"A man called Stephen Harper came to Heiligendamm, but Canada stayed home."
   - Bob Geldof, musician and social activist

Early this June, the leaders of eight major industrialized countries, commonly known as the G8, met in Heiligendamm, Germany to discuss global affairs. Every year people expect these leaders to show genuine commitment and leadership to improve our world, but do they live up to their commitments?

A major push for them to take responsibility came in July 2005, when the Live 8 concerts focused global attention on the G8 leaders to take bold actions. As a result, the G8 leaders committed to work toward universal access to treatment for HIV and AIDS by 2010. It was a bold promise that encouraged many and, in this year's gathering, World Vision called on the G8 for a clear plan of how they would fulfill their promise of two years ago.

So what happened this year? As usual, the summit meeting ended with the release of a document that details what the G8 leaders are committing to accomplish. Although they pledged US$60 billion for HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, many say that this amount has already been committed before, and little new money is being given now.

Expressing his disappointment with Canada's role at the G8 meeting, World Vision Canada president Dave Toycen recently remarked: "...the government says it wants to give more aid and do it better, but it appears that they are not living up to their promise. Canadians don't want to hear their political leaders arguing over who promised less. They want our country to be a leader in addressing the needs of children affected by HIV and AIDS."

Canadians definitely do want more from their government. Since last year's International AIDS Conference in Toronto, some 10,000 people have signed a World Vision Canada petition calling on our government to do more. Though the government's lack of response is discouraging, Canadians must continue to stand with and work for those who face the reality of HIV and AIDS daily. As rock star and activist Bono said, "We mustn't lose momentum. It's a marathon when it should have been a sprint." This is a fight for justice that must be won.