2008 Tokyo/Yokohama, Japan

The third-annual Youth Summit was held from March 10 to March 16, 2008 in Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan. The event was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Keio University, the City of Yokohama, and the Yokohama Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Summit commenced with an Opening Ceremony in the Keio University Conference Centre in Tokyo, where the host university, the main sponsor and the Heads of State of the participating countries all gave welcoming speeches. The following day, each of the delegations visited their own country’s embassy and then had free time to visit Tokyo hotspots, including a historic temple.

The following day, negotiations began in earnest, as the Youth Summit moved to Yokohama. On the agenda were the following topics:

The negotiations were very though and the participants, especially the Heads of State and the Sherpas, often worked late into the night to reach an agreement. Fortunately, a consensus was achieved and the Final Communiqué was signed on the fifth day at the Closing Ceremony of the Youth Summit and presented to Mr. Koichiro Matsumoto, Deputy Director, G8 Summit Office and Economic Policy Division of Economic Affairs Bureau, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. To read the full document, please click here. At the Closing Ceremony, the Heads of State were again called upon to make brief speeches.

Before the Official Closing Ceremony, all of the participants met local High School students and introduced them to the topics they had been discussing. This was an interesting experience for the participants as well as the students, as they both had to find ways around the language and culture barriers which were present. The Summit concluded with a final evening reception at which the participants had time to relax and informally network amongst themselves.