CHOGM more than secretary general race
Published:Monday | June 20, 2022 | 12:11 AM
New Times Rwanda (for The Gleaner):
The 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will kick off in Kigali Monday, with youth issues already at the centre of deliberations on the eve of the event.
The meeting, which was initially due to take place in 2020 before it was postponed twice because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will last a week, with dozens of sessions scheduled at different venues across the city.
The high-stakes event will also determine the future of the organisation, with Jamaican Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith challenging Secretary General Baroness Patricia Scotland, who has insisted that there is no vacancy.
Scotland, the incumbent, was born in Dominica but is a British peer.
That drama is already playing out in backchannel discussions although several countries have come forward indicating their intention to vote for either candidate.
Rwanda is the youngest member of the 54-nation community, having joined in 2009, six years after it launched its bid.
The East African state became the second country to join the Commonwealth without having been a British colony – after Mozambique.
Commonwealth member states share core values of democracy, rule of law, good governance, human rights, and freedom of expression.
This is the first CHOGM in four years, the last having taken place in London.
The meeting will see President Paul Kagame take over from United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the chair-in-office for the next two years. The Commonwealth boasts 2.5 billion people globally.
Rwanda allocated upwards of Rwf10.5 billion (about US$10 million), some of which went into upgrading existing infrastructure like Kigali’s road network.
The costs may be offset by the international exposure, showcasing the country’s tourism attraction. Member states also cooperate in trade, and education, among other areas.
What to expect
More than 5,000 delegates, including 35 heads of government, are expected to attend the weeklong meeting.
Prince Charles, who took over from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as the head of Commonwealth in 2018, is expected to grace the event.
Different clusters have been lined up, including the executive sessions of heads of government, youth, women’s, people’s and business forums, as well as a number of side events, social and cultural.
The executive sessions of the heads of government will be held behind closed doors, with the leaders discussing some of the most pressing issues affecting the Commonwealth and the world as a whole.
A leaders’ retreat is also planned.
“Their discussions will revolve around a number of things, including climate emergency, which is very important because many island nations, which are members of the Commonwealth, are among the highly affected countries,” Rwanda government spokesperson Yolande Makolo told journalists on Friday.
Other issues to be discussed by heads of state and government include youth and job creation, especially digital-affiliated jobs, she added.
“They will also discuss pandemic recovery and resilience and the impact of the geopolitical situation – with the war in Ukraine and its impact on inflation, especially in developing countries.”
This is the sixth time that CHOGM is taking place in Africa, with this year’s edition themed ‘Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming’.
“Since the last time the Commonwealth family came together for CHOGM in 2018, the onset of COVID-19, new and ongoing conflicts, and the accelerated impact of climate change have fundamentally altered the global landscape and tested our resilience,” Scotland said in a statement released on Sunday.
“This succession of events has changed lives, livelihoods, communities, and economies. We know that in times of crises, the poor and most vulnerable are disproportionately affected,” she said.
“Many development gains, likewise, have been thrown off track, while others have regressed.”
‘Leaders at CHOGM are committed to harnessing lessons learned, working together, and taking inspiration from the innovative solutions that we’ve seen emerge over the past few years,” the secretary general added.
“The Commonwealth is a bedrock for member states, rooted in a shared history, collective aspirations, and progressive solutions. At a time when multilateralism is under serious strain, CHOGM offers a vital forum to deliver the objectives of member states and an opportunity to draw upon all the talents of the member states to deliver a smarter, more resilient, prosperous, confident, and sustainable Commonwealth.”
Several social activities have been lined up for delegates, including the Kigali People’s Festival, CHOGM Street Festival, Kigali Night Run, CHOGM Cricket Tournament, and CHOGM Networking Golf Tournament.