Plenary Session

Adoption of the Declaration

47. The Chair introduced the draft of the Sapporo Sustainability Declaration (tentative name) for participants to discuss and suggest amendments.

48. Participants suggested involving students in the G8 University Summit process, keeping the network of the G8 University Summit open for other universities to join, and asking all Presidents of universities in G8 member nations to deliver the outcome of the Summit to their respective governments, in order to improve understanding before the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit.

49. Following intensive discussion, the Sapporo Sustainability Declaration, amended as appropriate, was adopted unanimously.

Summary by the Chair

50.President Komiyama congratulated participants on the successful conclusion of the first G8 University Summit and summarized the meeting as follows:

• It is time for us to take action, both in terms of our own initiatives such as sustainable campus projects and co-experiments with society, and by working with society and policy makers on their own initiatives;
• He stated his conviction that universities have a very strong potential for becoming a driving engine for social movements, utilizing their advantage of political neutrality; and
• He proposed that the University of Tokyo serve as a tentative secretariat for the process to establish the NNs. The proposal was welcomed by the participants.

The Presidents unanimously supported the Chair's proposal to produce a Chair's Summary document detailing the proceedings of the summit.

2009 G8 University Summit Meeting

51.The Presidents welcomed the proposal by Rector Francesco Profumo on behalf of the Conference of the Rectors of Italian Universities to hold the next G8 University Summit on the occasion of the 2009 G8 Summit to be held in Italy.