From G7 to G8: The Agenda of the Summit

From G7 To G8:
Evolution, Role and Documentation of a Unique Institution

Peter I. Hajnal

April 1998

The Agenda of the Summit

As for the agenda of the G7/G8 summit, macroeconomic policy co-ordination, international trade and North-South relations have been issues of concern from the beginning. East-West economic issues, energy and terrorism have also been recurrent preoccupations. Later additions have included microeconomic topics such as employment and the global information infrastructure; other global, transnational issues such as the environment, crime, drugs, and AIDS; and political and security issues such as human rights, migration, regional security, arms control, terrorism, and nuclear safety.

The main topics at Rambouillet in 1975 were inflation, exchange rates, economic growth, oil prices and supplies, unemployment, and trade including the Tokyo Round of GATT negotiations. The final communiqué--known as the Declaration of Rambouillet--reflected these concerns. The San Juan Summit in 1976 added to the agenda balance-of-payments problems and reaffirmed the G7 commitment to the completion of the Tokyo Round. Energy, especially the use of nuclear energy, and North-South relations were added to the summit agenda in London in 1977. The key issues of the 1978 Bonn Summit were economic growth, energy, and trade. A non-economic issue, aircraft hijacking, entered the agenda as well.

Energy was the paramount concern of Tokyo I in 1979. The final communique' included specific undertakings by summit countries to curb their oil imports. Hijackings and Indochinese refugees were also discussed. Energy continued to be at the top of the agenda in Venice in 1980, with Afghanistan and the occupation of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran as additional issues. The 1981 Ottawa Summit (also known as the Summit of Montebello where, in the "world's largest log cabin,"the delegations held their meetings away from the media waiting for news in Ottawa and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, as summit chair, flew back to Ottawa by helicopter to brief journalists following each afternoon session) discussed the usual economic issues, along with aid to developing countries, East-West economic relations, and terrorism. The Versailles Summit of 1982 reviewed the whole gamut of economic concerns, concentrating on East-West trade and setting the stage for more effective multilateral surveillance of monetary policies and exchange rates, to be co-ordinated by the IMF. The Israeli invasion of Lebanon also received attention. At Williamsburg, Virginia in 1983 the summit participants discussed the usual economic issues, including the growing debt crisis, but the principal subject was arms control and the stationing of U.S. cruise and Pershing II missiles in Europe, reflected in the political declaration. Debt was again a central concern at "London II" in 1984. Democratic values, terrorism, East-West security relations, and the Iran-Iraq conflict were discussed as well.

The most important issue at Bonn in 1985 was trade, but that summit failed to agree on a starting date for the Uruguay Round of multilateral negotiations, thereby earning the lowest mark in Robert D. Putnam and Nicholas Bayne's ranking of summits by result. ₆₄ Bonn II was, however, notable for introducing the topic of the environment to the summit agenda. It also commemorated the fortieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. "Tokyo II" in 1986, considered to be one of the more successful summits, called for an overhaul of agricultural policies of summit countries, established the Group of Seven finance ministers, and agreed to launch (through GATT) the Uruguay Round. Action against terrorism--following the U.S. raid on Libya--was a key issue of Tokyo II which also concerned itself with the Chernobyl nuclear-reactor accident. Terrorism, the Iran-Iraq war, AIDS, and narcotic drugs were the non-economic agenda items in Venice in 1987.

The 1988 Toronto Summit produced the so-called "Toronto terms" for relieving the debt burden of the poorest developing countries. ₆₅₆ Toronto also reaffirmed the Uruguay Round, and dealt with the Middle East, South Africa and Cambodia. Debt relief also played an important part in the "Summit of the Arch" of 1989, with the adoption of the Brady Plan. Other topics included the environment, the strengthening of GATT, and economic efficiency, as well as human rights, China and the Tiananmen Square massacre, democratization in Eastern and Central Europe and help for that region, money laundering, and terrorism.

The 1990 Houston Summit addressed not only the usual range of economic issues but also a number of specific environmental problems; democratization in Europe and elsewhere in the world; Soviet economic reforms; liberalization of export controls; drug abuse; and the non-proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. The most contentious issues at Houston were agricultural trade subsidies, aid to the Soviet Union, and global warming or climate change.

Help for the USSR (involving a post-summit meeting with Gorbachev) was the main preoccupation of the London Summit of 1991 which had as its official theme "building world partnership and strengthening the international order". British Prime Minister John Major, the host leader, highlighted eight particular achievements: proposals to strengthen the UN in the areas of peace-keeping, peace-making, and response to emergencies; proposals to ensure better regulation and control of conventional arms sales by means of a UN arms register; commitment to sustained economic recovery and price stability; personal commitment of the leaders to work for the conclusion of the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations by the end of 1991; ₆₆ support for political and economic reform in Central and East European countries; financial and technical assistance to developing countries, including debt relief to the poorest, beyond the Toronto terms; support for the June 1992 UNCED; and stepping up the fight against drug abuse and drug trafficking. ₆₇

The theme of the 1992 Munich Summit, reflected in the title of the final communique', was "working together for growth and a safer world." The communique' noted the end of the East-West conflict and the spirit of partnership of the former antagonists. It covered the world economy, with the usual subjects of growth, interest rates, unemployment, and trade, and another boost (but on a lower key than in the previous two summits) for the stalled Uruguay Round. It praised the Earth Summit as a landmark event; welcomed progress and noted problems in developing countries; and devoted special sections to Central and Eastern Europe, the new independent states of the former Soviet Union, and the problems of safety of nuclear power plants in those two parts of the world. In addition, the leaders at Munich concentrated on specific economic, political and security areas of the new partnership with Central and Eastern European countries and the new independent states of the former Soviet Union, nuclear non-proliferation, and the further strengthening of the UN.

"Tokyo III" of 1993 set out as its main economic theme "a strengthened commitment to jobs and growth." The final communique' addressed problems of the world economy, especially the level of unemployment and insufficient economic growth. The communiqué incorporated various economic commitments by the Seven, although these were "soft" rather than "hard," specific commitments. The document also confirmed a $3 billion fund to aid Russian privatization. Perhaps the major achievement was the agreement (actually reached on the eve of Tokyo III by the U.S., Canada, Japan, and the EC trade ministers' quadrilateral meeting) on market access to manufactured goods--an agreement that proved to be a catalyst for the completion of the stalled Uruguay Round. Concerning those negotiations, the communiqué again states: "our highest priority is a successful conclusion to the Uruguay Round." (The deadline for the completion of the Uruguay Round was finally met by the end of 1993.)

The involvement of Russia in the P8 (discussed above) was the most important issue for the 1994 Naples Summit. The rest of the Naples agenda included jobs and economic growth; trade, including a call for ratification of the Uruguay Round agreements and the establishment of the WTO by January 1, 1995 (this indeed took place by the new deadline); the environment; progress in developing countries; nuclear safety in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union; the economic and security situation in Ukraine, and aid to that country; political and economic reform in Russia; countries in transition, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe; and transnational crime and money laundering. All these issues were reflected in the Naples communiqué, this time actually called the "Summit Communiqué". The communiqué included--at Canada's initiative--a call for a conference on Ukraine. The conference took place in Winnipeg in October 1994. The Naples communique' also provided for the development of a worldwide information infrastructure, or Global Information Society. A follow-up ministerial conference on that topic met in Brussels in February 1995. ₆₈ As noted earlier, a wider "Information Society and Development Conference" met in Midrand, South Africa in May 1996.

The Naples Summit set out the centerpiece of the agenda for the following year's Halifax Summit; namely, the role of international financial and economic institutions. The communique' defined the question as follows: "What framework of institutions will be required to meet these challenges [sustainable development with good prosperity and wellbeing of the peoples ... of the world] in the 21st century? How can we adapt existing institutions and build new institutions to ensure the future prosperity and security of our people? " ₆₉ Further, the leaders in Naples forecast "an even more flexible and less formal summit" in Halifax. ₇₀ Writing on the eve of the 1995 Halifax Summit, Bayne and Putnam stated that "inaugurating a review of the international system ... is intended to give new momentum to the summit process as it enters its fourth seven-year cycle. ₇₁

Participants and many observers of the Halifax Summit agree that its objectives were largely achieved: the leaders had more time for informal, unstructured discussion than they had had for many years, and the centrality of the reform of international institutions was evident in the deliberations and documentation. The review of international institutions (the Bretton Woods institutions and the UN system in general--especially the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UN Industrial Development Organization--as well as the regional development banks) was the main item on the agenda, but Halifax also dealt with growth and employment, strengthening the global economy, creating opportunities through open markets, economies in transition, and nuclear safety. ₇₂ A separate background document set out details of the desired review of international financial institutions, incorporating a number of specific proposals and including a call for coordination among the WTO, the IMF, the World Bank, the OECD, and trade-related UN bodies. ₇₃ The political agenda at Halifax ranged from Bosnia and the Israeli-Palestinian agreement through North Korea and Rwanda to the role of the UN and the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe.

The main theme of the 1996 Lyon Summit, set out in the title of the communique', was "making a success of globalization for the benefit of all." The G7 communique' noted the pervasiveness of globalization with the resultant expansion of prosperity as well as the challenges that globalization posed to societies and economies, and the need for increased international cooperation. The Lyon agenda included the strengthening of economic and monetary cooperation; non-inflationary growth; the growth of trade and investment; problems of employment and unemployment; global partnership of developing countries, developed countries and multilateral institutions; the provision of multilateral support for development; and the integration of Russia and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe into the world economy. Building on the Halifax initiatives of the previous year, the Lyon Summit called for enhancing the effectiveness of the UN, the international financial institutions, the regional development banks, and the WTO.

The political and global-issue agenda of the Lyon Summit centered on security and stability, and encompassed the strengthening and further reform of the UN system; human rights, democratization, and humanitarian emergencies; nonproliferation of weapons, arms control and disarmament; nuclear safety and security; environmental protection; the information society; the "Human Frontier Science Program,: HIVIAIDS and other infectious diseases; illegal drugs; transnational organized crime; regional security and stability in various parts of the world including Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Iran, Iraq, Libya, and the two Koreas.

The 1997 Denver Summit of the Eight had on its agenda a number of economic and social issues including globalization and its effects, the problem of aging populations, and the potential and problems of small and medium-size enterprises. Global issues discussed ranged from environmental topics (climate change, forests, access to fresh water, the protection of oceans, environmental standards for export credit agencies, children's environmental health, and international environmental institutions, including the role of the special UN General Assembly session on the fifth anniversary of UNCED) to infectious diseases; nuclear safety; transnational organized crime; illicit drugs; terrorism; UN reform; and a partnership for development in Africa. Political issues of concern at Denver were the growth of democracy and the protection of human rights; nuclear nonproliferation, arms control and disarmament; and potential or actual problem areas (Hong Kong, the Middle East, Cyprus, and Albania).

Several observers have noted that the Denver Summit of the Eight was not one of the more successful summits. Bayne, for example, stated that "Denver was a summit of promise rather than achievement, more interesting for what it started than what it completed." He sees greater Russian involvement as a positive development and the treatment of Africa as a useful innovation. ₇₄

At the time of this writing, the British hosts of the 1998 Birmingham G8 Summit are preparing a well-focused agenda, centering on three themes: employability and growth, transnational crime, and the global economic situation. The last item will likely highlight economic and political implications of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and the situation--especially the debt burden--of the poorest of the poor countries, particularly in Africa. ₇₅ Global poverty and nuclear reactor safety in Ukraine are other probable agenda items. Kirton forecasts the additional topics of reform of international financial institutions and, possibly, the financial crisis in Ukraine. ₇₆

Notes:

Note 64: Hanging Together: Cooperation and Conflict in the Seven-Power Summits, rev. ed., Table 11.1, p. 270. Back.

Note 65: The "Toronto terms" called for a one-third reduction of the official debt (debt owed to governments) of the poorest developing countries. Back.

Note 66: Despite this "personal commitment," the Uruguay Round was concluded successfully and ratified only at the end of 1994. Back.

Note 67: Based on "Transcript of Press Conference Given by the Prime Minister, Mr. John Major, at the Economic Summit in London on Wednesday, 17 July 1991" (unpublished; released at the London Economic Summit, 17 July 1991). Back.

Note 68: Naples Summit Communique (July 9, 1994), p. 2. In United States, Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, US Department of State Dispatch 5, Supplement No. 6 (July 1994), 4-6. See also URL: www.library.utoronto.ca/www/g7/94com.htm. Back.

Note 69: Naples Summit Communique, p. 1. In United States, Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, US Department of State Dispatch, Vol. 5, Supplement No. 6 (July 1994), p. 4-6. See also URL: www.library.utoronto.ca/www/g7/94com.htm. Back.

Note 70: Naples Summit Communique, p. 9. In United States, Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, US Department of State Dispatch (July 1994), pp. 4-6. See also URL: www. library. utoronto. ca/www/g7/94com. htm. Back.

Note 71: Nicholas Bayne and Robert D. Putnam, "Introduction: The G-7 Summit Comes of Age", 4. Back.

Note 72: Halifax Summit Communique, June 16, 1995. In United States, Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, US Department of State Dispatch 6, Supplement 4 (July 1995), 5-9. See also URL: www.library.utoronto.ca/www/g7/9shalifax.htm. Back.

Note 73: The Halifax Summit Review of International Financial Institutions; Background Document, June 16, 1995. URL: www. library. utoronto. ca/www/g7 / 9sfinance.htm. Back.

Note 74: Nicholas Bayne, Impressions of the Denver Summit (Toronto, University of Toronto G7 Research Group, 22 June 1997). URL: www. library.utoronto.ca/www/g7/evaluations/forepol .htm. Back.

Note 75: "The Birmingham G8 Summit: Changing the Style," Great Britain, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, [Birmingham G8 Summit Web Site] URL: birmingham.g8summit.gov.uk/. Back.

Note 76: John J. Kirton and Eleonore Kokotsis, "Revitalizing the G-7: Prospects for the 1998 Birmingham Summit of the Eight," International Journal 53, No. 1 (Winter 1997/1998). Back.