26 August 2019
The two-day, 45th Summit of the Group of Seven (G7) countries ends in Biarritz, France, today.
It was attended by
the core G7 Heads of State and/or Government of some of the world's
most-influential nation-states: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
UK and the US - named here strictly in alphabetical order, and on no
other merit.
Invited participants included - but were not limited to - the EU Council President, Egypt, India, and Rwanda next-door...
Conspicuously
absent were the world's second biggest economy China, as well as the
Russian Federation and Brazil, home to the world's largest natural
forests, described as the world's lungs, routinely spewing out oxygen
for humanity...
Among the topics
for discussion at this year's G7 Summit were climate change, global
trade, the raging Amazon wildfires in Brazil - and more!
But, perhaps of
greater interest - especially for developing countries like Tanzania -
was the pledge during the G7 session by the EU Council President Donald
Tusk committing the EU to finance the 6th replenishment of the Global
Fund by a record euro550 million, roughly $618 million (Sh1.4 trillion).
The Global Fund is
an international partnership designed to promote innovative solutions to
global health challenges - even as it accelerates the end of AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics by 2030..." Tanzania and other
least-developed countries need this more than ever. As noted in The
Citizen yesterday, Tanzania has been benefitting from the Fund since it
was created in 2002. But the three epidemics continue to plague the
country.
Surely, it's possible to do away with HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria, all of which are preventable, avoidable?
Let's dialogue on
this as a nation, together with our development partners and
well-wishers, to establish where and why we are failing to eradicate the
three maladies. Then we should start the fight afresh with increased
vim, verve and vigour.
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