The G8 summit opens nextweek in Hokkaido, Japan. The meeting brings together the leaders from theUnited States, Japan, Germany, Russia, France, Italy, Britain and Canada, andcomes amid concerns over soaring food prices and shortages and global warming.

Oneof the groups following the G8 developments is the humanitarian organizationActionAid. Shafqat Munir is a chief spokesman for the group. From Islamabad,Pakistan, he spoke to VOA's Joe De Capua about their main concerns for thesummit.

"Weare focusing on four areas. Our focus is on Africa, because already thecommunication leak says that they (G8 leaders) have backtracked from theircommitment in 2005. But now they are backtracking on the committed amount toAfrica. (The) second concern is climate change. The third one is the foodcrisis because it increases poverty…. The food stocks are there with some ofthe big countries, but they're not releasing it. Some of the countries haveraised their export rates and there are certain export bans on it. So we wantthat all bans should be lifted and there should not be any restriction on foodsupply to the people. The fourth point is we are focusing on health andHIV/AIDS," he says.

Manypromises of aid were made to Africa at the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles,Scotland. Munir says those promises have not been kept. He says these are "thepromises regarding the $25 billion that they need to give by 2010." He saysthat now G8 leaders are neither mentioning the amount nor the 2010 deadline.

TheActionAid spokesman says the NGO would like to see some immediate action takenon the food crisis. "Japan should take the lead and Japan should announce thatit is releasing its 1.5 million metric tons of rice, which are in the stocks inJapan. Japan should take the lead in releasing this, and other G8leaders…should also come up with their support on the food thing," he says.

Regardingbiofuels, he says, "They are depleting the food security of the poor people inthe world." ActionAid says rich nations should ensure that their production ofbiofuels does not affect food security, because the corn used to make a tank ofethanol for a car could feed a family for many months.