1989

GLOBE International was founded in 1989 as an inter-parliamentary group between the US Congress, European Parliament, Japanese Diet and the Russian Duma with the mission to respond to urgent environmental challenges facing the planet.

1990-1995      

GLOBE’s initial focus was to secure the incorporation of environmental issues relating to trade into the agenda of the GATT (Uruguay Round) negotiations.  Subsequently, GLOBE was instrumental in achieving the inclusion of an environmental clause in the Marrakesh Agreement founding the World Trade Organisation, as well as the establishment of a fully-fledged Committee on Trade and the Environment within the WTO four years later.  As early as 1992 GLOBE urged industrialised countries to take the lead in reducing CO2 emissionsthrough the introduction of fiscal instruments for the encouragement of energy efficiency.

1995- 2000     

GLOBE led a campaign for the Kyoto Protocol bringing together legislators from 27 countries and 200 key decision-makers at the 'Climate Change Event' Conference in Bonn.  At the Bonn Conference GLOBE Legislators called for progressive leadership from Europe's political leaders in favour of a Kyoto agreement.  GLOBE Members in Europe introduced measures on forest protection and worked to secure decisions by the Surinam and Venezuelan governments to restrict logging and for agreements from Europe to provide funding for forest protection projects in Brazil and Indonesia.  At the time of the UK’s 1998 G8 Summit in Birmingham, GLOBE UK and GLOBE International jointly organised a conference to advance international efforts on climate change.  GLOBE supported efforts for the protection of oceans in a joint European Conference with the Advisory Committee on the Protection of the Sea (ACOPS) in Stockholm in the same year also.

2000-2005        

In 2005 under the Presidency of the UK Parliament, GLOBE International was asked by the then UK Prime Minister, Rt Hon Tony Blair MP, to convene legislators from the G8 countries, Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa in advance of the G8 Heads of State Summit to discuss, test and propose measures that the G8 should consider to support a Post 2012 climate change agreement.  Fifty senior legislators participated in the Forum including Senator John McCain of the US and a high level delegation from the National People’s Congress of China.   Following the success of this initiative the Canadian Presidency of the UNFCCC COP invited GLOBE to convene a second Legislators Forum at the Conference of the Parties in Montreal.  The Forum was addressed by US Senator Jeff Bingaman, then Ranking Member of the Senate Energy Committee.  Other speakers included the UK Secretary of State, the Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP.

2006

In early 2006 GLOBE was invited by Tony Blair to shadow the G8 Gleneagles Dialogue and invited to formally take seats in the Ministerial process.  In response, GLOBE International launched the G8 + 5 Climate Change Dialogue in February 2006 in London with the support of the World Bank and the UK Government.  Following the launch the Dialogue received the support of the UK Prime Minister, the President of the World Bank, the Chairman of the Chinese National People's Congress, the German Government and the President of the European Commission.

The first full meeting of G8 + 5 Climate Change Dialogue Legislators Forum was held in the European Parliament in Brussels in advance of the G8 Heads of State Summit in St Petersburg in July 2006.  The statement adopted by the parliamentarians at the Brussels Forum was submitted to the G8 Leaders.

2007   

GLOBE launched the G8 Illegal Logging Dialogue at the World Bank Annual Board Meeting in Singapore in 2007.  Newly elected GLOBE International President was joined at the launch by the World Bank Vice President, Ms Kathy Sierra, and by Cameroonian and Indonesian legislators.  The President was also appointed as the UK Prime Minister’s Special Representative to the Gleneagles Dialogue to work with GLOBE.

The second Legislators Forum of the G8 + 5 Climate Change Dialogue convened in the US Senate Caucus Room in February 2007. The Forum was addressed by US Senators Bingaman, Boxer, Craig, Kerry, Lieberman, McCain and Snowe as well as Congressman Gilchrest, Inslee and Tom Udall.  Over 100 senior legislators participated in the negotiations with the formal agreement of the Washington Declaration representing a major breakthrough on climate negotiations and showing that political consensus was achievable.  The agreement resulted in headlines around the world.

In June 2007, the third Legislators Forum of the G8+5 Climate Change Dialogue met in Berlin, Germany where Legislators from the G8 and +5 countries agreed a strong statement to be sent to G8 leaders at the Heiligendamm Summit.  The statement focused on carbon markets, technology, adaptation, forestry and the post 2012 framework.  The Forum was addressed by the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz.  In parallel to the Forum the first full meeting of legislators from the G8 and developing countries convened for the GLOBE G8 Illegal Logging Dialogue.  The Dialogue discussed policy initiatives on legislation, timber procurement, trade transparency and financing.

At the invitation of the German Government, GLOBE’s President was invited to deliver a formal presentation detailing GLOBE's Post-2012 Framework Paper during the Gleneagles G20 Ministerial Dialogue in Berlin in October 2007.  

2008   

In February 2008 the G8 + 5 Climate Change Dialogue held its fourth Legislators Forum in Brasilia, Brazil.  A broad measure of agreement was achieved on GLOBE’s Post-2012 Framework Paper.  Consensus statements were agreed on Biofuels and Illegal Logging and were formally presented to President Lula when he addressed the Forum.  President Lula made an impassioned speech as the first +5 leader to address a GLOBE Forum.  The policy direction of key working group papers on Adaptation, Market Mechanisms, Energy Efficiency and Technology were endorsed.

In May 2008, GLOBE was formally invited by the Japanese Government to participate in the G8 Environment Ministerial Meeting in Kobe and GLOBE’s recommendations on illegal logging were received and formally put under consideration by the Japanese G8 Presidency.

The final G8 + 5 Climate Change Dialogue Legislators Forum was held in Tokyo, Japan in June 2008.  One hundred senior legislators from across the G8 and +5 made a historic breakthrough agreement on Lord Michael Jay’s Post 2012 Framework Paper.  This document, enjoying full consensus of all legislators, showed world leaders that agreement is possible on the core elements of a post 2012 agreement.  The Agreement was a major statement ahead of the Hokkaido G8 Summit and was presented to Prime Minister Fukuda by the fifteen heads of the GLOBE G8 and +5 delegations on Monday 30th June.  The agreement follows high level speeches to the GLOBE Tokyo Forum by Prime Minister Fukuda, US Presidential Candidates Senator John McCain and Senator Barak Obama, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.