2016 international leaders meeting
The
42nd G7 summit
was held on 26?27 May 2016 at the Shima Kanko Hotel in
Kashiko Island
,
Shima
,
Mie Prefecture
, Japan.
[1]
[2]
In March 2014, the
G7
declared that a meaningful discussion was currently not possible with Russia in the context of the
G8
. Since then, meetings have continued within the G7 process.
Host selection
[
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]
Eight Japanese cities bid to host the 42nd G7 summit in 2016. Prime Minister
Shinz? Abe
announced on 5 June 2015 that
Shima
in
Mie Prefecture
was selected against other bids from
Hiroshima
,
Kobe
,
Nagoya
,
Sendai
,
Niigata
,
Karuizawa
, and
Hamamatsu
.
[3]
[4]
When the central government's deadline closed in August 2014 for prefectural governors to apply to host the summit, Mie Prefecture was not in the running. A member of the Prime Minister's Office actually contacted the governor of Mie Prefecture in December 2014, encouraging him to submit a bid. Mie Prefecture was subsequently declared a candidate on 21 January 2015.
Ise Grand Shrine
had an advantage in terms of security, as it has regularly hosted visits by both the
Imperial family
and Japanese political leaders. Another plus was its location in close proximity to
Ch?bu Centrair International Airport
in the
Aichi Prefecture
, offering easy access to visitors. Moreover, Prime Minister Abe had long had a fascination with Ise Shrine. Abe visits the shrine every year after New Year's holiday, and has even been known to postpone meetings so that he could attend a ceremony held at the shrine.
[5]
Leaders at the summit
[
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]
The attendees will include the leaders of the seven G7 member states as well as representatives of the
European Union
. The
President of the European Commission
is a permanently welcome participant in all meetings and decision-making since 1981.
The 42nd G7 summit was the first summit for
Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau
. It was also the final summit for
British Prime Minister
David Cameron
,
French President
Francois Hollande
,
Italian Prime Minister
Matteo Renzi
, and
US President
Barack Obama
.
Participants
[
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]
Meeting session on 26 May 2016
Agenda
[
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]
The Japanese G7 presidency announced the following agenda:
[6]
Global economy and trade
[
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]
The G7 leaders aim to address challenges affecting the growth of the
world economy
, like slowdowns in
emerging markets
and drops in the
price of oil
.
The G7 also issued a warning in the wake of
the upcoming referendum
on the United Kingdom's membership of the
European Union
that "a UK exit from the EU would reverse the trend towards greater global trade and investment, and the jobs they create and is a further serious risk to growth".
[7]
Commitment to an
EU?Japan Free Trade Agreement
? which would mean the elimination of the vast majority of trade tariffs, and boost imports and exports in key areas such as agriculture, car manufacturing and clothing,
[8]
and which the
British government
alleges "will be worth the equivalent of £200 for every household" ? was solidified, with a possible signing in autumn.
[9]
Cameron also claimed that the deal, alongside the highly unpopular
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
(TTIP) and the
Trans Pacific Partnership
(TPP), would boost the world economy by £340bn.
[10]
Despite this, in the wake of the
Panama Papers
, an editorial by
Oxfam Canada
titled "G7 sides with tax dodgers" criticised the G7's commitment to free trade; the editorial said:
G7 leaders have sided with the tax dodgers and not the public. Despite all the talk of action, the G7 have missed this opportunity to end the destructive era of
tax havens
, and the world's
poorest people
? especially women and girls, will pay the price."
[11]
Foreign policy
[
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]
The G7 leaders aim to discuss current
foreign policy
issues like
counterterrorism
, conflicts in the Middle East, the
Ukrainian crisis
,
North Korea's nuclear program
, and the
territorial disputes in the South China Sea
.
Climate change and energy
[
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]
The G7 leaders will discuss "how to lead the overall efforts of the international community in
addressing climate change
" following the signing of the
Paris Agreement
in April. The leaders will also discuss their leading role in
energy policy
and ensuring
energy security
.
Development
[
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]
As the first G7 summit following the adoption of the
Sustainable Development Goals
in September 2015, the G7 leaders will discuss advancing and promoting the Goals.
Quality infrastructure investment
[
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]
The G7 leaders will discuss the importance of
quality infrastructure
investment contributing to
sustainable development
.
Health
[
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]
The G7 leaders will discuss strengthening the response to widespread
epidemics
"by taking into account the lessons learned from previous outbreaks" like the
Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa
. They will also discuss the promotion of
universal health care
.
Women
[
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]
The G7 leaders will discuss the promotion of
women's empowerment
in education, science and technology, and in a wider range of areas.
Gallery of participating leaders
[
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]
Invited guests
[
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]
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]
34°18′30″N
136°49′7″E
/
34.30833°N 136.81861°E
/
34.30833; 136.81861
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G6
(1975)
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G7
(1976?1996)
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G8
(1997?2013)
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G7
(2014?present)
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