Group of Eight
The Group of Eight (G-8) is the premier political and economic summit for the world’s seven most industrialized nations
(Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and Russia. The heads of the represented
governments meet annually to work in a consensus-based format and forge multinational solutions to the globe's most pressing
problems. Unlike other international organizations such as the United Nations, the G-8 works in an informal manner without
an administrative structure. Each year the presidency of the group rotates among the member states and the annual summit is
hosted in that president’s country. Past summits have tackled a wide range of topics including terrorism, climate change,
global debt insecurity, and transnational disarmament.
The Group of Eight at HMCE
At HMCE, delegates will take the roles of the heads of the G-8 countries. But instead of playing specific heads of state,
delegates will play diplomats from their assigned country. Each country delegation will be made up of two to three diplomats.
All decisions made by the committee must be consensus based, meaning that each of the diplomats and all of the countries must
agree in order for resolutions to be effective. The goal of the G-8 at HMCE is to produce resolutions that all of the member
nations will fully commit to working towards.
For more details, see the 2009 Guide to the G8.
2009 Staff and Topics
Committee Chair:
JJ Snidow
Committee Vice-Chair:
Chris Coey
Topic 1:
Energy and Trade Policy (
Update)
Topic 2:
Foreign Aid to the Developing World (
Update)
Committee message board:
http://hmce.activeboard.com
Relevant Links
Use these links to research the role of the G8 in international relations and the issues currently facing this body.