This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Can G8 Scotland change the world?
29/06/2005
Scotland wants the G8 at Gleneagles to to show
leadership that will tackle problems facing countries like
Africa, First Minister Jack McConnell told a pre-G8
conference at Glasgow University today.
He said:
"G8 Scotland can transform Africa from a country where
thousands of children die needlessly every day, to one
where young people can flourish in peace and
prosperity.
"It is not a question of securing further economic gain
for an already rich west, it is about right and wrong.
Read the
full text of the FM's speech
"In the 21st century we cannot, we must not, stand by
and witness the horrors that are unfolding in Africa each
day; the terrible poverty, the thousands of infants and
mothers dying at birth; and the children dying from
treatable diseases that their ill-nourished bodies cannot
withstand.
"In seven days time G8 Scotland begins, and the world
leaders who gather in Perthshire have a decision to
make.
"The challenges of disease, famine and poverty in Africa
demand resources from the rich world and the use of our
skills and imagination to devise sustainable solutions.
"But much more than that. They require political will.
If the G8 leaders have political will they can save
millions of lives and change the future of the African
continent.
"At this unique time, in this special location, Scotland
wants them to show leadership. And I hope they have the
moral and the political courage to do so."
Read the
full text of the FM's speech