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38th G8 summit facts for kids

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The 38th G8 summit was held at Camp David, Maryland in the United States on May 18-19, 2012. The summit venue was moved from Chicago to rural Maryland in March 2012.

History

The Camp David summit of the Group of Eight (G8) was the 38th meeting in a series which began in 1976.

Previous G8 summits have been hosted by the United States at San Juan, Puerto Rico (1976); Williamsburg, Virginia (1983); Houston, Texas, Denver, Colorado (1997) and Sea Island, Georgia.

The G8 and the summit are part of a consultation process. The G8 is not an international organization. It is an informal group.

Participants

The participants were the "core members" of the group:

Core G8 members
Host nation and leader are indicated in bold text.
Member Represented by Title
Canada Canada Stephen Harper Prime Minister
France France François Hollande President
Germany Germany Angela Merkel Chancellor
Italy Italy Mario Monti Prime Minister
Japan Japan Yoshihiko Noda Prime Minister
Russia Russia Dmitry Medvedev Prime Minister
United Kingdom United Kingdom David Cameron Prime Minister
United States United States Barack Obama President
European Union European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso President
European Council Herman Van Rompuy President

Invited leaders

G8 2012 WorkingLunch FoodSecurity
Food security was the focus of a working lunch with African leaders who were invited.

A number of national leaders are traditionally invited to attend the summit. They are asked to participate in some, but not all, G8 summit activities. The leaders of four African nations were invited by the US president:

The G8 leaders talked about making progress towards food security in Africa.

Others were invited, including:

  • Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Strive Masiyiwa, Chairman

Schedule and Agenda

Working dinner during G8 summit May 18, 2012
President Barack Obama hosts a working dinner on May 18. Seated clockwise from the President are: David Cameron, Dmitry Medvedev, Angela Merkel, Herman Van Rompuy, José Manuel Barroso, Yoshihiko Noda, Mario Monti, Stephen Harper and François Hollande.

The summit is intended as a venue for resolving differences among the G8 members.

Traditionally, the host country of the G8 summit sets the agenda.

Discussions at the 38th G8 summit included some issues from previous summits.

The G8 discussions included a range of topics, including

  • Energy
  • Afghanistan
  • Changes taking place across the Middle East and North Africa
  • Climate change
  • Food security
  • Greece in the euro zone
  • Iran’s nuclear energy plans
  • Nutrition

Protesters and demonstrations

Prohibited Area P-40 Camp David
Security in the region of the presidential home at Camp David is well established

Planners anticipated protest groups and other activists.

When the venue for the summit was changed from Chicago, a White House spokesman said security and the possibility of protests were not factors in the decision. Some protest groups took credit for the change of venue.

Business opportunity

For some, the G8 summit was a profit-generating event; as for example, the G8 Summit magazines which have been published since 1998.

Local businesses near Camp David are expecting more people in the area and profits because of the summit.

Related pages

  • University of Toronto: G8 Information Centre
  • US Dept. of State, G8 Summit 2012; Media Resources
  • Tourism Council of Frederick County Maryland, Camp David summit
  • Parliament.uk, Graphic shows G8 in context
Preceded by
37th G8 summit		 38th G8 summit
Camp David
2012		 Succeeded by
39th G8 summit


Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: 38.ª Cumbre del G8 para niños

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