The Year in 2014 – Summit summary

Greece and Italy share the EU Presidency in 2014 – two countries whose economies are still in intensive care, so leaders can expect Spartan treatment by their hosts. Growth, migration and the EU elections will be the focus of the Greek presidency, while the Italian presidency will concentrate on the transition with a new EU Parliament and Commission.

For the African Union, Mauritania took over the chair of the organisation on 31 January, as the AU theme for 2014 concentrates on food security – however conflicts in the Central African Republic and South Sudan will continue to trouble leaders.

Meanwhile across the Atlantic, Costa Rica took over the help of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) as the organisation declared the region a “peace zone”.

And chairing the OSCE from Vancouver to Vladivostok is Switzerland, right in the middle – where the security focus will lie on the Balkans, the South Caucasus.

In May Myanmar will host the 24th ASEAN Summit in Nay Pyi Taw, followed by a series of ASEAN summits with other Asian partners in October, all symbols of the progress the country has made towards reform and engagement with the world.

After the Winter Olympics world leaders of the eight largest economies in the world return to the Black Sea resort of Sochi on 4 June for the 40th anniversary of the G8 Summit in Russia. Leaders will be turning their minds to “sustainable growth in a secure world”.

On 4-5 September leaders of the 28 NATO allies will meet at Celtic Manor, Newport, in Wales. This is the first time the UK has hosted the first summit since 1990 and is a critical meeting as NATO prepares to draw down its forces in Afghanistan.

Leaders from the fast-growing APEC economies of Asia and the Pacific meet on the shores of Yanqi Lake just outside Beijing, China, in November.

The world’s major emerging and developed economies will gather in Brisbane, Australia for the G20 Summit on 20 November where the focus will be on promoting free trade and ending protectionism.

The final make-or-break Climate Change Summit before the Kyoto Accord expires in 2015 takes place in Lima, Peru, one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. If a successor to Kyoto is to be a reality, leaders will have to agree on a first draft of a climate deal for 2015.

Withdrawal symptoms – Prime Minister David Cameron
will host the Secretary General of Nato Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the heads
of state of member and observer countries