The world's seven industrialised nations have fallen short on their promises to double aid to Africa by 2010, according to a report by ONE Campaign against poverty.

ONE Campaign, supported by U2 singer Bono and rocker Bob Geldof, has provided an annual scorecard of the Group of Seven nations' progress in meeting pledges made at the 2005 summit in Scotland.

The G7 leaders' summit promised to increase aid by 50 million euro from 20.5 million euro, write off the debts of 18 of the world's poorest countries, and cut trade subsidies and tariffs under the Doha round of global trade negotiations.

A final verdict on the targets may only be forthcoming next year, but ONE Campaign said it had enough data to show that the G7 - Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Canada, Italy and Japan - fell short of its promises.

The report said Italy was "an utter failure" as a G7 member, saying it had retreated on its promises by cutting aid from 2004 levels, which brought down the G7 average.

ONE declared Britain "the indisputable overall leader" in meeting the commitments and said the United States, Canada and Japan delivered on, and surpassed, modest targets. France and Germany both set ambitious targets but are on course to deliver on only a quarter of them.

The report called for a new era of development to meet the UN's Millennium Development Goals, in which more than 150 heads of state signed on to eight goals that include halving poverty by 2015.

source: AFP