Leading the British government in their fight against world poverty

	About DFID
	Millennium Dev't Goals
	Country Profiles
	News & Press
	Publications
	Case Studies
	Procurement
	Consultations
	Research
	Funding Schemes
	Recruitment

The G8

The G8 stands for the 'Group of Eight' nations. It began 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 joined in 1976 and Russia in 1998. This year the Presidency rests with Japan.

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 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:

Setting up the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund)

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)

Launching the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, an agreed process for cancelling the debt of the world's poorest countries

Action against money laundering (through the Financial Action Task Forces), which many other countries have now joined.

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.

More information on the G8 process as a whole can be found at the University of Toronto’s G8 Information Centre.

Last updated: 29 February 2008