Presidency begins on January 1

UK launches G8 website

UK launches G8 website

The official website of the UK’s presidency of the G8 has gone live today.

The site aims to keep the media, public and local residences informed about the plans, security and major news arising in the summit.

As such it features a range of information both on the history of the G8, its location at Gleneagles, Perthshire, Scotland and the UK’s aims for its presidency.

Tony Blair has already said his key aims for the summit will be action on Africa and climate change.

In his opening address on the site, the Prime Minister said: “Africa is a wonderful, diverse continent with an extraordinary, energetic and resilient people. But it is also plagued with problems so serious that no continent could tackle them on its own. The world, rightly, looks to the G8 to agree on ways to take this forward.

“Climate change is a global problem that needs addressing now for the sake of future generations. The science is well established and the dangers clear. It is crucial to every country in the world that we establish a consensus now on the nature of the problem and what actions we can take. Again it is the world’s richer, industrialised countries – the G8 – that have to take the lead.”

In addition, the heads of state will also discuss counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation and the Middle East peace process.

The G8 is made up of the world’s richest countries – the UK, US, Japan, France, Germany, Russia, Italy and Canada.

View the G8 site