Live 8 Concert
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Home � The G8
What is the G8?
The Group of Eight (G8) is the coalition of eight of the world's leading industrialized nations: France, Germany (West Germany to 1990), Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, (the G6, 1975), Canada (the G7, 1976), and Russia (not participating in all events), as well as the European Union. The hallmark of the G8 is an annual economic and political summit of the heads of government with international officials, though there are numerous subsidiary meetings and policy research.
Activities of the G8?
Under the auspices of G7 a special program for the implementation of the Information Society was established in 1994. The primary purpose of the G7 now is as an annual meeting of the financial ministers of those countries, as well as officials from the European Community, held preceding the weekend of the IMF/World Bank annual fall meetings. This meeting is now also known as the G8 Finance Ministers Meeting.
The
G8 also annually met as a summit of the heads of state until 1998, when it
became, with the addition of Russia, the G8. Annual summits of the heads of
state of the G6 began in 1975 and continued as Canada and Russia joined. G7 Head
of State summits rotate annually through member countries, with that nation's
leader serving as an informal chairman of the group. The annual summits are
often the focus of anti-globalization movement protests.
 |  |  |  |
| Canada Paul Martin | Jacques Chirac France | Germany Gerhard Schr�der | Italy Silvio Berlusconi |
 |  |  |  |
| Japan Junichiro Koizumi | Russia Vladimir Putin | United Kingdom Tony Blair |
United States |
2005 G8 Summit
July 6-8th, Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, UK
G8 Leaders Attending
Canada�Paul Martin
France�Jacques Chirac
Germany�Gerhard Schr�der
Italy�Silvio Berlusconi
Japan�Junichiro Koizumi
Russia �Vladimir Putin
United Kingdom�Tony Blair
United States�George W. Bush
European Union�President of the European Council, President of the European Commission and President of the European Parliament
What is the G8 focusing on Africa in 2005?
Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region of the world that has got poorer in the last generation. Its share of world trade halved between 1980 and 2002. It makes up 13% of the world�s population and 28% of world poverty. Sub-Saharan Africa bears the brunt of the world�s AIDS epidemic. To date 13 million men, women and children have died of AIDS, and 26 million are now living with the virus. Nigeria alone is home to 10% of the world�s total number of people living with HIV and AIDS. Maternal and child mortality rates have increased, and a woman has a one in 13 chance of dying during pregnancy or childbirth. These challenges represent a compelling call for international cooperation to support the continent's efforts to achieve lasting progress.
In 2000, the international community set itself eight goals to achieve by 2015. The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) include targets on eradicating extreme poverty, combating HIV and AIDS and malaria, and ensuring that every child receives primary education. The UN Millennium Review Summit in 2005 will consider progress towards the MDGs. G8 members already know they need to do much more to meet the MDGs in Sub-Saharan Africa.