G8
For the Australian league of universities, see Group of Eight (Australian universities). The former term G6 is now frequently applied to the six most populous countries within the European Union (see G6 (EU)).
G8 ministers also meet throughout the year, such as the G7/8 finance ministers (who meet four times a year), G8 foreign ministers or G8 environment ministers.
Each calendar year, the responsibility of hosting the G8 rotates through the member states in the following order: France, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada. The holder of the presidency sets the agenda, hosts the summit for that year and determines which ministerial meetings will take place.
Recently, France, Germany and Italy are lobbying to include Egypt to the Outreach Five (O5) and expand the G8 to G14. History
The first G6 meeting in Rambouillet
The concept of a forum for the world's major industrialized democracies emerged following the 1973 oil crisis and subsequent global recession.
In 1974 the United States created the Library Group, an informal gathering of senior financial officials from the United States, the United Kingdom, West Germany, Japan and France. In 1975, French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing invited the heads of government from West Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States to a summit in Rambouillet.
The six leaders agreed to an annual meeting organized under a rotating presidency, forming the Group of Six (G6). The following year, Canada joined the group at the behest of Germany's Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and U.S.
The European Union is represented by the President of the European Commission and the leader of the country that holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The President of the European Commission has attended all meetings since it was first invited by the United Kingdom in 1977 and the Council President now also regularly attends.
Following 1994's G7 summit in Naples, Russian officials held separate meetings with leaders of the G7 after the group's summits.
This informal arrangement was dubbed the Political 8 (P8) - or, colloquially, the 'G7+1'. At the invitation of United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President Bill Clinton, Russia formally joined the group in 1997, resulting in the 'Group of Eight' - the G8.
The international press features recurring news stories about the G8, which refers to a "group of eight" composed of nine members. As the G6 evolved across the decades, something unforeseen happened in the way the group is conventionally perceived.
The 2008 summit of world leaders in Hokkaido, Japan was universally identified as the "34th G8 summit;" however, this ordinal number implies a process of counting backwards through the years, conflating what might have been clear distinctions.
Structure and activities
Leaders of the G8 on 7 June 2007, in Heiligendamm, Germany
The G8 is intended to be an informal forum, and it therefore lacks an administrative structure like those for international organizations, such as the United Nations or the World Bank. The group does not have a permanent secretariat, or offices for its members.
In 2008, the G8 summit might have been called the G9 because the President of the European Union Commission participated as an equal in all summit events.
The presidency of the group rotates annually among the member countries, with each new term beginning on 1 January of the year. The country holding the presidency is responsible for planning and hosting a series of ministerial-level meetings, leading up to a mid-year summit attended by the heads of government.
They agreed to explore, along with the International Energy Agency, the most effective means to promote energy efficiency internationally. A year later, on 8 June 2008, the G8 along with China, India, South Korea and the European Community established the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation, at the Energy Ministerial meeting hosted by Japan holding 2008 G8 Presidency, in Aomori.
They agreed to the “G8 Action Plan for Climate Change to Enhance the Engagement of Private and Public Financial Institutions.” In closing, Ministers supported the launch of new Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) by the World Bank, which will help existing efforts until a new framework under the UNFCCC is implemented after 2012. The Annual Summit
At the 34th G8 Summit at Toyako, Hokkaido, formal photo during Tanabata matsuri event for world leaders -- Silvio Berlusconi (Italy), Dimitry Medvedev (Russia), Angela Merkel (Germany), Gordon Brown (UK), Yasuo Fukuda (Japan), George Bush (US), Stephen Harper (Canada), Nicolas Sarkozy (France), José Barroso (EU) -- July 7, 2008.
The annual G8 leaders summit is attended by eight of the world's most powerful heads of government.
Similarly, Yasuo Fukuda and Japan hope to garner the greater part of the credit for what went well (and what did not) at the Hokkaido Summit in 2008.
Each of the 34 G8 summit meetings could have been called a success if only the events had been re-framed as venues to generate additional momentum for solving problems at the other multilateral conferences that meet throughout the year. The UK, The USA, Canada, France, and Germany have nominal per capita GDP over US$40,000 dollars. 5 of the 7 largest stock exchanges by market value are in G8 countries (US, Japan, UK, Canada).
7 of the 9 largest nuclear energy producers are in the G8 (USA, France, Japan, Russia, Germany, Canada, UK). the 7 largest donators to the UN budget are in the G8 (US, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Canada).
Cumulative influence of member nations
Together, the G8 countries represent about 65% of the Gross World Product, the majority of global military power (seven are in the top 8 nations for military expenditure), and almost all of the world's active nuclear weapons.
The eight countries making up the G8 represent about 14% of the world population, but they account for 65% of the world's economic output measured by gross domestic product, all 8 within the top 11 countries according to the CIA World Factbook.
(see List of states with nuclear weapons)
Criticism and demonstrations
Protesters try to stop members of the G8 from attending the summit during the 27th G8 summit in Genoa, Italy by burning vehicles on the main route to the summit
As the annual summits are extremely high profile, they are subject to extensive lobbying by advocacy groups and street demonstrations by activists.
The most well-known criticisms centre on the assertion that members of G8 are responsible for global issues such as poverty in Africa and developing countries due to debt and trading policy, global warming due to carbon dioxide emission, the AIDS problem due to strict medicine patent policy and other issues related to globalization. Numerous other demonstrations also took place challenging the legitimacy of the G8.
Again", New Statesman, 4 July 2005, —G8 development concerns since 1977
"G8 Dossier" by the Internationalist Review, —On-line dossier with analysis, photo series and links on G8 protests
FACTBOX - Climate Change High on G8 Agenda In Japan (Planet Ark).
G8 Reaches Tentative Climate Change Deal.
Anti G8, Anti globalization Forum at
http://www.3monkeyz.net
Financial rescue plans from G7 and EU countries, 12 October 2008
Official G8 sites of member states (not summit specific)
Canada
United Kingdom
History of the G8 —UK government site
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