By-harpreet Singh Roll No. 18

G-8 BYHARPREET SINGH ROLL NO. 18

Establishment • • • • • • • • • •

The Group of Eight (G8) is an international forum for the governments of eight nations of the northern hemisphere Together, these countries represent about 65% of the world economy. Forum of world's major industrialized democracies 1973 oil crisis and subsequent global recession 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 Poland 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 - Group of Six (G6) 1976 Canada joined the group at the behest of U.S – group became known as the Group of Seven (G7) The European Union is represented by the President of the European Commission Summit at the country that holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union - first United Kingdom in 1977 1994 Russia had separate meeting with leaders of the G7 after the main summit Russia formally joined the group in 1997, resulting in the Group of Eight (G8)

Member Countries • France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Japan, United States, Canada, & Russia • The EU is a "non-enumerated" ninth member • Leaders from other countries are invited to the summit, but they are not participants • The G8, unlike the United Nations, is not an organization or institution, and there is no formal charter or secretariat. • 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.

Contd… Unparalleled concentration of power and influence: •

In 1975, the G8 nations constituted 55 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP); by 2004, this figure had decreased but still it represents 44 percent of global GDP

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4 nuclear powers

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4 UNSC permanent members

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49,8% of the world GDP

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49% of the world trade

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49.6% of the IMF quota

Objectives • • • • • • • • • •

Africa Climate change Counter terrorism Non proliferation Supporting reform in the broader Middle East and North Africa Global energy security Infectious diseases Education Growth and responsibility in the global economy Growth and responsibility in Africa

Contd… • The ministerial meetings discuss issues of mutual or global concern. The range of topics include health, law enforcement, labor, economic and social development, energy, environment, foreign affairs, justice and interior, terrorism, and trade. • There are also a separate set of meetings known as the G8+5, created during the 2005 Gleneagles, Scotland summit, that is attended by finance and energy ministers from all eight member countries in addition to the five "Outreach Countries": Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa. • In June 2005, justice ministers and interior ministers from the G8 countries agreed to launch an international database on pedophiles. The G8 officials also agreed to pool data on terrorism, subject to restrictions by privacy and security laws in individual countries.

Work Done • Prior to the start of the summit ,a coalition of groups, including Greenpeace, Water Aid and End Water Poverty, issued a call to G8 leaders who , thus, tackled global water and sanitation issues, especially those in developing countries. • G-8 also took up the issues on poverty and climate change for which was even praised by David Cameron. • G8 members pledged to implement efforts towards universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010, with particular focus on prevention and integration of services for HIV/TB. "

Contd… • At Evian in 2003, the G8 adopted a Water Action Plan as a contribution to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and other internationally agreed targets on water and sanitation • At the latest G8 summit in L'Aquila, leaders stated that rich nations should cut emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, and the rest of the world should reduce them by 50 per cent.

ODA in 2006 $ millions: G8 countries provide most aid 0 United States United Kingdom Japan France Germ any Netherlands Sw eden Spain Canada Italy Norw ay Denm ark Australia Belgium Sw itzerland Austria Ireland Finland Portugal Greece Luxem bourg New Zealand

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

G8 are largest donors – keeping to their resource commitments is vital for achieving MDGs

Remarkable Decisions • The leaders agreed that the increase in global average temperatures should not exceed 2 degrees Celsius over preindustrial levels by 2020. • They also set a long-term goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent worldwide, and by 80 per cent among industrialized nations, by 2050.

Summits