The impact of COVID-19 is being felt in every corner of the world, with Commonwealth Heads of Government from the 54 nations facing unprecedented challenges.
As such, the values and aspirations of the Commonwealth remain as important as ever.
Member countries have committed to work together to promote prosperity, democracy and peace, amplify the voice of small states, and protect the environment.
The postponement of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in June 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic was unfortunate but understandable.
However, this Interim Report, echoes the intention of the Meeting: “to explore how Commonwealth nations can pool resources and innovations to transform joint challenges into exciting opportunities”.
Featuring perspectives from:
- Dr Akinwumi A Adesina, President, African Development Bank Group
- Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Secretary UN ESCAP
- Roberto Azevêdo, Director-General, World Trade Organization
- Audrey Azoulay, Director-General, UNESCO
- Dr Qu Dongyu, Director-General, UN FAO
- H.E. Danny Faure, President of Seychelles
- Professor David J Francis, Chief Minister of Sierra Leone
- Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia
- Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- Asha Kanwar, President and CEO, Commonwealth of Learning
- Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, Secretary General, COMESA
- Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations
- Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director, UN Women
- Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations
- Ambassador Albert M. Muchanga, African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry
- H.E. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President of The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
- Dr Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago
- Guy Ryder, Director-General, International Labour Organization
- Dr William Warren Smith, President, Caribbean Development Bank
- Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize Winner and UN Messenger of Peace
- Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union
The 2021 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, also known as CHOGM, will be the 26th meeting of the heads of government of the Commonwealth of Nations. The meeting was originally scheduled between the 22nd and 25th of June 2020, but has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new date has been announced as the week of 21 June 2021.
The summit is scheduled to be held in Rwanda. It will be the first Commonwealth Summit held in a country that is not a former British colony or dominion or the United Kingdom itself.
The position of Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, held by the government leader of the CHOGM host country, will be transferred at the summit from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to the President of Rwanda, who will hold the post until the 27th CHOGM to be held in Samoa and which was initially scheduled for 2022.
The theme for the meeting is ‘Delivering A Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming’. Five sub-themes have been identified for discussion: Governance and Rule of Law, ICT & Innovation, Youth, Environment and Trade.
Leaders are expected to discuss ways the contemporary Commonwealth can transform societies, in accordance with Commonwealth Charter values of democracy, multilateralism, sustainable development, and empowerment of women and youth.