In 2007, the G8 invited the emerging BRICSAM powers to Heiligendamm, Germany, for an officials-level, two-year outreach dialogue on substantive issues, including: innovation, investment, development assistance and energy policy. On March 5-7, 2008, CIGI convened a workshop of experts in Cancún, Mexico, to discuss the economic diplomacy of BRICSAM generally, and the Heiligendamm Dialogue Process (HP) in particular. The discussion centred on the underlying deficiencies of the G8’s legitimacy, efficiency and representation in the international system. There was consensus that these inadequacies were rooted in the G8’s self-selected membership, and that BRICSAM should therefore be more deeply integrated in the processes of the G8. The workshop was part of the multi-year project at CIGI, which examines the emerging powers’ roles in the shifting global economic order and the corresponding need for change in international regimes.
