The Group of Eight (G8) Summit is a meeting of the leaders of eight major industrial nations: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and United States. The group meets annually to deal with economic, political, social, and security issues facing the world. The United States, as president of the group this year, was responsible for hosting and planning the event. Topics on the agenda at the recent G8 Summit meeting included the status of the global economy, reforms in the Middle East, global security, Iraq, and development in Africa—specifically promoting economic development and fighting HIV/AIDS through vaccine development.