Italy is failing to respect its commitment made at the 2005 Group of Eight summit at Gleneagles to increase aid to combat poverty in Africa, pressure group One said Thursday.
In its 2009 report presented in London by Microsoft chief Bill Gates, Desmond Tutu and Bob Geldof, One said that by 2008 the G8 had delivered only a third of the $25 billion they pledged in supplementary aid to Africa by 2010.
Italy and France were responsible for 80% of the shortfall, according to the report, which said the United States, Canada and Japan were respecting the objectives, while the United Kingdom and Germany were surpassing them.
Italy's was ''the worst performance of the G8 by a long way,'' delivering only 3% of the additional aid promised when Premier Silvio Berlusconi signed the Gleneagles declaration in 2005.
''Consultations with the Italian government reveal that they intend to cut and not increase assistance in the future,'' the report continued, saying Italy's conduct ''raises questions about its credibility as G8 president this year''.
''How can we have faith in a government that promises something and does nothing, and expect that it will guide the world?'' asked Geldof at the presentation of the report.
''Poor, sad Italy. That their economy is in such a disastrous meltdown condition, they must steal from the poor, rob the ill and snatch education from the minds of the young not only beggars the imagination but must also surely beggar the soul of that most beautiful country''.
Nobel peace prize winner Tutu said a ''promise to the poor is sacred''.
''It saddens and angers me that great nations like Italy and France are going in the wrong direction,'' he said.
The criticism came on the same day Italy hosted a two-day summit for Group of Eight development ministers in Rome, where Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini underlined Italy's wish to support Africa and other poor countries.
''Despite the (global economic) crisis, Italy wants to guarantee its presence among the main donators,'' Frattini said, appealing for ''a joint effort and responsibility''
