G8 Research Group

Sue Mbaya, a native South African and spokesperson from the well-known NGO World Vision, took the time to sit down with us to talk about civil society accommodation, the G8 and G20, and World Cup Soccer.   We began our interview asking Mbaya about her views on the G8 and her hopes for what the Summit can accomplish.

Mbaya responded by providing both a broad and narrow definition of the G8.  The narrow view of the G8 is a discussion between eight people, while the broader view of the G8 is eight governments that are accountable to their constituencies, having a discussion about global affairs.  She enforces her belief that the G8 can make a difference in the development agenda, with the capability to make bold commitments that can affect the socioeconomic development in many countries, especially in Africa.  Mbaya believes so firmly that “this ‘eight person meeting’ can make decisions that stop women and children from dying, and next year women don’t have to die,” that she gave up her two tickets to World Cup to be here!

The second topic discussed concerned the relative importance of the G8 and the G20.  “The G8 is well known to us, as civil society entities, we’ve been engaging with the G8 for ten years.  The G20 is definitely the new kid on the block.”  Mbaya points out that civil society has done a tremendous amount of work – dialoguing with the G8, protesting the G8 and monitoring the G8. With the G20, this work will have to be begin again.  “We’re starting at the beginning… but I don’t think we should be discouraged, we should just look at it as the next challenge and get on with it.”

Finally, we discussed the set up at the Summit this year with the Alternative Media Center. “We are dreadfully disappointed in the Alternative Media Centre.  We feel that better arrangements could have been made.”  Mbaya categorized the set up as “anti-climatic”, due to the fact that civil society work at the summit is largely media related.

Thank you to Sue Mbaya for taking the time to talk to us.