Kofi Annan and Bob Geldof on Friday urged Italy, the current president of Group of Eight industrialized nations, to keep up efforts to cut poverty in Africa despite the global economic crisis. Former U.N. chief Annan and Geldof, a rock musician, met with Premier Silvio Berlusconi and other Italian officials in Rome, according to AP. Italy, as rotating G-8 president, will host the annual summit of heads of government in July. Annan warned of the impact the current financial downturn could have on Africa, and urged rich nations to keep their commitments. «It is likely that in this climate, unless we remain vigilant, there will be a tendency to say: 'We have different priorities, we cannot afford to spend money on development in Africa,»' said Annan, who is chairman of the Africa Progress Panel, a group devoted to promoting development. «Our mission is to ensure that the needs and concerns of Africa are not forgotten in the current economic and financial climate,» Annan told a meeting organized by theItalian chapter of the Aspen Institute. Annan said he had received assurances from Berlusconi that «he will do whatever he can to maintain Africa on the agenda.» Geldof challenged Berlusconi to prove his leadership and be at the forefront of efforts to halve extreme poverty around the world by 2015.
