The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which was scheduled in June this year but was postponed due to the impact of COVID-19, will take place in June next year in the Rwandan capital city Kigali, the Commonwealth Secretariat said according to an official correspondence obtained Thursday by APA in Kigali.
A statement indicates that the new date agreed with member countries will be the week of June 21, 2021.
During a meeting held Wednesday between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, it was agreed that the leaders’ summit, will be preceded by meetings for representatives from Commonwealth networks for youth, women, civil society and business.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries. Representing a third of the world it is home to 2.4 billion people and includes both advanced economies and developing countries.
Reacting to the move, Rwandan President Kagame said: “CHOGM Rwanda 2021 will be an exceptional occasion to deliberate together on the enormous technological, ecological, and economic challenges and opportunities facing the Commonwealth, particularly our young people, and which are all the more pressing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Rwanda looks forward to welcoming all delegates and participants to Kigali next year for a safe and productive meeting,” the Rwandan leader said.
The Kigali meeting, also the 26th edition, will be the first one to be held in Africa in this millennium. The association looks forward to Commonwealth leaders coming together to “take practical action on the critical issues we all face,” said the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland.
These include not only post-COVID recovery, but also climate change, the global economy, trade and sustainable development, which need to be dealt with “decisively” through “multilateral cooperation and mutual support,” she said.
CHOGM is the Commonwealth’s highest consultative and policy-making gathering. Commonwealth leaders selected Rwanda as host for the next summit during the last meeting in London in 2018.
CU/abj/APA