ABSTRACT
The conclusions of the 2005 Gleneagles Summit represent substantial and ambitious
policy commitments by the G8 countries. Arriving at those conclusions required
lengthy and at times difficult negotiations. This chapter explores the negotiation
from the perspective of the United Kingdom, outlining the process through which
agreement was reached on the major themes of the UK presidency of the G8,
African development, and climate change. It then considers how implementation
of these agreements has been taken forward since then. This analysis shows that
the Gleneagles Summit produced major achievements backed by a strong, shared
political will to carry them out. The UK’s presidency again demonstrated that the
G8, for all its imperfections, is a unique and valuable part of global governance,
with the capacity to mobilise political and economic resources to confront shared
challenges.
