Letter of Prime Minister Gordon Brown to Pope Benedict XVI
1O DOWNING STREET LONDON SW1A 2AA
THE PRIME MINISTER
31 March 2009
Your Holiness
Thank you for your letter of 30 March
about the London G20 Summit. It was a pleasure to meet you recently. I was inspired
by our discussion to redouble my efforts to ensure the G20 Summit does not forget
the poor or climate change.
Millions of families around the world are struggling
as the recession takes its toll. We must provide real help to get people through these
tough times and take action to lay the foundations for recovery. That is why we must
get an ambitious outcome from the London Summit on 2 April.
As you say, the
world's poorest are most at risk from this crisis, even though they have not been
responsible for creating it. Protecting the poorest is one of my top priorities and
we stand ready to support the most vulnerable in society. It is vital that rich countries
keep their promises on aid, even in these tough times.
The UK has also already
announced a contribution to the World Bank's Rapid Social Response Fund that will
protect some of the poorest from the impact of the crisis. We are calling on others
to make a contribution, to provide real help for people in difficulty. We must not
turn away from the poor at a time when they most need our help.
I hope the
G20 will also help create momentum for the vital Copenhagen Climate talks and back
a low carbon recovery. I am committed to doing all I can to help ensure our transition
to a greener future.
As well as helping the poorest and supporting a low
carbon recovery, the G20 must also take bold action to help kickstart global trade
and give the IMF the funds it needs to support big emerging economies, increasingly
starved of global finance. Millions of jobs will depend on this.
Finally we
must agree tough measures to better regulate banks and hedge funds and ensure the
shadow banking system is regulated.
As you say, the poorest, particularly Africa,
need a greater voice in the G20. This is why we have extended the participation at
the London Summit beyond the traditional members of the G20 to include African and
Asian regional representation, in the form of the New Economic Partnership for African
Development (NEPAD) and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). We will
of course also have the heads of the IMF and World Bank, who work to support the economies of
the emerging and developing world, and I am delighted that the UN Secretary General
will be joining us. Additionally, in advance of the London Summit, I hosted detailed
discussions in London with African leaders to hear views and have taken these into
account
This is a decisive moment for the world economy. We have a choice to
make. We can either let the recession run its course, or we can resolve as a world
community to unite, to stand with millions of people struggling in these tough
times, to fight back against this global recession that is hurting so many people
in every continent. I hope that the world's leaders can come together to rise to this
challenge.