FACTBOX: G8 pledges to help Africa and combat disease

(Reuters) - World powers at the Group of Eight summit in Germany agreed a package of measures to fight disease and to support development in Africa.

Here are some details on what they announced.

- G8 underlined its strong interest in a stable, democratic and prosperous Africa.

- the Group said it would implement development commitments made at the Gleneagles summit two years ago, including providing multi-lateral debt relief of up to $60 billion, increasing overseas development assistance (ODA) to Africa to $25 billion a year by 2010 and increasing global ODA to $50 billion by 2010.

- the G8 "will scale up their efforts to contributing towards the goal of universal access" to HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs.

- while G8 to work towards universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment, it sets target of providing anti-retroviral treatment over the next few years to approximately five million people.

- G8 will try to provide at least $60 billion over coming years towards securing the U.N.'s Millennium development goals for fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

- G8 committed to $6-8 billion replenishment by 2010 of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the multi-lateral body that channels funds to fight those diseases.

- G8 backs three plans worth $4.8 billion to help prevent mother to child HIV transmission, paediatric treatments and maternal and child health.

- G8 members to work with 30 African countries, responsible for 80 percent of malaria deaths, to cut malaria deaths by half in next few years.

- G8 to support access to cheap drugs and backs local production of medicines to combat disease in Africa.

- backs initiatives to improve access to primary education and will tackle funding shortfalls of around $500 million in 2007 in current education programs.

- G8 pledges to support good governance in Africa, including transparent use of public funds, fighting corruption and peer review of governments.

- G8 will help foster economic activity and opportunity, noting that Africa's current growth of 6 percent per annum is helping to reduce poverty in several countries.

- G8 will help Africa trade through duty and quota-free access, simpler mechanisms on Rules of Origin and by increasing aid for trade to $4 billion.

- G8 agrees its Africa agenda will continue into next year's Japanese presidency of the club of industrialized nations.