Conferences & Events: the G8 Summit
Accomplishing freshwater sustainability, starting with the G8 Summit
G8 2006
In 1975, the leaders of Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Italy came together for an informal gathering at the chateau of Rambouillet, near Paris. The idea was for the six to discuss current world issues (dominated at the time by the oil crisis) in a frank and informal manner. There was to be no army of advisers, just the leaders in a relaxed and private setting.
Following the Rambouillet summit, these meetings became an annual event, with the inclusion of Canada as the 7th member of the group at the 1976 summit in Puerto Rico.
The work of the group has evolved over the years in reaction to changing needs and political context. What started as a forum focusing on essentially fine tuning of short term economic policies among participant countries has now turned to a more structural and global perspective and has added a wide range of political and social issues to its workload, especially in the area of sustainable development and global health. The group's informal nature has allowed it to evolve while remaining effective and relevant.
The group remained at 7 members until Russia, who had attended the meetings as an observer throughout the 1990s, was invited to formalise this relationship in 1997. The first G8 summit subsequently took place in 1998.
The G8 has no secretariat and no formal rules of procedure. The member of the group whose turn it is to act as chair hosts and organises the summit, acts as the spokesman for the group during the year, co-ordinates the work of the G8 working groups and is responsible for engaging NGOs, international financial institutions and other sectors of civil society in the group's work.
