frame on a 2007 pledge to give $60 billion to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, saying they would work toward fulfilling the pledge over five years.
Formerly the lead singer of The Boomtown Rats, Geldof has had considerable success raising funds to fight poverty, disease and starvation in Africa, starting with Band Aid in 1984 and continuing with Live Aid in 1985 and Live 8 in 2005.
(Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
