Introduction

Outline of the G8 University Summit

1. The G8 University Summit was held in Sapporo, Japan on 29 June - 1 July, 2008, and hosted by the G8 University Summit Organizing Committee, which consisted of 14 Presidents of Japanese universities, with the assistance of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. Participants included Presidents, Rectors, Chancellors, Vice-Chancellors and other representatives (hereinafter referred to as “Presidents”) of 27 leading universities in the G8 member nations, the United Nations University and seven universities from six major non-G8 nations who were invited to participate in the Summit. (See Appendix A, List of Participants)

Objectives of the Meeting

2. The objectives of the meeting were:

• to develop common recognition of the need for global sustainability, through exchange of information and views;
• to discuss the responsibility of universities to contribute toward the attainment of global sustainability and the specific actions they must undertake to fulfil that responsibility; and
• to agree upon and provide messages of the universities to the G8 leaders as well as to society in general, aimed at facilitating all entities, including universities, to take actions for global sustainability.