EIGHTY religious leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, have signed a letter warning the G8 group of world leaders not to use the financial crisis as an "excuse" to delay fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The letter was published in the Financial Times last Friday, 1000 days before the deadline to meet the MDGs. The G8 leaders will meet in Northern Ireland in June, under the presidency of the UK.

The letter states: "Thirteen years on from the start of the millennium, the values and principles that drive these goals are as im-perative as ever. The financial crisis may be a reason but is not an excuse for hesitation or deferral. . . With a focus on tax, trade and transparency, the UK Presidency of the G8 this year has the potential to advance the MDG agenda in ways that strike at the underlying causes of poverty, in particular by ensuring the wealth created by developing countries is not lost through unfair tax practices, a lack of transparency or a failure to secure the benefits of trade for developing countries."

The letter goes on to recommend that the leaders take three actions: to fulfil their commitments to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on aid; to launch a "G8 Convention on Tax Transparency", which would commit countries "to prevent[ing] individuals and companies from hiding wealth so that it's untraceable"; and to "press for greater financial transparency from governments of developing countries".

As well as Archbishop Welby, signatories to the letter include the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Revd David Chillingworth; the RC Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Revd Vincent Nichols; and the President of the Methodist Conference, the Revd Dr Mark Wakelin. Leaders of other faiths, including senior rabbis and Muslim and Hindu representatives, also signed the letter. Just over half the signatories are from the UK, and the rest are from North America, France, Germany, and Japan.

The Bishop of Bradford, the Rt Revd Nick Baines, said last Friday: "With only 1000 days left to achieve the Millennium Development Goals set by the UN, it is imperative that the G8 Heads of Government set the pace and do not allow this to fail."

Christian Aid's senior adviser on poverty and inequality, Helen Dennis, said on Friday that there was "nothing to replace" the MDGs once they expired. "Without a new plan in place, political leaders could relegate tackling poverty to a 'nice-to-have' rather than a 'must-do'. It is vital that David Cameron and the G8 make this a priority at their meeting in June. . . They need to focus on promoting financial transparency and tackling tax-dodging in developing countries, which cost them $160 billion a year - much more than they receive in aid."

Earlier this year, a coalition of charities and Churches launched the "Enough Food for Everyone IF" campaign, which called on G8 leaders to combat world hunger (News, 25 January; Comment, 5 April).

The full text of the letter and its signatories is available here.