The leaders of the world's largest economies at the G-20 summit yesterday took great steps to address some of the issues that affect the world's poorest.

They started from the moral and pragmatic premise that there can be no sustainable global economic recovery without strengthening the support systems of the most vulnerable.

But even as they commended the G-20 for its proclamation that "all parts of the globe participate in the [economic] recovery," the international advocates who lobbied the summit on behalf of the poor said the challenge of developing impoverished countries, particularly in Africa, remains the same.

Key among the challenges, they said, remains a need to infuse short-term capital and development aid toward agriculture and food security, access to clean and affordable energy and steps to slow the devastation caused by climate change.

"We were very encouraged that they reiterated their commitments from [the April G-20 summit in] London," said Tom Hart, director of U.S. government relations for the advocacy group ONE Campaign, which is committed to fighting extreme global poverty and disease.

The commitments include agreement on the need to help poor countries weather the tumultuous financial climate; reform the membership of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to include more of the poorest countries; carry forward the framework of the G-8 agreement on food security in Italy; and to deliver on the $100 billion the G-8 promised to loan developing countries.

In addition, the Canadian government also committed to provide $2.6 billion in capital to the African Development Bank to help it increase its lending by 75 percent.

All these commitments are commendable, Mr. Hart and others said, "but we were hoping they could accomplish more."

"More" includes acknowledging that climate change will hit Africa worse than most other places and taking steps to address that reality, said Michael Klosson, vice president and chief policy officer, Save the Children, an international advocacy group.

"Many of the low-income countries have not yet emerged from the food and financial crisis they are faced with. We hope that G-20 can fulfill the goals that were adopted by the G-8 in Gleneagles [in Scotland in 2005]" said Mr. Klosson.

At Gleneagles, the G-8, which the Pittsburgh summit structurally dissolved as an economic forum, committed itself to doubling its foreign aid to Africa, said Mr. Klosson. And while the United States has independently since doubled its aid, the rest of the G-8 member countries have not, he added.

"We welcome that there is agreement to have the G-20 become the forum of international financial agreement. But we urge the G-20 to go beyond what they said in Pittsburgh. To acknowledge that development aid is the very foundation for an economic recovery," said Mr. Klosson.

There are unforgiving consequences of sluggishness and inaction in giving development aid, Mr. Klosson said. His organization contends that nearly 9 million children will die this year before their fifth birthday from causes that are largely treatable or preventable, such as pneumonia, diarrhea and a variety of newborn complications related to pregnancy, delivery and newborn care.

Tony Fratto, a Washington-based consultant with the African Development Bank, said the Canadian pledge and the summit's overall agreement on boosting banks like the ADB is a major step forward.

"The temporary financing is coming at a really critical time," said Mr. Fratto.

Speaking at a University of Pittsburgh panel on Wednesday, Donald Kaberuka, president of the African Development Bank, said the bank was perilously close to running out of money next year because of the financial crisis.

"Because of this crisis, they spent all the money they had planned to spend in three years, in one year," said Mr. Fratto. "They were bound to run out of money next year and there was no healthy private sector to boost their capital."

Yesterday Canadian officials said that their investment of capital, which serves as a guarantee from shareholders, will see Canada triple the level of its shares in the ADB.

"Our support recognizes efforts by the African Development Bank to ensure it has sufficient resources to respond quickly to the demands of its borrowing members while it continues its poverty reduction efforts," said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

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