About > History > G8 Summit

(2000-2008) G8 Summit

The G8 is an informal forum where heads of state from: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK, and the US meet on an annual basis. The G8 Leadership rotates annually, with that year's president determining the agenda of the annual summit meeting. Informal in nature, the objective of the G8 is to provide an open forum to discuss significant issues of mutual concern.

The G8 has been increasingly engaged in global health issues during the last decade. First by working to support WHO and the broader UN system in raising additional financing for health, culminating in the creation of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and then by launching G8-related initiatives such as the G8 Africa Action Plan (pdf). The G8 has also recently been involved in specific interventions; the focus on the eradication of polio is one example of this.

During the last G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, June 6-8, 2007, G8 leaders met to discuss key issues ranging the spectrum from global politics to public health. Among the many topics of discussion at the G8, one of the key issues was the persistent problems in health systems strengthening, citing it as one of the key barriers to truly addressing the challenges set out in the MDGs. The G8 Summit provide the opportunity for Leaders to agree on and move forward on global health issues.

The next G8 Summit will take place in Hokkaido Toyako, Japan, July 7-9, 2008, and presents a unique opportunity for global health development partners to come together to discuss progress on the health-related MDGs, opportunities for increased harmonization, and broader mechanisms for strengthening health systems, all in the name of improved health outcomes and outputs.