FACT SHEET: WHITE HOUSE ON BIRMINGHAM SUMMIT RESULTS
(Africa, debt relief, climate change, jobs discussed)
Birmingham -- The White House has released a fact sheet outlining results from the May 15-17 Birmingham Summit of seven major industrial countries plus Russia on debt relief for Africa, the global environment, climate change, employability, and the Year 2000 computer problem.
Following is the text of the fact sheet, "The G-8 Birmingham Summit: Securing the Benefits of Integration," issued May 17:
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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FACT SHEET
The G-8 Birmingham Summit
"Securing the Benefits of Integration"
At Birmingham, President Clinton advanced his strategy of securing the benefits of global integration by making sure these benefits are shared more widely among the American people and within all peoples in all regions. Following the economic and political discussion on Friday and the progress made on fighting transnational crime on Saturday, President Clinton led the discussion on how to move forward on several key global challenges of the 21st century: promoting sustainable development, particularly through trade, political and economic reform, and targeted debt relief; protecting the global environment; and combating the spread of infectious diseases. The Leaders also discussed the difficult challenge of the Year 2000 Bug, and pledged to work together, and with industry, to address it.
Development: Africa
Promoting integration, reform and targeted debt relief
President Clinton led the discussion on Africa which continued and built on those at the Lyon and Denver Summits. Encouraged by the progress being made by some countries in Africa during his recent trip to the Continent, the President pushed for more effective support for indigenous efforts to build democracy, good governance and a stronger civil society.
Countries Emerging from Conflict: recognizing that poor nations emerging from conflict have special needs -- for rebuilding political economic and social institutions in a manner consistent with democratic values and respect for human rights -- the Leaders agreed that strengthening the local ability to prevent and ease conflict is also integral to Africa's development.
The World Bank and multilateral institutions were called upon to play a special coordination role in these efforts. Leaders also agreed on the critical importance to the reform efforts of developing countries of replenishing the soft loan window of the African Development Bank and the new resources for the IMF's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility, along with delinking development bilateral assistance.
Debt Relief: Relieving the debt burden of the poorest countries' continues to be a priority for President Clinton. To promote development, improve the quality of life and foster integration into the global economy, the Leaders pledged their support for the current initiative to eliminate up to 80% of the debt for needy countries that have undertaken bold economic reforms. They encouraged all eligible countries to join the initiative by the year 2000. To support these countries initial reform efforts, the President pushed the other Leaders to work with the international financial institutions (IFI) to cover debt service payments and to forgive poor countries' bilateral debt.
Infectious Diseases: Also following on last year's Denver Summit discussions, Leaders agreed to enhance their cooperation to fight infectious and parasitic diseases. President Clinton and Prime Minister Blair led the G-8 in voicing support for the WHO's "Roll Back Malaria" campaign to significantly reduce the death rate from malaria. The G-8 Leaders expressed their continued support for UNAIDS' efforts to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS, and agreed to pursue efforts to prevent and treat AIDS.
Protecting the Global Environment: Climate Change and Forests
Climate Change: Birmingham marked an important shift in efforts by industrialized nations to work together to address the challenge of climate change. The Eight agreed to elements of a common approach on "the work that is necessary to ratify Kyoto" -- an important step forward on building a globally solution to this global problem. In the past, industrialized nations have different on how best to address climate change. Yesterday, the Eight Leaders spoke of the significant domestic steps they are each taking to address climate, and together recognized the need and difficulty of building a global system to address this problem. officials from G-8 governments will meet to make progress on these issues prior to the next climate change negotiating round, which will be held in Buenos Aires this November.
The Eight agreed on the need for cooperation in two key areas. First, they pledged to develop effective rules and principles for market-based emissions trading and other flexibility mechanisms to "ensure an enforceable, accountable, verifiable, open and transparent trading system." Significantly, the Eight also agreed to work as a group with developing nations to secure participation and commitments from all nations. Recognizing that this is a critical step needed to make Kyoto a reality -- especially since developing nations are likely to be most effected by climate change, that these nations' share of emissions is growing, and that commitments must be tailored to these nations' considerable development needs.
Leaders also endorsed a G-8 Forest Action program, committing themselves to reporting on concrete steps to protect forests at home and in developing nations. They also discussed the importance of establishing common environmental guidelines for export credit agencies -- such as those adopted by the U.S. Export-Import Bank -- but were unable to reach agreement on common standards.
Employability
The leaders also focused on enhancing opportunities for workers to make sure nobody falls through the cracks during this time of global integration. President Clinton underscored the importance of strong, sustained macroeconomic growth as a means to bring more people into the work force and help raise living standards for all people. Over the past five years, America's strong, sustained economic expansion has helped lower unemployment to record lows for disadvantaged groups and raise the incomes of the poor.
President Clinton highlighted the success of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in making work pay and providing strong incentives for work over welfare. In particular, he noted recent research that shows that the EITC lifts more than 4 million people out of poverty each year and encourages single mothers with children to enter the work force.
The Leaders also renewed their support for global progress towards the implementation of internationally recognized core labor standards. In particular, they emphasized support for the adoption of the ILP declarations and implementation mechanisms of core labor standards at the ILO ministerial next month and the collaboration between the ILO nd WTO in carrying forth this agenda.
Year 2000
The Leaders discussed the urgent need to coordinate efforts to deal with the international challenge of the Year 2000 computer problem. President Clinton raised this issue as one of the premier challenges at the beginning of the next two years, and discussed the U.S. effort to address the issue. The Eight agreed to work with the private sector and organizations working in the areas of defense, transport, telecommunications, financial services, energy and the environment to solve the problem and prevent potential disruption.
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