Tokyo - Development ministers from the Group of Eight (G8) nations Saturday kicked off a two-day meeting to discuss partnerships with emerging economies to increase aid to impoverished regions.

The ministers were expected to increase cooperation in assisting Africa and other developing nations to fight climate change and to push the 2000 Millennium Development Goals which aim to cut in half the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report released Friday showed that the total overseas development aid among the world's 22 major aid donors in 2007 fell 8.4 per cent in real terms.

Japan, which is hosting the G8 meeting in summer, ranked the lowest since 1972 in fifth place.

The meeting involves ministers from the G8 member states and the European Commission, China, India, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea and South Africa.(dpa)