35th G8 summit: Difference between revisions
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*{{flagicon|Canada}} '''[[Canada]]''' |
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*{{flagicon|France}} '''[[France]]''' |
*{{flagicon|France}} '''[[France]]''' |
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*{{flagicon|Germany}} '''[[Germany]]''' |
*{{flagicon|Germany}} '''[[Germany]]''' |
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*{{flagicon|Italy}} '''[[Italy]]''' |
*{{flagicon|Italy}} '''[[Italy]]''' |
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*{{flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Japan]]''' |
*{{flagicon|Japan}} '''[[Japan]]''' |
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*{{flagicon|Russia}} '''[[Russia]]''' |
*{{flagicon|Russia}} '''[[Russia]]''' |
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*{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} '''[[United Kingdom]]''' |
*{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} '''[[United Kingdom]]''' |
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*{{flagicon|USA}} '''[[United States]]''' |
*{{flagicon|USA}} '''[[United States]]''' |
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*[[Image:Flag of Europe.svg|22px|Europe]] '''[[European Union]]''' <!--[[Jose Manuel Barroso]], President of EU Commission; [[Nicolas Sarkozy]], President EU Council--> |
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*[[Image:Flag of the African Union.svg|22px|African Union]] '''[[African Union]]''' |
*[[Image:Flag of the African Union.svg|22px|African Union]] '''[[African Union]]''' |
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*{{flagicon|CIS}} '''[[Commonwealth of Independent States]]''' |
*{{flagicon|CIS}} '''[[Commonwealth of Independent States]]''' |
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*[[Image:Flag of Europe.svg|22px|Europe]] '''[[European Union]]''' |
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*[[Image:Flag of IAEA.svg|20px|IAEA]] '''[[International Atomic Energy Agency]]''' |
*[[Image:Flag of IAEA.svg|20px|IAEA]] '''[[International Atomic Energy Agency]]''' |
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*[[Image:IEA logo.gif|22px|]] '''[[International Energy Agency]]''' |
*[[Image:IEA logo.gif|22px|]] '''[[International Energy Agency]]''' |
Revision as of 17:42, 9 July 2008
Template:Future The 35th G8 summit is to take place in Maddalena, Italy, in July 2009[1]. The Mediterranean island of La Maddalena is the largest island of the Maddalena Archipelago, situated in the Straits of Bonifacio between Corsica and Northeast Sardinia. The locations of previous G8 summits to have been hosted by Italy include: Venice (1980 and 1987), Naples (1994) and Genoa (2001).[2]
The G8 is an unofficial forum which brings together the heads of the leading industrialized democracies: Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, the United States, Canada (since 1976), Russia (since 1998),[3] and the EU Commission (since 1981).[4]
Composition of summit leaders
The composition of the G8 summit is not expected to become an agenda item, but it is a perennial subject of speculation. [5] Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced at the press conference at the end of the second day of the Hokkaido summit that the current number of participants will be maintained when the G8 leaders meet next on the island of La Maddalena in 2009. Berlusconi also explained that a proposal to expand the G8 to include members of the Group of Five (G8+G5) emerging economies - China, India, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa - had not found sufficient support.[6]
By the end of the 2008 United States presidential election, either John McCain or Barack Obama will become the newest member of the G8 summit.
Permanent
Invited (partial participation)
G8+5
The G8 plus the five largest emerging economies has come to be known as G8+5.
Other leaders
Other world leaders have been invited to previous G8 summit meetings; and this practice is expected to continue.
Heads of international organizations
Leaders of the major international organizations have also been invited to attend in the past; and this practice is expected to continue:
African Union
Commonwealth of Independent States
European Union
International Atomic Energy Agency
- File:IEA logo.gif International Energy Agency
United Nations
UNESCO
- File:World Bank Logo.png World Bank
World Health Organization
- File:Wto logo.png World Trade Organization
Schedule and Agenda
Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi explained that the schedule of meetings would be very much like that of the Hokkaido summit,
- "My opinion is that it is best to keep together countries which share the same principles and I suggested that in 2009 the first day of the summit should see just the G8 meet. On the second day the table can be expanded in the morning to include the G5, with the G8+5 also discussing Africa, while the G8 would then meet alone in the afternoon to draw their conclusions. This program was unanimously accepted and will be used at the G8 summit in Italy."[6]
A tentative agenda for the 35th G8 summit will include some issues which remain unresolved from previous summits.
Issues
Africa
The G8 leaders will discuss a range of issues relating to African development. Africa, which has been on the G8 agenda since 2000, has continues to lag behind on progress towards meeting Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).[7]
Climate change
The G8 leaders will discuss a range of issues relating to climate in the context of a framework established at the 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Bali, Indonesia.[7]
Citizens' responses and authorities' counter-responses
Protesters and demonstrations
Protest groups and other activists are expected to make a showing at the summit. Forward planning for this and future G8 summits began in advance of the 2008 Hokkaido summit. Activist organizations anticipate that early planning can result in greater networking effectiveness for G8 summits. The 2009 summit will likely attract significant focus for development campaigners in G8 countries and elsewhere in Europe including the regional GCAP Europe. Collective campaigning ahead of the European Parliament elections is also anticipated to generate momentum on global issues ahead of July 2009.[8]
Not all demonstrations are expected to focused in opposition to some issue. At the 2005 Scotland summit, for the first time the tens of thousands of people protesting outside were actually supporting the summit's agenda of African aid;[3] and some activists traveled to Hokkaido for the same purpose.[9]
Citizen journalism
Citizens' groups are expected to organize citizen journalism centers to provide independent media coverage of the G8 summit and the expected protests. In a sense, this article will evolve as the work product of something like citizen journalism, growing through serial draft texts as part of "the first rough draft of history."[10]
Accomplishments
The G8 summit is an international event which is observed and reported by news media, but the G8's continuing relevance after more than 30 years is somewhat unclear.[11] The G8 summit brings leaders together not so they can dream up quick fixes, but to talk and think about them together.[12]
Budget
The Italian government has yet to announce how much the nation expects to invest in hosting the G-8 summit in 2009.
References
- ^ "Small Sardinian island to host G8 summit in 2009," Reuters. June 14, 2007.
- ^ Smith, Diane. "2009 G8 Summit In La Maddalena, Italy," eFluxMedia (New York). June 15, 2007.
- ^ a b Saunders, Doug. "Weight of the world too heavy for G8 shoulders," Globe and Mail (Toronto). July 5, 2008. Cite error: The named reference "saunders1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Reuters: "Factbox: The Group of Eight: what is it?", July 3, 2008.
- ^ "G8: U. S. Against Broadening to Emerging Economies," AGI (Agenzia Giornolistica Italiana). July 7, 2008.
- ^ a b "G8: Summit format to be maintained,"] ANSA (Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata - Società Cooperativa). July 8, 2008. Cite error: The named reference "ansa1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b The Japan G8 in 2008: a New Year’s Resolution for delivery on the big questions? , ODI Blog, published December 20, 2007-12-20, accessed 2008-01-02
- ^ "Update: G8...Forward plan with others for future G8 summits," BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development). 2008.
- ^ "We're not G8 protesters, says Nighy," Star (Sheffield). July 8, 2008.
- ^ Braiker, Brian. "History's New First Draft," Newsweek (New York). July 8, 2008; Keyes, Ralph. The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and when, p. 107.
- ^ Lee, Don. "On eve of summit, G-8's relevance is unclear," Los Angeles Times. July 6, 2008.
- ^ Feldman, Adam. "What's Wrong With The G-8," Forbes (New York). July 7, 2008.