Sir Roger Moore attends J8 UN summit in Petersburg, Russia

As some of the most powerful leaders in the world prepare to attend the G8 summit of industrialized countries in St. Petersburg, Russia, this weekend, more than 60 teenagers have opened their own United Nations-backed “Junior 8” nearby with a parallel agenda of proposals to be presented to summit participants.

“The decisions that are made this week by the leaders of the G8 will affect the future, and the future is where we will all live the rest of our lives,” UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Ann M. Veneman told Junior 8’s opening session yesterday in Pushkin, outside St. Petersburg.

“In an increasingly global village, as we are drawn closer together both literally and figuratively, these young people represent not just the J8, but all countries around the world,” she added of the junior summit.

Hosted by the Russian Government in partnership with UNICEF, J8 participants, from the same countries as the leaders, will focus on the key themes of the G8 agenda: education, energy security and HIV/AIDS.

The youngsters – from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States – will also discuss violence and other issues they see as priorities. Their recommendations will be presented to the G8 leadership.

The views of children from non-G8 countries will be included via a series of videoconferences linking the Junior 8 in Pushkin to children from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

“It is important that the G8 leaders listen to the views of children, because the children will have to live with the decisions those leaders make,” former James Bond actor and now UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Roger Moore told the opening session.



The J8 delegates from all countries except Russia were selected through an essay competition organized by the Morgan Stanley International Foundation, with additional children selected by UNICEF. Russian participants won their places through a televised competition.

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