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"When G8 leaders meet in Kananaskis, they will be presented with an unprecedented opportunity to help level the playing field in current trade negotiations and give developing countries a real chance to trade their way out of poverty. They can either seize this opportunity, and we will all benefit, or let is slip away, and we will all lose", said Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon, two days before the start of the G8 Summit in Canada.

Last month, the Secretary-General wrote to G8 leaders urging them to take the needs of developing countries seriously. "My message to them was quite simple: if you really want to help developing countries, bring down your trade barriers and give them access to your markets".

Fair trade practices are not only a matter of generosity towards poor nations; they are also a matter of self-interest for rich countries: "As developing countries are allowed to export to industrialised nations, they will grow wealthier and they will in return become new markets for products from the developed world", Mr. McKinnon said.

"This issue of agricultural subsidies should top the G8 agenda. These amount to US$ 1 billion a day, seven times the current level, of global aid. This is simply scandalous", the Secretary-General said. "Significant progress could be achieved if OECD countries substantially reduced subsidies in sectors where developing nations have a competitive advantage. This would also reduce the real cost of certain products to consumers in the developed world and release resources for more productive purposes. thereby increasing the growth potential of development economies," he said.

The Secretary-General also underlined the need to increase aid levels and urged G8 leaders to renew their commitment to debt relief. "The Commonwealth was the first association to draw the attention of the global community to the plight of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries, and we continue to maintain the pressure on the IMF and the World Bank to provide greater debt reduction to these countries. Of course, there are changes that developing countries can themselves help bring about: by implementing good fiscal and monetary policies, by tackling corruption and by improving corporate governance, they can establish a favourable investment climate in order to attract private capital". These measures are at the centre of the Africa-led New partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), which will feature prominently in the G8 leaders' discussions.

"But initiatives such as NEPAD will only be successful if developed countries are prepared to meet their end of the bargain. In a world of growing interdependence, the best way for countries to defend their national interests is to act for the benefit of the world community as a whole', Mr. McKinnon, said.

The annual G8 Summit brings together the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition, the European Union participates and is represented by the president of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. This year several African Heads of State will also attend the meeting.

This year's summit will focus on three priorities;

* strengthening global economic growth and sustainable development;

* building a new partnership for Africa's development and

* fighting terrorism. 

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