"Issues on the G8 agenda, like poverty and the dangers of AIDS and global climate change, directly affect the lives of millions of children," said Merkel, current President of the G8.
The Junior 8 Summit, to be held in Wismar on 3-9 June 2007, is jointly organised by Unicef and the Morgan Stanley International Foundation. It gives young people the opportunity to discuss current world problems. More than seventy teenagers from the G8 states and from developing countries will deliberate in parallel with the G8 meeting in Heiligendamm.
J8 meets G8
At the end, the J8 drafts its own final communiqué. Then a member of the group gets a chance to discuss these conclusions with the Heads of State and Government.
J8 meetings were also held during the G8 Summits at Gleneagles in 2005 and St Petersburg in 2006.
Wide-Ranging Discussions
On the agenda for the J8 Summit 2007 will be:
- "Prospects for the African economy" – Why is poverty so widespread in Africa in particular? How can the chances of economic development be improved?
- "HIV and AIDS" – How can the disease be fought effectively?
- "New challenges facing the global economy – the protection of intellectual property and the social responsibilities of business" – How can firms protect their inventions against cheap copies? What are the implications of "copy protection" for the provision of life-saving medicines to the very poor – AIDS treatments for example?
- "Climate change and energy efficiency" – How can we cope with climate change and its consequences, save energy and make better use of reserves?