The UK assumed the Presidency of the G8 on 1 January 2005 with the annual Summit, taking place at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland from 6-8 July.

In his welcoming remarks on the newly launched G8 website UK Prime Minister Tony Blair says…

"I really want to focus on the challenges of Africa and climate change during our Presidency. Africa is a wonderful, diverse continent with an extraordinary, energetic and resilient people. But it is also plagued with problems so serious that no continent could tackle them on its own.

"We have made some good progress in recent years in building a real partnership between Africa and the developed world, which is helping to address some of Africa’s problems. But there is still some way to go if we are all to meet the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals on Africa.

"The world, rightly, looks to the G8 to show leadership on Africa. To help guide us, I set up the Commission for Africa which brings together leaders and experts from Africa and the rest of the world. It will report in March with its recommendations for action. At Gleneagles, I will ask the G8 to agree on ways to take this forward.

"Climate change is a global problem that needs addressing now for the sake of future generations. The science is well established and the dangers clear. For example, the number of people worldwide at risk of flooding has increased twenty-fold since the 1960s.

"No country can tackle climate change on its own. But there are actions that we can take together to lessen its impact without altering our essential way of life or jeopardising economic prosperity. It is crucial to every country in the world that we establish a consensus now on the nature of the problem and what actions we can take. Again it is the world's richer, industrialised countries - the G8 - that have to take the lead."

More on the G8 and the full text of Tony Blair’s welcome.

More on the G8 and Africa.