- Title: G7-PROTESTS/NGOS NGOs call for action ahead of G7 summit
- Date: 5th June 2015
- Summary: MUNICH, GERMANY (JUNE 5, 2015) (REUTERS) SQUARE WITH LARGE BALLOONS WITH FACES OF G7 LEADERS BALLOONS BALLOON WITH FACE OF UNITED STATES PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA BALLOONS BALLOON WITH FACE OF FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE PEOPLE WALKING PAST BALLOONS BANNER WITH TEXT READING (English): "#AGAINSTPOVERTY" MAN PULLING BALLOON STRING / OBAMA BALLOON BALLOONS / PEOPLE LOOKING SPOKESPERSON FOR LOBBY AND CAMPAIGN ORGANISATION "ONE", ANDREAS HUBERS, AT "ONE" INFORMATION STAND MESSAGE ON INFORMATION STAND READING (German): "DEAR G7, WE WANT MORE THAN HOT AIR" (SOUNDBITE) (German) SPOKESPERSON FOR THE LOBBY AND CAMPAIGN ORGANISATION "ONE", ANDREAS HUBERS, SAYING: "We demand more than hot air from the G7. In concrete terms, this means: firstly, compliance with existing development promises. We need more money, as promised, for development aid. Secondly, a qualitative change is also needed of existing aid. Much more needs to go to the poorest countries, to support them. And thirdly, we're not allowed to forget the girls and women who suffer, again in the poorest countries, from discrimination. As the host and the only woman in the G7, not to forget, [German Chancellor] Angela Merkel has a special role to play." MERKEL'S FACE ON BALLOON VARIOUS OF BALLOONS IN SQUARE GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, GERMANY (JUNE 5, 2015) (REUTERS) PROTEST WITH WORLD VISION ACTIVISTS POSING IN LIFE RAFT WITH LIFE SAVING RINGS AND WEARING MASKS DEPICTING G7 LEADERS OBAMA-MASKED PROTESTER WITH LIFE SAVING RING PROTESTERS WEARING MASKS OF G7 LEADERS POSING WITH LIFE SAVING RINGS PROTESTER WEARING MASK OF JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER SHINZO ABE WITH LIFE SAVING RING PROTESTERS WEARING MASKS OF G7 LEADERS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD VISION INTERNATIONAL EXTERNAL RELATIONS DIRECTOR, CHRIS DERKSEN HIEBERT, SAYING: "World Vision is here at the G7 summit to send a message to G7 leaders. They have an opportunity this year, in 2015, to make a major difference for children in the world. In the past, the G7 has made important decisions and provided funding to end preventable deaths of children." TEXT READING (English): "PNEUMONIA" AND "DIARRHEA" TEXT READING (English): "EBOLA" (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD VISION INTERNATIONAL EXTERNAL RELATIONS DIRECTOR, CHRIS DERKSEN HIEBERT, SAYING: "Most of the deaths of children, the six, more than six million children that are dying each year, are dying from undernutrition. They don't have enough food and they don't have enough nutritious food. They're dying from diseases like malaria. We need to get them enough bed nets, treated bed nets, so that they won't be stung by mosquitoes that are killing them. They are dying from things like diarrhoea which relates to dirty drinking water. All these things, we know how to deal with them, we know how to prevent them and we're asking for G7 leaders to take action to save the lives of children." PROTESTERS IN MASKS OF G7 LEADERS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS TEXT READING (German): "HEALTH" (SOUNDBITE) (German) WORLD VISION GERMANY CEO, CHRISTOPH WAFFENSCHMIDT, SAYING: "In the past, the G7 have discussed the subject of children's' health and there were initiatives were made and concrete progress was seen, but it is not enough by far. Six million children under the age of five are dying every year from diarrhoea, malaria, pneumonia and we are demanding concrete decisions from the G7 that this number should be brought down." OBAMA MASK BACKGROUND PAINTING
- Embargoed: 20th June 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA3EBAO98X24JA5BQNRX648SNA
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Non-governmental organisations on Friday (June 5) called for G7 action on a range of issues ahead of Sunday's (June 7) summit.
In Munich, the lobby and campaign organisation "One" displayed seven large balloons with the faces of the leaders of the Group of Seven industrialised nations due to meet at the Bavarian Alpine resort Schloss Elmau castle on Sunday and Monday (June 8).
The group called for "less hot air" and more action from the G7 leaders.
"We demand more than hot air from the G7. In concrete terms, this means: firstly, compliance with existing development promises. We need more money, as promised, for development aid. Secondly, a qualitative change is also needed of existing aid. Much more needs to go to the poorest countries, to support them. And thirdly, we're not allowed to forget the girls and women who suffer, again in the poorest countries, from discrimination. As the host and the only woman in the G7, not to forget, [German Chancellor] Angela Merkel has a special role to play," "One" spokesperson Andreas Hubers said.
In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, closer to the summit venue, children's charity World Vision called on the leaders to do more to prevent children from dying of preventable diseases.
The activists wore masks representing the leaders and posed dressed as captains in front of a painting portraying a ship hitting an iceberg.
World Vision spokesperson Chris Derksen Hiebert said more needed to be done for children.
"World Vision is here at the G7 summit to send a message to G7 leaders. They have an opportunity this year, in 2015, to make a major difference for children in the world. In the past, the G7 has made important decisions and provided funding to end preventable deaths of children," he said.
Derksen Hiebert said the leaders had to do more to fight extreme poverty, hunger and diseases such as ebola, malaria and diarrhoea, which the NGO says claims too many children's lives in poor countries.
"Most of the deaths of children, the six, more than six million children that are dying each year, are dying from undernutrition. They don't have enough food and they don't have enough nutritious food. They're dying from diseases like malaria. We need to get them enough bed nets, treated bed nets, so that they won't be stung by mosquitoes that are killing them. They are dying from things like diarrhoea which relates to dirty drinking water. All these things, we know how to deal with them, we know how to prevent them and we're asking for G7 leaders to take action to save the lives of children," Derksen Hiebert said.
The head of the organisation in Germany, Christoph Waffenschmidt, said the number of children dying had to be brought down significantly.
"In the past, the G7 have discussed the subject of children's' health and there were initiatives were made and concrete progress was seen, but it is not enough by far. Six million children under the age of five are dying every year from diarrhoea, malaria, pneumonia and we are demanding concrete decisions from the G7 that this number should be brought down," he said.
World Vision works to protect children's health in poor countries across the world.
Merkel is set to host the leaders of France, the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom and Italy for the Group of Seven's annual two-day meeting, held in a different member state each year, for discussions about various global issues such a security, energy and the economy. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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