G8 or G20 – will it really make much difference to the world?

The head of policy at ActionAid questions whether bigger summits will be any better for the world's poorest countries.

Is there any point to the continued existence of G8? As this week's summit looks increasingly irrelevant, should we care if the power shifts away to the G20? President Lula of Brazil has declared that G8 "doesn't have any reason to exist". Next year's hosts, Canada, are being urged by their own commentariat to turn their G8 into a G20. Meanwhile this year's hosts, Italy, are trying to bring more countries into the G8 tent, to reduce the glaring gap between the two. In doing so, they are basically accepting the logic that it's the wrong group of countries to have in the room to address the problems of the world. Despite the attractions of inclusivity, I have fears that the transfer of power from G8 to G20 might prove more style than substance. G20 leaders need to show they are more willing than G8 have been to take actions that matter for the world's poorest. The G8's scope seems to be narrowing, with substantive issues increasingly kept for the G20. The big question for the L'Aquila summit is who is keeping the promises they made at Gleneagles in 2005 (not Italy, despite Berlusconi being the only leader in this year's crop who was actually there).

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/05/g8-g20-international-aid-development