The Group of 78 is an informal association of Canadians seeking to promote global priorities for peace and disarmament, equitable and sustainable development, and a strong and revitalized United Nations system.
Conference 2007 Vision Statement (English)
Conference 2007 Intendance Mondial (French)
The First Twenty Years: G78 Peace Policies in the 80s, A history by Tim Creery
Canadian Foreign Policy in the 80s Founding Statement 1982
Summary
It began in 1980 when a small group including Andrew Brewin MP and Peggy Brewin, Murray Thomson of Project Ploughshares, Robert McClure, former Moderator of the United Church, and King Gordon, formerly of the United Nations Secretariat, drafted a statement on how best Canada could contribute to the building of a peaceful and secure world. In November 1981 that statement, Canadian Foreign Policy in the 80s, was sent to Prime Minister Trudeau. It was signed by 78 Canadians — a group of 78.
The statement set out three inter-related objectives:
1) the removal of the threat of nuclear war;
2) the mobilization of world resources to achieve a more equitable international order and bring an end to the crushing poverty which is the common lot of the majority in the Third World;
3) the strengthening and reform of the United Nations and other global institutions designed to bring about a pacific settlement of disputes, foster international cooperation, promote the growth of world law and the protection of basic human rights.
That was the beginning of a dialogue between the Group of 78 and the Canadian government. In the following years, members of the Group discussed, and made their views known, about new issues facing Canada in international relations and their implications for the central and universal objectives of policy already mentioned.
In 2007, the Group of 78 issued a new vision of Global Stewardship or Intendance Mondial which continues to guide its activities to this day.