Editing G8 (section)

== Structure and activities ==
[[File:Ten leaders at G8 summit, 2013.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Leaders of the G8 on 18 June 2013, in [[Lough Erne]], Northern Ireland]]
By design, the G8 deliberately lacked an administrative structure like those for international organizations, such as the [[United Nations]] or the [[World Bank]]. The group does not have a permanent secretariat, or offices for its members.

The presidency of the group rotates annually among member countries, with each new term beginning on 1 January of the year. The rotation order is: France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia (suspended), Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/what_is_g8.html |title=What is the G8? |author=G8 Research Group |publisher=University of Toronto |access-date=8 March 2014 |archive-date=27 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127055741/http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/what_is_g8.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> The country holding the presidency is responsible for planning and hosting a series of ministerial-level meetings, leading up to a mid-year summit attended by the heads of government. The president of the European Commission participates as an equal in all summit events.<ref>[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)]]: [http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/economy/summit/2000/past_summit/table_e/index.html Summit Meetings in the Past]; [[European Union]]: [http://www.deljpn.ec.europa.eu/union/showpage_en_union.external.g8.php "EU and the G8"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070226165606/http://www.deljpn.ec.europa.eu/union/showpage_en_union.external.g8.php |date=26 February 2007 }}</ref>

The ministerial meetings bring together ministers responsible for various portfolios to discuss issues of mutual or global concern. The range of topics include health, law enforcement, labor, economic and social development, energy, environment, foreign affairs, justice and interior, terrorism, and trade. There are also a separate set of meetings known as the [[G8+5]], created during the 2005 [[Gleneagles, Scotland|Gleneagles]], Scotland summit, that is attended by finance and energy ministers from all eight member countries in addition to the five "outreach countries" which are also known as the [[Group of Five]]—[[Brazil]], [[People's Republic of China]], [[India]], [[Mexico]], and [[South Africa]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.groupoffive.org/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710013008/http://www.groupoffive.org/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 July 2009 |title=G5 Overview; Evolución del Grupo de los Cinco |publisher=Groupoffive.org |access-date=27 June 2010 }}</ref>

In June 2005, justice ministers and interior ministers from the G8 countries agreed to launch an international database on [[pedophile]]s.<ref name=pedophile>[http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,,1509107,00.html "G8 to launch international pedophile database"] David Batty 18 June 2005, ''[[The Guardian]]''</ref> The G8 officials also agreed to pool data on [[terrorism]], subject to restrictions by privacy and security laws in individual countries.<ref name=terrorismdata>[https://www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,,1509218,00.html "G8 to pool data on terrorism]" Martin Wainwright, 18 June 2005, ''[[The Guardian]]''</ref>

=== Global energy ===
{{Main|International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation|Climate Investment Funds}}
[[File:G8 leaders confer together.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|G8 leaders confer during the [[35th G8 summit|2009 summit]] in [[L'Aquila]] ([[Abruzzo]], Italy).]]

At the [[33rd G8 summit|Heiligendamm Summit]] in 2007, the G8 acknowledged a proposal from the EU for a worldwide initiative on [[efficient energy use]]. They agreed to explore, along with the [[International Energy Agency]], the most effective means to promote [[Efficient energy use|energy efficiency]] internationally. A year later, on 8 June 2008, the G8 along with China, India, South Korea and the [[European Community]] established the [[International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation]], at the Energy Ministerial meeting hosted by Japan holding 2008 G8 Presidency, in [[Aomori]].<ref>[http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/380&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=e The International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC).] 8 June 2008.</ref>

G8 Finance Ministers, whilst in preparation for the [[34th G8 summit|34th Summit of the G8 Heads of State and Government]] in [[Toyako, Hokkaido]], met on the 13 and 14 June 2008, in [[Osaka, Japan]]. They agreed to the "G8 Action Plan for Climate Change to Enhance the Engagement of Private and Public Financial Institutions". In closing, Ministers supported the launch of new [[Climate Investment Funds]] (CIFs) by the [[World Bank]], which will help existing efforts until a new framework under the [[UNFCCC]] is implemented after 2012. The UNFCCC is not on track to meeting any of its stated goals.<ref>{{cite news |title=G8 Finance Ministers Support Climate Investment Funds |url=http://climate-l.iisd.org/news/g8-finance-ministers-support-climate-investment-funds/ |newspaper=IISD – Climate Change Policy & Practice |date=14 June 2008 |access-date=3 March 2013 |archive-date=23 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323174704/http://climate-l.iisd.org/news/g8-finance-ministers-support-climate-investment-funds/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In July 2005, the G8 Summit endorsed the [[International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy|IPHE]] in its Plan of Action on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development, and identified it as a medium of cooperation and collaboration to develop clean energy technologies.

=== Annual summit ===
{{Main|Group of Seven#List of summits}}

The [[23rd G8 summit|first G8 summit]] was held in 1997 after Russia formally joined the G7 group, and the [[39th G8 summit|last one]] was held in 2013. The [[40th G7 summit|2014 summit]] was scheduled to be held in Russia. However, due to [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Crimea's annexation by the Russian Federation]], the other seven countries decided to hold a separate meeting without Russia as a G7 summit in Brussels, Belgium.

[[File:36th G8 summit member cropped 36th G8 summit member 20100625.jpg|thumb|right|The G8 leaders at the [[36th G8 summit|36th summit]] in [[Huntsville, Ontario]]. Left to right: [[David Cameron|Cameron]], [[Herman Van Rompuy|Van Rompuy]] ([[European Council]]), [[Stephen Harper|Harper]], [[Dmitry Medvedev|Medvedev]], [[Naoto Kan|Kan]], [[Silvio Berlusconi|Berlusconi]], [[Barack Obama|Obama]], [[José Manuel Barroso|Barroso]] ([[European Commission]]), [[Angela Merkel|Merkel]], [[Nicolas Sarkozy|Sarkozy]].]]