The 2007 Presidential and Parliamentary elections held in Sierra Leone this year worked.   It was the second election since end of the hostilities that tore the country apart and the third multiparty election since the mid 1990’s.  This bodes well for stability, as fragile as it may be.  Much has been written about the candidates, the voters, and the threats of violence, both in the build-up to the election as well as in the aftermath.

What has not been acknowledged, and something that AFJN wishes to raise, is the role that Ms. Christiana Thorpe played in the election.

The G8 summit is one of the only global summits in which leaders of the nations debate freely amongst themselves. With much less administrative structure surrounding the G8 than other multi-lateral organizations or frameworks, it theoretically allows for freer dialogue and a more direct follow-up on the decisions made regarding key international issues.

Thus, the G8 summit has particular importance in setting the tone for the way in which the leaders of some of the world’s most powerful nations regard and address today’s global challenges. This year, governments, religious leaders, and civil societies around the world are looking to the leaders to take strong action on the global environment and climate change, on fulfilling commitments to aid and support in the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), on anti-proliferation and peace building, and global economic issues.  Africa has been in the spotlight in particular, after having borne the brunt of this spring’s spike in global food prices while seeing very little of the development assistance and debt relief promised at the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.