Sections:
The G8
The G8 stands for the 'Group of Eight' nations, an organisation representing the world’s major industrialised democracies.
It was formed in 1975 when the leaders of Japan, the USA, Germany, France, the UK and Italy met in Rambouillet, near Paris, to discuss the economic problems of the day. Canada soon joined, in 1976; and, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was invited to join in 1998. The European Commission is also represented at all G8 meetings.
The
leaders of these countries meet each year for a G8 Summit. The last Summit took
place in Japan in Hokkaido in July 2008. For details of what was agreed, the
Communiqué texts and related papers go to the
Japan G8 website. The Presidency will pass to Italy in January 2009, and
they will host the next Summit in July 2009.
At the summits the leaders discuss major issues of the day. They reach informal agreements on measures that they can take individually, but in cooperation, to achieve their goals more effectively. At each summit leaders agree upon certain initiatives, and there are follow-up meetings throughout the year to make sure commitments are being honoured.
In recent years leaders of other countries have been invited to ‘outreach’ sessions at the summits (the choice of countries usually depends on the issues being discussed). So, for example, at the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, the UK invited the Heads of State of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa to discuss climate change, and African leaders from Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania to discuss issues surrounding Africa.
G8 summits are hugely important if we are to manage the effects of globalisation and climate change and to make progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The G8 can secure political commitment to action on these key global issues. Recent G8 summits have achieved many concrete things such as:
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Setting up the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund).
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Establishing a new relationship with Africa with the G8 Africa Action Plan in response to the African-led New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).
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Launching the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, an agreed process for cancelling the debt of the world's poorest countries.
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Agreement that all G8 countries will consider halving emissions by 2050 and that all major emitters should be involved in a comprehensive, global post- 2012 Kyoto framework to tackle global warming through the UN by 2009.
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Agreement to spend $10 billion on food security to meet not just short-term humanitarian needs - including increases in food aid - but to improve food security and agricultural productivity over the longer term.
More information on
the G8 process as a whole can be found at the University of Toronto’s
G8
Information Centre.
Last updated: 26 August 2008