In its way, it is quite an achievement. Two years ago in Gleneagles the Group of Eight wealthy countries pledged to increase annual aid levels by $50bn by 2010. At this week's summit in Heiligendamm the G8 is struggling even to repeat that commitment.

The precise wording of the communiqué is now almost irrelevant. The meeting has already shown that a number of the world's largest economies regard such agreements as non-binding. Several of the G8 countries are already behind their targets. Some want to backtrack on pledges about providing universal access to treatment for everyone with HIV by 2010, in favour of a looser and lesser commitment. Amid tensions about relations with Russia and the task of devising a joint strategy for tackling climate change, political will to enforce the Gleneagles pledge looks in short supply.