| 28th G8 Summit | |
|---|---|
28th G8 Summit Logo |
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| Summit details | |
| Host country | |
| Dates | June 26 – June 27, 2002 |
The 28th G8 Summit took place in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 26 and June 27, 2002.
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The Group of Seven (G7) was an unofficial forum which brought together the heads of the richest industrialized countries: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada starting in 1976. The G8, meeting for the first time in 1997, was formed with the addition of Russia.[1] In addition, the President of the European Commission has been formally included in summits since 1981.[2] The summits were not meant to be linked formally with wider international institutions; and in fact, a mild rebellion against the stiff formality of other international meetings was a part of the genesis of cooperation between France's President Giscard d'Estaing and West Germany's Chancellor Helmut Schmidt as they conceived the initial summit of the Group of Six (G6) in 1975.[3]
The G8 summits during the twenty-first century have inspired widespread debates, protests and demonstrations; and the two- or three-day event becomes more than the sum of its parts, elevating the participants, the issues and the venue as focal points for activist pressure.[4]
The G8 is an unofficial annual forum for the leaders of Canada, the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.[2]
These summit participants are the current "core members" of the international forum:[5]
| Core G8 members Host nation and leader are indicated in bold text. |
|||
| Member | Represented by | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Jean Chrétien [6] | Prime Minister | |
| France | Jacques Chirac [6] | President | |
| Germany | Gerhard Schröder [6] | Chancellor | |
| Italy | Silvio Berlusconi [6] | Prime Minister | |
| Japan | Junichiro Koizumi [6] | Prime Minister | |
| Russia | Vladimir Putin [6] | President | |
| United Kingdom | Tony Blair [6] | Prime Minister | |
| United States | George W. Bush [6] | President | |
| European Commission | Romano Prodi [7] | President | |
A number of national leaders were invited to attend the summit and to participate in some, but not all, G8 summit activities.
Leaders of major international organizations have been invited to attend in the past; and this practice was continued: The G8 summits have considered the President of the European Commission as a permanently welcome participant in all G8 meetings and decision-making since 1981.[2]
Traditionally, a host country of the G8 summit sets the agenda for negotiations, which take place primarily amongst multi-national civil servants in the weeks before the summit itself, leading to a joint declaration which all countries can agree to sign. The Presidency of the G8 is held by the leader of a current national government, whether it is a president, prime minister or chancellor (with Germany) of that particular G8 country. It lasts from January 1 to December 31 of such year.
The summit was intended as a venue for resolving differences among its members. As a practical matter, the summit was also conceived as an opportunity for its members to give each other mutual encouragement in the face of difficult economic decisions.[3]
The previous summit, the 27th G8 summit, in Genoa, Italy was the site of large anti-globalization protests and occasionally violent conflict between protesters and the police. In contrast to Genoa, most of the area near was closed to the public during the summit, and protesters were kept far away, mainly in Calgary. The protests were peaceful, attended by groups including the Raging Grannies.
Kananaskis was selected because of its isolated location. Security was augmented by F-18 jet fighters and helicopters which patrolled the skies non-stop; all major thoroughfares were closed, many of the shops in nearby Calgary were boarded up, and police reportedly outnumbered protesters six to one. It was the largest peacetime security operation in Canadian history.[8]
Security was very tight at the summit, costing taxpayers in excess of $200-million .[9] It attracted thousands of protesters and security was provided by 5,000 to 7,000 police and military officers.[10] This was the first G-8 summit held after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The 2002 conference is said to have pumped some $300-million into the Kananaskis economy;[9] but it could be just as accurate to say that the cost of the summit, not the benefit to the community, was $300 million.[8]
In response to and support of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the Kananaskis Summit produced an African Action Plan, which contained commitments on promoting peace and security; strengthening institutions and governance; fostering trade, economic growth and sustainable development; implementing debt relief; expanding knowledge; improving health and confronting HIV/AIDS; increasing agricultural productivity; and, improving water resource management.[11]
In the summit's final communique, one of the unexpected highlights was an announcement that Russia would become a true full member of the G8. This would be accomplished by allowing it to host its first G8 Summit, starting in 2006. Thus, the rotation of the G8 Presidency was changed, placing Russia between the United Kingdom and Germany.
For some, the G8 summit became a profit-generating event; as for example, the official G8 Summit magazines which have been published under the auspices of the host nations for distribution to all attendees since 1998.[12]
| Preceded by 27th G8 summit |
28th G8 summit 2002 Canada |
Succeeded by 29th G8 summit |