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Design of the Summit

The following is an introduction to the design of the G8 Summit in Kananaskis. Topics discussed include:

• Canadian Host Responsibilities
• Retreat-Style Summit Design
• Role of the Sherpas
• Order of Precedence for Leaders

Canadian Host Responsibilities

The Chair of the G8 rotates annually among the seven original members: France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada. While the European Union and Russia participate in G8 meetings, they do not host Summits.

For 2002, Canada is the Chair of the G8. With this position, Canada is responsible for the following:

• Organizing and hosting the Summit
• Speaking on behalf of the G8
• Engaging non-G8 nations and other international organizations
• Organizing meetings prior to the Summit where potential issues are discussed

Retreat-Style Summit Design

Past Summits have generally been three days long and full of ceremony, pageantry and photo opportunities. The Summits usually end with a pre-negotiated Communiqué that summarizes the accomplishments of the three-day event.

In Kananaskis, Canada has organized a streamlined, retreat-style Summit. Design changes to the Summit include:

• Locating the Summit in the remote, mountainous region of Kananaskis, Alberta.
• Limiting the size of delegations to no more than 25 persons per country (in the past, some countries have brought up to 300 persons).
• Reducing the length of the Summit to one and a half days (beginning at noon Wednesday and ending at 6:00 p.m. Thursday).
• Replacing the traditional pre-negotiated Communiqué with a two-page Chair’s Statement that is composed on the spot.

In designing the Kananaskis Summit as a retreat-style meeting, Canada wants the Summit to return to an intimate, straightforward meeting aimed at producing results. As Canadian spokesman Duncan Fulton stated, “It is in keeping with the Prime Minister’s wish – and his discussions with other foreign leaders – to hold a smaller, retreat-style meeting where the leaders have a more intimate discussion on important issues.”

Other reasons for the Kananaskis Summit's particular design include:

• Limiting violent clashes between protesters and security (which plagued the 2001 G8 Summit in Genoa and the WTO meeting in Seattle).
• Limiting the vulnerability of leaders to terrorist attacks during the Summit.

Role of Sherpas

G8 Sherpas are personal representatives of leaders at the G8 Summit. The word “sherpas” refers to Himalayan porters who aid in the climbing of mountain summits. Like their mountaineering counterparts, G8 Sherpas help to reach a successful G8 Summit.

The responsibilities of G8 Sherpas include:

• Attending several meetings in advance of the Summit to discuss potential agenda issues.
• Overseeing the implementation of G8 commitments after the Summit.

Ambassador Robert R. Fowler is Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s Sherpa for the Kananaskis Summit. Ambassador Fowler is also the Prime Minister’s Personal Representative for Africa at the Summit.

Order of Precedence for Leaders

The order of precedence is a diplomatic observance that ranks each leader attending the Summit. The order of precedence determines the seating plan for sessions and meals, as well as the position of leaders for the official photograph.

The order of precedence in Kananaskis is determined in the following manner:

• The Host of the Summit has the highest precedence.
• Leaders of G8 nations have precedence over leaders of the European Union.
• Leaders that are Heads of State have precedence over Heads of Government.
• Within the Heads of State and Heads of Government categories, leaders are ranked according to how long they have been in office.

At the Kananaskis Summit, the order of precedence is as follows:

At the Kananaskis Summit, seating arrangements follow the order of precedence. The Summit Host sits at the head of the table, with the other leaders alternating in a right-to-left pattern according to their rank.

The position of the leaders in the official Summit photograph also follows the order of precedence. The Summit Host is in the center of the photograph, with the other leaders flanking in an alternating right-left pattern.

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Agenda Issues of the Summit

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