Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2006
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3. Partnership and Collaboration with the International Community
(1) G8 Summit in Saint Petersburg 2006 (July 15-17)
The 32nd Summit meeting was held in Saint Petersburg, Russia between July 15 and 17, with Russia serving as the chair country for the first time.
At the Saint Petersburg Summit, the G8 leaders engaged in lively discussions on energy security, education, infectious diseases and trade. The Middle East was also a major focus of attention in light of the deteriorating situation in Lebanon immediately before the Summit. The G8 issued clear messages on North Korea, on the need to resolve such matters as the missiles, nuclear weapons and abduction issues.
Regarding the development issues, the G8 countries discussed issues such as energy accessibility of developing countries and agreed to further promote Education for All (EFA), the international framework for support of education to developing countries. In addition to measures against avian influenza, which is a global challenge that requires urgent response, the G8 also agreed to maintain efforts to strengthen measures against the three major infectious diseases; AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Furthermore, the G8 countries confirmed at this summit the status of their development assistance (particularly to Africa) and agreed to discuss the state of progress again at the 2007 Summit.
Based on the above discussions, the G8 issued, in addition to the Chair's Summary, documents on energy security, education, infectious diseases, trade, the fight against corruption, protecting intellectual property rights, the Africa Report, the Middle East, counter-terrorism, non-proliferation (including North Korea and Iran), and actions in stabilization and reconstruction. In response to the terrorist attacks in India, the G8, as well as the invited countries and international organizations, issued a Statement against Terrorism in Mumbai and Other Regions of India.
The G8 leaders engaged in dialogue with the invited countries and international organizations2 concerning energy security, infectious diseases, Africa, the global challenges to security issues (peace in the Middle East, Iran, North Korea, etc.), and trade (the WTO Doha Round negotiations).
In the dialogue, Russia, the G8 chair, reported the results of the summit (energy security, education, and infectious diseases), to the heads of the invited countries and international organizations and they expressed their views on the issues. These included an appreciation of Japan's support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and activities in the UNESCO.
The then Prime Minister Koizumi participating in G8 Saint Petersburg Summit (Photo: the Cabinet Public Relations Office)