The Junior 8 Summit (J8)

The Junior 8 Summit, or J8, is an annual forum that takes place in parallel with the G8 Summit, involving youngsters aged 14 to 17 hailing from all over the world.
Boys and girls chosen to represent G8 member Sates and other emerging and developing countries address the same issues as those on the Summit agenda, working together on establishing shared goals, and drafting statements and recommendations for the Leaders. It is a fine example of governance based on shouldering the rights and duties of citizenship, the very foundation stone on which democracy is built.
The youngsters taking part in the J8 are chosen by the UNICEF National Committees in the G8 member countries. Each country is responsible for its own team and follows its own procedure, while complying with the principle of transparency and with such criteria as gender parity and knowledge of English. In Italy the Education, University and Research Ministry, working in conjunction with UNICEF, is entrusted with choosing the team. The competition for places on the 2009 J8 team is due to kick off in the next few months.

The J8 first met in 2006 on the sidelines of the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg and meetings have been held every year since then. There were 39 J8 delegates at the Summit in Toyako, Japan. Their comments and recommendations on climate change, health, poverty and development were enshrined in the Chitose Declaration and in the Young People Action Plan that accompanied it.
This opportunity to reach shared decisions and to establish a common strategy in a framework based on intercultural debate allows the girls and boys involved to build up an experience of lofty civic value.

Visit the official J8 Summit website