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Kyushu-Okinawa Summit 2000
Outline of Kyushu-Okinawa Summit Meeting

Overview and provisional evaluation of the G8 Summit Meeting

July 2000
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Kyushu-Okinawa Summit was held in Okinawa from 21-23 July. Lively discussion was held among leaders under the theme of what the G8 should do in order to achieve greater prosperity and deeper peace of mind, and greater stability as we look toward the 21st century. Based on these discussions four documents were issued: G8 Communiqué Okinawa 2000; Okinawa Charter on Global Information Society, G8 Statement on Regional Issues; and G8 Statement on Korean Peninsula. (A G7 meeting was also held before the G8 Summit, and the G7 Statement was issued.)

1. Overview

A. Greater Prosperity

Information and Communications Technology (IT)

  • The Okinawa Charter on Global Information Society was issued. The Charter calls for global participation in utilizing digital opportunities and bridging the digital divide.
  • Launch of the Digital Opportunities Taskforce (dot force) The taskforce will report to the next Summit on action to bridge the digital divide.

Development

(A)Infectious Diseases

  • Agreement regarding HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, to set specific targets and reinforce efforts in combating these diseases.
  • Japan's assistance measures were announced. Other G8 countries agreed to strengthen assistance.
  • In the autumn, a conference bringing together governments (including those of developing countries), civil society and international organizations will be held in Japan for the purpose of discussing specific measures.

(B) Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs)

  • The G8 agreed that there is a need to accelerate the implementation of the Enhanced HIPC Initiative. It was requested that the necessary funds be contributed while giving due consideration to fair burden sharing.
  • The G8 requests that the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) review strengthened measures to ensure that export credits for HIPCs and low-income countries are not used for military purposes and other non-productive purposes.
  • The untying of ODA for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) will be carried out based on a fair burden sharing mechanism. Those donor countries with low levels of untying ODA were urged to improve their efforts.

Trade

  • The G8 agreed to strengthen support to enable developing countries to enjoy greater benefits from the multilateral trading system embodied by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and to enhance G8 efforts regarding the launching of a new round of WTO trade negotiations with ambitious, balanced and inclusive agenda during the course of this year.

Cultural Diversity

  • The message that cultural diversity is a source of social and economic dynamism was incorporated in the Communiqué.
  • Such elements as the promotion of the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, IT utilization and cultural interaction were also incorporated.

B. Peace of Mind

Crime and Drugs

  • Each country affirmed its support for the establishment of an effective legal framework against transnational organized crime (TOC), an issue that is becoming more serious amid the progress of globalization.
  • It was agreed that the second High-level Meeting on High-tech Crime will be held in Japan at the beginning of next year.
  • It was agreed that an ad hoc meeting of drugs experts will be convened.

Life Science

(A) Biotechnology/Food Safety

  • The G8 shared an understanding on the promotion of a science-based approach and dialogue among stakeholders, including developing countries and civil society. A future direction toward a global consensus was demonstrated.

(B)Human Genome

  • The G8 encouraged cooperation regarding the broad harmonization of patenting policies of biotechnological inventions.

Environment

  • The G8 reaffirmed its firm resolve to cooperate with a view to early entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol and showed its determination to achieve a successful outcome at the Sixth Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP6).
  • The launch of a Task Force on renewable energy was decided. This Task Force will prepare its report for next year's Summit.
  • The G8 reaffirmed the importance of measures for combating illegal logging, including both export and procurement practices.

C. Greater World Stability

Regional Issues

G8 Statement on Korean Peninsula

  • A statement on the situation in the Korean Peninsula was issued separately from the G8 Statement on Regional Issues. The G8 fully supported the positive developments set in train by the South-North summit meeting, and a firm posture toward securing stability in Northeast Asia as a whole.

G8 Statement on Regional Issues

  • The Camp David Middle East Peace Talks were supported and the importance of G8 cooperation regarding the situations in South Asia, the Balkans, Africa and Cyprus was reaffirmed.

Global Issues

  • The G8 reaffirmed the importance of a "Culture of Prevention" and presented specific measures in fields such as the illicit trade in diamonds and small arms and light weapons. G8 Foreign Ministers are to examine further G8 measures in this regard.
  • The G8 reaffirmed its commitment to actively tackle the issues of disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control, and agreed to continue efforts to maintain and reinforce the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime, to promote the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and to commence immediately negotiations for the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty.

D. Other

  • It was determined that a leaders e-mail network be created.
  • It was stated in the preamble that reforms of the United Nations, including the Security Council, are indispensable.

2. Provisional Evaluation

(1) At this Summit, which was held on the eve of the 21st century, it was felt that it is important to identify the issues facing humankind toward the 21st century. From the viewpoint of greater prosperity, deeper peace of mind and greater stability, lively exchanges of views were carried out among the leaders. In particular, IT was considered the key to prosperity in the 21st century. It was particularly significant that the Okinawa Charter indicated the future direction for the G8 and the international community regarding the actions which enable all the people of the world to utilize the opportunities offered by IT. In addition to the $15 billion assistance measures in the area of IT, Japan announced it would use $3 billion over five years to combat infectious diseases, which can pose a major obstacle to the development of developing countries looking toward the 21st century. These measures, which urge other G8 members to follow suit, were highly appreciated. Furthermore, in exploring future orientation on food safety, an issue over which there have been differences between the United States and Europe, Japan played the important role of mediator.

(2) As befits a Summit held in the landmark year of 2000, this year's Summit also became a forum for a review of the G8's role until now and discussion over its role looking toward the 21st century. Amid rapid globalization, Japan feels that, in order for to G8 to continue to fulfill its important role toward the benefit of the entire world into the future amid rapid globalization, it is extremely important in particular to further strengthen its partnerships with non-G8 countries, international organizations and NGOs. Based on this idea, Japan worked to strengthen dialogue through a variety of opportunities, including direct dialogue with leaders of developing countries and representatives of international organizations in Tokyo immediately before the G8 Summit. Each leader highly regarded this initiative by Japan and shared the perception that this kind of effort should continue to be strengthened.

(3) This Summit was the first to be held in Asia since 1993. Japan actively held dialogue with other Asian countries in order to have the Asian viewpoint reflected at the Summit. The results of these efforts were fully reflected in the Communiqué. Moreover, the fact that a separate statement on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, an issue that has particular importance for Japan's national security, was issued, has deep significance for Japan's policies in East Asia.

(4) In Okinawa, the stage for this year's Summit, a heartwarming welcome from the city of Nago, where the Summit was held, and all over the rest of the prefecture, was in evidence, and all of the leaders expressed their deepest gratitude. The image of Okinawa was introduced throughout the world, by the Japanese and foreign mass media and the prefecture's desire to draw the eyes of world to Okinawa and show the heart of Okinawa to the world through this Summit was realized perfectly.

(5) Finally, it was truly fortunate that all events were carried out free of such ills as typhoons, terrorists and food safety accidents. The Summit can be evaluated as the fruit of united cooperation among the Government of Japan, Okinawa Prefecture and the private sector.

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