The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is the highest consultative and decision-making meeting of the Commonwealth and has been held 24 times since 1971. What does the Commonwealth represent today in terms of influence, why the CHOGM 2022 is being held in Rwanda, what are the stakes for the host country.
1) What is the Commonwealth?
The Commonwealth, also known as the Commonwealth of Nations, formerly (1931-1949) the British Commonwealth of Nations, is a free association of sovereign states comprising the United Kingdom and a number of its former dependencies who have chosen to maintain ties of friendship and practical cooperation and who acknowledge the British monarch as the symbolic head of their association.
Although historically linked to the British Empire, any country may apply for membership in the Commonwealth, regardless of its connection to Britain’s colonial past. The Commonwealth consists of 54 countries, including the United Kingdom.
2) Who is the head of the Commonwealth?
The British monarch is the head of the Commonwealth. In some Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, the monarch symbolically holds the highest office as head of state.
The head of the Commonwealth is currently Queen Elizabeth II; the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting named Charles, Prince of Wales, as her designated successor, although the position is not hereditary.
3. Who can become a member?
For a period following the enactment of the Statute of Westminster, membership in the Commonwealth was conditional on allegiance to the British monarch. But the rapid growth of nationalism from the 1920s onwards in those parts of the empire whose population was predominantly non-European necessitated a reconsideration of the nature of the Commonwealth. India, in particular, had been a special case within the British Empire and would become its first independent country. Now any country can join the modern Commonwealth provided it adopts the values and principles expressed in the Commonwealth Charter.
4. Structure and activity
The Commonwealth differs from other international bodies such as the United Nations or the World Trade Organization. It has no formal constitution or bylaws. The members have no legal or formal obligation to one another; they are held together by shared traditions, institutions, and experiences as well as by economic self-interest. Commonwealth action is based upon consultation between members, which is conducted through correspondence and through conversations in meetings. Each member country sends an emissary, called a high commissioner, to the capitals of the other members.
A Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is held every two years
In 2011, in Perth, Australia, leaders tasked the Commonwealth with drafting a charter; the charter—which enshrined core principles such as democracy, human rights, freedom of expression, sustainable development, access to health and education, and gender equality—was adopted at the close of 2012.
Member states have no legal obligations to one another but are connected through their use of the English language and historical ties. The Commonwealth Charter defines their shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, [9] as promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games.
5. What are the benefits of being a member of the Commonwealth?
One can acquire citizenship of the Commonwealth, with all its benefits, without having to uproot and leave home. Holding a commonwealth passport has many benefits, including visa-free travel.
The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) is the principal means for the Commonwealth Secretariat to provide technical assistance to Commonwealth countries. We ensure that the assistance we provide is determined by what countries tell us they need.
6.What is the CHOGM?
Leaders of Commonwealth countries meet every two years for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the organization’s highest advisory and decision-making gathering, hosted by different member countries on a rotating basis. Since 1971, a total of 24 meetings have taken place, with the most recent being in the United Kingdom in 2018. At the end of the meeting, the member countries decided to hold the next edition in Rwanda, the last country to join the Commonwealth. This is the first Commonwealth summit to be held in a country that is not a former colony or the United Kingdom itself, and the first to be held on the continent since Uganda in 2007.
Commonwealth leaders are expected to meet to reaffirm their shared values and agree on actions and policies to improve the lives of all their citizens. Decisions taken at CHOGM also guide the work program of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
7.2022 edition: theme and program
« Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming » is the theme of CHOGM 2022. A theme that organizers say highlights how the 54 member countries of the Commonwealth family are « innovating, connecting and transforming » to help achieve some of its biggest goals, including protecting natural resources and boosting trade.
Delegates will be invited to help shape agendas, share ideas, exchange knowledge, connect and collaborate to develop practical and actionable strategies and frameworks that will accelerate post-pandemic growth in the Commonwealth.
The official opening of CHOGM takes place on June 24 and will be one of the main high-level meetings of Heads of State and Government, most of which will be held at the Kigali Convention Center. They will be followed by four Forums, ministerial meetings, side events and other activities.
Among them is the Commonwealth Women’s Forum that will take place from June 20 to 21 at the Serena Hotel. Its purpose is to affirm high-level support and guide high-level policies for gender equality and human rights. Approximately 500 delegates are expected to attend the forum, more than 50 heads of government
The M-Hotel is hosting the Commonwealth People’s Forum from June 21 to 22. The forum will bring together representatives of civil society from across the Commonwealth to discuss key issues facing the people of the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) will take place from June 19. It will bring together youth from the 54 member states of the organization. The meeting plans to use the CYF as a key strategy for Commonwealth youth engagement, which is the highest decision-making forum for youth in the Commonwealth. Approximately 300 delegates, including two official youth delegates from each member state, are expected to attend the forum where they will exchange ideas, network, identify and debate development issues, challenges and opportunities.
Delegates will also agree on youth-led initiatives to mitigate the challenges they face and create opportunities to empower youth, according to information on the CHOGM 2022 website.
Finally, the highlight of the meeting will be the Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) at the Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village (KCEV) which will take place from June 21 to 23. This is the first and largest face-to-face gathering of Commonwealth governments and businesses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 1,000 delegates are expected in the city for the forum organized under a partnership between Rwanda and the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council.
8. Why Rwanda?
Commonwealth leaders selected Rwanda as host for its next summit at a meeting in London in 2018.
This is a first for Rwanda, a formerly French-speaking country that joined the Commonwealth in 2009. The previous year, Kigali replaced French with English as the compulsory language of instruction from the primary level in all public and private subsidized schools in the country. Rwanda thus becomes the second country to be admitted without a British colonial past or constitutional link to Britain.
9.Challenges for Rwanda :
For Rwanda, which has mobilized nearly $21 million to host the meeting, the event provides a tremendous showcase to promote the country, its business opportunities but also its ability to host international events, which is at the heart of its tourism strategy.
« Rwanda is pleased to welcome all delegates and participants to Kigali for a safe and productive CHOGM Rwanda 2022,” said President Kagame. “The last two years have made it clear to us that we are more connected than ever before and we must work together to achieve the tangible and sustainable results we want. The long awaited meeting will be an important occasion to come together to address the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to build on innovative technological and economic opportunities to solve other key problems facing our citizens. »
A Commonwealth Summit in Kigali is primarily an opportunity for President Kagame to promote his country, but also to position himself at the centre of international diplomatic networks.
10.Who are the participants ?
The CHOGM summit is expected to see Rwanda host more than 5,000 delegates from the 54 member countries of the Commonwealth. More than 30 heads of state have confirmed their attendance, as well as high-level government representatives. Business leaders will also be present, including more than 300 from the East African region, especially during the business forum. This is besides academics, development partners and members of civil society.
