G8 - Our Children are Watching

I expect I'm not alone in feeling quite humbled by the global swell of humanitarian concern that is being expressed around the world this week. I was not fortunate enough to attend the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, but caught most of the show on TV. As a consequence, my kids currently have a quite astonishing grip on the problems of Africa, and the plight of impoverished nations that Live 8 was conceived to highlight for the attention of the G8 delegates cocooned in Gleneagles.

In 2000 I was involved (as a creative service provider) in some work for the World Aids Congress, and became deeply immersed in the battle to get the right kind of help to the peoples of Sub Saharan Africa. It was interesting then seeing the response of African governments to the offer of medical aid - in some cases they flatly denied that HIV/Aids was even a problem in their country. I was proud of my contribution, which was rewarded with a 'Global' advertising award.

I truly hope the G8 summit begins a real and meaningful change to the global management of poverty. I hope that these powerful leaders have not arrived with a predetermined offer (as we are led to believe), but that they can actually use their collective intelligence to discover where their attention should lie to frame decisions that will deliver on the principle optimal objective; Making Poverty History.

It is interesting that a campaign led by musicians and movie stars can take such a global grip. Simple, direct messaging with real meaning in its messages. We shall see, as this week unfolds, if the world's leaders are listening to the clear wishes of the people who put them in office. Our children are definitely listening.

As an industry, perhaps it is time to start demanding that every major Pharmaceuticals Company acts without profit to reduce the burden of disease in poverty stricken communities of South America, Asia and of course Africa. It would do no harm at all to disregard profit, and to volunteer drugs, and educational; support, and healthcare systems support to these countries.

Would it not make great news for the industry to collectively commit to the eradication of Hepatitis B, malaria and HIV in the parts of the world where those diseases have such a crushing impact on their economy by decimating the workforce?

That is the kind of action that the industry needs to commit to repair its image, burdened as it is with ongoing and emerging news of financial and informational deceit and fraud.

The developed countries that can afford to give a shit about their lipid levels or erectile dysfunction problems are the profit seams for the industry. If I discover my blood pressure is above normal, give me the best A2 antagonist every time. Our emerging ability to grow older is a Pandora's Box of business opportunity full of future diseases and conditions that will feed Big Pharma for the next several decades and beyond by those who can afford it.

Every three seconds a child in poverty dies.

I want this generation to be the one that thinks about this stuff differently. And takes decisions and actions to move the ball down the field. Failure to do this NOW will be an historic blunder. Success will make the legacy of this week's G8 summit something we can all feel driven by, and immensely proud of. It cannot happen overnight. But it has to begin. A decision that cannot be relitigated or renaiged on must be made.

Our children are watching.