Cape Town – Monday, June 20 was the opening of the Commonwealth heads of government summit in the city of Kigali, Rwanda, after a four-year hiatus and despite security concerns surrounding the week-long event.
The summit brings together leaders from Commonwealth countries, including 19 African states.
The week-long summit is expected to attract more than 5 000 participants from government, business, and civil society under the theme “Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming”.
Meetings began in the Rwandan capital on Sunday June 19, with four forums covering youth, women, business and civil society and culminating in the official retreat for leaders at the Intare Conference Arena on Saturday, June 25.
At the leaders retreat – unique to the Commonwealth – heads of government meet privately to discuss collaboration on global and Commonwealth priorities.
Commonwealth secretary-general Patricia Scotland, QC, said in a statement: “Since the last time the Commonwealth family came together for the Heads of State Summit 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.
“That’s why with eight years to go until the Sustainable Development Goals ‘endgame’, leaders at the summit are committed to harnessing lessons learnt, working together and taking inspiration from the innovative solutions that we’ve seen emerge over the past few years,” she said.
IOL