Seven Keio University students participate in the “Youth Summit of the G8” in Saint Petersburg

The “Youth Summit of the G8” will be held from April 4th to 8th in St. Petersburg, Russia ahead of the 2006 G8 Summit. This is the first time that a “Model Summit” of this type has been held.

The Youth Summit G8 is organized by the International Youth Diplomacy League, located in Saint Petersburg. The event is being held with the support of the Russian Presidential Executive Office and the cooperation of G8 country consulates (for Japan, this is the Public Diplomacy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Consulate General of Japan in Saint Petersburg).

The “Model Summit” is composed of groups of eight university students from each G8 country. Students play one of eight roles including the Head of State (Government), various Ministers (foreign affairs, defense, energy, finance, internal affairs, education) and the Sherpa (a government high official in charge of preparations). The agenda includes a number of global development issues faced by current political leaders. After meetings and opinion exchange sessions, the participants will conclude the Summit by adopting a joint declaration. The eight-member Japanese delegation includes one Japanese exchange student studying at Saint-Petersburg State University and seven students from Keio University.

The delegations arrived on April 3rd and the Youth Summit of the G8 will commence on the 4th. Discussion session results will be compiled and each country will sign a joint declaration at a ceremony on the 7th. Participants will tour cultural heritage sites on the 8th and the members of each delegation will then return to their respective countries on the 9th.

Keio University signed a comprehensive exchange agreement with Saint-Petersburg State University in July 2005.