A study has claimed that the United States is better at honouring foreign aid commitments than European members.
The United States and Canada tied for the top rank in a study analysing member countries compliance with pledges made at the G8 summit last year. The North Americans had a 72 per cent compliance rate - compared with 67 per cent for Britain and Germany; and just 50 per cent for France.
A draft report by John Kirton, a University of Toronto professor, found Italy honoured 44 per cent of pledges, Japan came in at 39 per cent and Russia trailed at 6 per cent.
For the eight countries and European Union, the average was 55 per cent. The only time the average was higher was after a G8 summit in Okinawa in 2000, when the average was 80 per cent.
The report found all eight countries and the EU kept their commitments to provide democracy assistance to the Middle East and north Africa, support the environment and provide debt relief to the most heavily indebted nations.
But all failed to keep their pledge to finance development, one of 18 primary commitments agreed to at the June 2004 summit in Sea Island, Georgia.
The document is to be released in final form before next week's G8 summit, where world poverty is high on the agenda.