The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) opened in Kampala Friday with Queen Elizabeth II calling on member-countries to remain united.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) opened in Kampala Friday with Queen Elizabeth II calling on member-countries to remain united.
The Queen, who heads the organisation, said she was delighted to see a united Commonwealth and urged the leadership to remain strengthened in diversity.
In his address, the out-going Chairman of the organisation, Dr. Lawrence Gonzi, who is Prime Minister of Malta, emphasised the need to integrate the impact of climate change into efforts toward sustainable development.
He said the issue of climate change, which formed part of the agenda of the meeting, should be taken seriously, explaining that island countries like his, were endangered if urgent action was not taken.
Gonzi called on his colleagues to continue to build the Commonwealth into a vibrant organisation able to take advantage of the diversity of its members.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who assumes chairmanship of the organisation for the next two years, urged his colleagues to transform the diversity into a force that would make the Commonwealth group a force in world affairs.
Museveni said the countries of the Commonwealth should work towards creating large markets for their goods and services, private sector-led growth, development of human resources, improved infrastructure and political accountability, among others.
In his address, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Mr. Don McKinnon, said a great deal had been achieved since the last meeting in Malta in the areas of entrenching democracies and good governance.
McKinnon said, among others, that the organisation had developed the Commonwealth Connect Programme, an ICT instrument, to help governments to develop their information and communication technology.
He said that some of the challenges facing the group at the current meeting were climate change and violence against youths.
President Umaru Yar’Adua is leading the Nigerian delegation to the meeting.
