Kigali, 25 June 2022 (TDI): The capital of Rwanda, Kigali, is hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The Leaders of Commonwealth countries meet every two years for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
This year marks the 26th summit with the title of “Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming”.
The first CHOGM was held in 1971 in Singapore. Different member countries on a rotating basis are responsible to hold the meeting in turn.
The summit this year aims to highlight how the member countries are innovating, connecting, and transforming. Moreover, the theme this year shows that the member states are focused on protecting natural resources and boosting trade.
For this year, the CHOGM took place from 24 June to 25 June. The official opening ceremony took place on June 14 while the main high-level meetings followed.
Furthermore, the 2022 CHOGM contains four Forums, Ministerial Meetings, side events, and other activities. According to the Presidency of Rwanda, the high-level closed-door meeting for leaders focused on deciding the community’s priorities for the next two years.
Meanwhile, on June 24, Vincent Biruta, the Foreign Minister of Rwanda chaired a Foreign Ministers’ Roundtables with his counterparts. Civil Society and Associated Organisations also participated in the round-table meetings.
The History of the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) started its history when Britain was the British Empire. Accordingly, the Commonwealth is one of the oldest political associations of states around the world.
Looking back to history, the attendees of former CHOGM depended on how independent the different countries (or regions) were from the British Empire at that time.
As time flew by, the year 1962 became a milestone for the development of the Commonwealth.
The statement born in the meeting happened in 1926 announced that Britain and the Dominions agreed that they were all equal members of a community within the British Empire.
This community was named the British Commonwealth of Nations (the Commonwealth).
With the decolonization, the modern Commonwealth of Nations was born in London in the year 1949. King George VI was the first Head of the Commonwealth before Queen Elizabeth II.
According to the independence movement in various developing regions, member states’ participation today in the Commonwealth is totally free, equal, and voluntary.
Rwanda and Mozambique are the last 2 countries to join the Commonwealth. However, these two countries do not have any historical link with the British Empire.
