G8

On several occasions in the last few years, G8 meetings have expressed concern over the issue of illegal logging.

The G8's forerunner, the G7, was a grouping of the seven largest economies in the industrialised world (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, US); it became the G8 with the addition of Russia after the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Originally conceived as a forum in which to discuss major issues of international economic significance, its remit has expanded to cover a much wider range of international matters. However, it possesses no permanent secretariat or follow-up mechanism, and its decisions are not binding on its membership. Members take it in turns to act as president of the G8; in 2008 the presidency is held by Japan.

The G8 Forestry Action Programme, agreed by G8 foreign ministers in 1998, featured illegal logging as one of its five areas of action, and this helped catalyse many subsequent activities in the area.

In 2005 the UK made illegal logging a priority area for its presidency of the G8, and the topic was discussed at the meeting of G8 environment and development ministers in Derby in March.

In 2008, Japan is similarly making illegal logging a priority issue, with a meeting amongst experts in March 2008; a report will be produced for discussion at the environment ministers' meeting in May. An initiative organised by GLOBE (Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment) has produced recommendations for action by G8 and timber-producing countries.

DOCUMENTS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
26/05/2008	G8 Environment Ministers' Meeting, Chair's Summary Summary of discussions at the meeting of the environment ministers of the G8 in Kobe, Japan, on 24-26 ...
	< BACK TO TOP
03/03/2008	International Experts Meeting on Illegal Logging, March 2008 - report Chairpersons' summary of the discussions at the 2nd round of the International Experts Meeting on ...	Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan
	< BACK TO TOP
21/02/2008	G8 Illegal Logging Dialogue: Policy Proposal to Japanese G8 Summit Submission from the GLOBE Brasilia G8+5 Legislators Forum of recommendations to the G8 to address illegal ...	GLOBE International
	< BACK TO TOP
21/02/2008	The Future of Tropical Forestry: A Progressive Industry Vision for the Forest Sector Presentation to GLOBE International Brasilia forum by senior executives of 'progressive' forestry ...	Forestry companies CEOs ('progressive' companies)
	< BACK TO TOP
08/07/2005	G8 Gleneagles Communique The final statement from the G8 summit in Gleneagles. The Heads of Government accepted the importance ...	G8 Heads of Government
	< BACK TO TOP
01/07/2005	Current Activities to Combat Illegal Logging by Japan Review of current efforts to combat illegal logging and the associated trade in illegally-logged products ...	Forestry & Forest Products Research Institute (Dr. Sukeharu Tsuru)
	< BACK TO TOP
18/03/2005	Outcome of the G8 Environment and Development ministerial meeting The final statement from the G8 Environment and Development ministerial meeting, Derby, 17-18 March 2005; ...	G8 Environment and Development ministers
	< BACK TO TOP
17/03/2005	Civil society's joint statement to the G8 Joint statement to the G8 Environment and Development Ministers meeting in Derby, 17-18 March 2005, from ...	Civil society meeting, 17 March 2005
	< BACK TO TOP
04/03/2005	G8 Environment and Development Ministerial Meeting: Consultation on Illegal Logging - Analysis of Responses Analysis of the responses received to the consultation exercise on priorities for the G8 on actions on ...	Chatham House/RIIA (Duncan Brack)
	< BACK TO TOP
26/01/2005	G8 Illegal Logging Consultation Consultation paper on illegal logging for the G8 environment and development ministers meeting in March. ...	Chatham House/RIIA
	< BACK TO TOP
30/01/2004	To Buy or Not to Buy The NGO FERN, in a new report, examines the timber procurement policies of EU member states and the ...	FERN
	< BACK TO TOP
01/07/2002	G8 Action Programme on Forests Final Report Final report on actions undertaken by G8 nations under the Action Programme agreed in 1998, covering ...	G8
	< BACK TO TOP
01/06/2002	The Timber Footprint of the G8 and China: Making the Case for Green Procurement by Government Produced in an attempt to influence the G8 summit in 2002, this report contains an overview of trade ...	WWF (P. Toyne, C. O'Brien, R. Nelson)
	< BACK TO TOP

NEWS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
05/03/2008	Fighting illegal logging to be a top G8 priority in 2008 As president of the G8, Japan puts focus on sustainable forest management and timber certification. ...	Mongabay.com (USA)
	< BACK TO TOP
24/02/2008	Forest Protection Is Climate Protection, GLOBE Forum Told Brasilia, Brazil - To combat global warming, the rich countries must create a fund to conserve the Amazon ...	Environment News Service (USA)
	< BACK TO TOP
21/02/2008	Call for new laws on stolen logs Suppliers of illegally logged timber could be prosecuted in the countries where it is sold, under new ...	BBC (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP
21/02/2008	Developing countries loses $15bn to illegal logging, forestry CEOs seek redress CEOs from all over the world have been participating in GLOBE's ongoing dialogue on Illegal Logging ...	Business Day (Nigeria)
	< BACK TO TOP
01/06/2007	Urgent action needed to save the world's forests - Gardiner (Press Release) UK - Much more needs to be done by governments around the globe to halt the destruction ...	DEFRA (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP
13/11/2006	Logging nations set tough agenda for action London, UK - Timber exporting and importing nations set themselves a tight agenda for action on Monday, ...	Reuters (USA)
	< BACK TO TOP
13/11/2006	U.S. stymies attempt to crack down on illegal logging Monday the United States stymied an attempt by timber exporting and importing nations to establish new ...	Mongabay.com (USA)
	< BACK TO TOP
20/09/2006	Illegal Logging Dialogue Launched In Singapore The G8 Illegal Logging Dialogue has been launched in Singapore to attempt to put a stop to worldwide ...	Green Building Press (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP
19/09/2006	International logging scheme begins A new forum designed to combat illegal logging around the world has been launched. The G8 Illegal Logging ...	Green Consumer Guide (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP
16/09/2006	Major Forest Governance Initiative launched (Press Release) Singapore Ministers and senior parliamentarians from the UK, Japan, Indonesia, Cameroon ...	GLOBE
	< BACK TO TOP
15/06/2006	America's free trade pacts driving illegal timber trade: destruction of Asian and Latin American forests (Press Release) Washington, USA - US free trade agreements are accelerating the destruction of tropical ...	EIA
	< BACK TO TOP
25/01/2006	Timber Industry and UK Government Agree New Measures to Tackle Illegal Logging Uk - Press Release - On January 19 International Development Minister Gareth Thomas MP and the Chief ...	G8 Illegal Logging Ministerial & Industry Roundtable
	< BACK TO TOP
31/10/2005	Japan Prepares a Wood Procurement Law Following the conclusion of the G8 Summit at Gleneagles, Scotland last July, the Japanese government ...	MIS Tropical Timber Market Report
	< BACK TO TOP
01/07/2005	President of UK Timber Industry Federation asks Blair to stand firm on G8 and Illegal Logging John Tong, President of the UK Industry Body the Timber Trade Federation (TTF), wrote to Tony Blair encouraging ...	TTF (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP
22/06/2005	Blair's Global Environment Failures: It's Not Just Climate Change George Bush's unwillingness to back Tony Blair's climate change initiatives for the G8 Summit ...	Tech Central Station (USA)
	< BACK TO TOP
16/06/2005	G8 takes only mild stance on illegal logging - Draft LONDON, UK - Rich nations in the Group of Eight have failed to heed calls for tough moves on illegal ...	Reuters (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP
16/06/2005	PM to bring up illegal logging at G8 summit Japan - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is expected to propose a set of measures against illegal logging ...	Daily Yomiuri (Japan)
	< BACK TO TOP
03/06/2005	Japan: Forestry Agency Sets up Task Force on Illegal Logging The G8 Summit to be held in the UK in July 2005 will have illegal logging on its agenda, and to prepare ...	Japan for Sustainability (Japan)
	< BACK TO TOP
06/04/2005	More work needed to end illegal logging Japan, a major importer of timber, has been urged to develop measures to help eradicate the growing international ...	Daily Yomiuri (Japan)
	< BACK TO TOP
25/03/2005	G8 weak on illegal logging, say campaigners The G8 countries have made moves to protect Africa from illegal logging and climate change, but grassroots ...	Environmental Data Interactive (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP
21/03/2005	US is working to end illegal logging Letters: As a senior US representative to the joint development and environment meeting of G8 ministers, ...	Guardian (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP
19/03/2005	G8 'breakthrough' on illegal logging An agreement by the G8 group of industrialised countries to control illegal logging of forests by only ...	The Guardian (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP
18/03/2005	G8 to tackle illegal timber trade Environment and development ministers from the G8 group of leading countries have committed themselves ...	BBC (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP
18/03/2005	G8 weak on illegal logging Derbyshire, UK - Greenpeace today expressed its disappointment in reaction to the communiqué on ...	Environmental Media Services (USA)
	< BACK TO TOP
18/03/2005	Illegal Logging on Agenda at Unique G8 Meeting BREADSALL, England (Reuters) - Disagreement over moves to end illegal logging that is destroying rain ...	Reuters (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP
17/03/2005	Letter: Our pledge on forestry products "As some of the largest companies that own concessions in Africa and import timber, we would like ...	The Guardian (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP
17/03/2005	Labor concern over illegal logging claim Labor has expressed concern at a leaked report claiming the United States may seek to stop multilateral ...	Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
	< BACK TO TOP
16/03/2005	US Aims to Jeopardise Legal Action on Illegal Logging The United States was exposed yesterday as planning to jeopardise multi-lateral action to stop the trade ...	Common Dreams (USA)
	< BACK TO TOP
16/03/2005	US tries to sink forests plan: British initiative on illegal logging opposed The US plans to wreck a British initiative to commit the G8 states to combatting illegal logging in the ...	The Guardian (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP
15/03/2005	US blocks forest protection plan A secret US plan to wreck Tony Blair's G8 initiative combating illegal logging in the world's ...	BBC (UK)
	< BACK TO TOP

PRESENTATIONS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
27/04/2007	G8 Illegal Logging Dialogue: Reaching out to Chinese legislators	GLOBE International (Mike Packer)
	< BACK TO TOP
25/01/2007	Update: G8 illegal logging dialogue	GLOBE International (Dr Mike Packer)
	< BACK TO TOP
21/07/2006	Ministerial and Industry Roundtable: The agreement reached between UK government and the 25+ group of progressive companies	Timbmet Silverman and GLOBE International (Mike Packer and Adam Matthews)
	< BACK TO TOP

EVENTS

DATE	TITLE
Sunday 3rd June 2007	GLOBE G8 Illegal Logging Dialogue: Berlin Legislators Forum The first Legislators Forum of the G8 Illegal Logging Dialogue will convene in the German Bundestag from ...
	< BACK TO TOP
Monday 13th November 2006	G8 Illegal Logging Dialogue: First International Advisory Board Meeting The First International Advisory Board Meeting of the G8 Illegal Logging Dialogue will be held on November ...
	< BACK TO TOP
Saturday 16th September 2006	Launch of the G8 Illegal Logging Dialogue Launched at the World Bank Annual Meetings in Singapore the GLOBE facilitated dialogue will draw together ...
	< BACK TO TOP
Wednesday 27th July 2005	Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation Number 6 The sixth in a regular series of meetings coordinated by Chatham House and funded by DFID. The meeting ...
	< BACK TO TOP

LINKS

TITLE	DESCRIPTION	REPORT
GLOBE International	Standing for 'Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment' GLOBE's mission is to facilitate high level dialogues amongst legislators on key environmental issues. The G8 illegal logging dialogue was launched in Singapore in September 2006.	Broken link
	< BACK TO TOP