Food security

The ministers agreed to accelerate efforts to implement the commitment made at the 2009 G8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy, to mobilize 20 billion U. S. dollars over three years in support of developing country partners’ efforts in developing and implementing inclusive, technically sound food security, agriculture and nutrition plans.

The ministers also welcomed the progress on specifying principles and good practices to promote responsible land use and sustainable agricultural investment.

They stressed that nutrition needs be better integrated in development efforts, recognizing that investments in nutrition could have a catalytic impact on making progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The ministers recognized that while considerable improvements have been made, progress on some MDGs varies across the global, regional and country levels. Hence the importance of mobilizing domestic resources and of dialogue with new development actors.

Canada's controversial stance on abortion

As part of its objectives, Canada, which currently holds the G8 presidency, championed an initiative to improve maternal and child health care in poor countries and has made it the centerpiece of its action plan.

However, Canada stoked controversy when it announced it will not support funding for abortion as part of this initiative, a move that threatened to put Canada at loggerheads with other G8 members who support abortion.

On the abortion issue, G8 members agreed on a set of principles that allow flexibility to support the initiative on maternal and child health. Member countries will be allowed to identify and choose priorities that they are comfortable with.

The most important is a move toward an "integrated, harmonized approach" to doing business, Canada's Minister of International Cooperation Bev Oda said at the closing news conference. She added that "commitments will be made" at the G8 summit to be held in Huntsville, Ontario, Canada, at the end of June.

The meeting was also attended by development ministers and officials from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, as well as representatives of the European Union.

Mali's minister of health, as well as senior representatives from the OECD, the United Nations and its agencies and the World Bank also participated in the meeting.