‘Focus on our people,’ Rwanda’s Kagame urges at Commonwealth Heads meeting
President Ali warmly greets Commonwealth SG Scotland (left) and Rwanda’s President Kagame (centre) on stage at the 2022 CHOGM opening ceremony in Kigali (Office of the President photo)
President Ali warmly greets Commonwealth SG Scotland (left) and Rwanda’s President Kagame (centre) on stage at the 2022 CHOGM opening ceremony in Kigali (Office of the President photo)

By Rabindra Rooplall in Kigali, Rwanda
THE Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2022) officially opened in Kigali, Rwanda, on Friday, with Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame calling on members of the 54-nation bloc to focus on addressing challenges faced by its approximately 2.5 billion people, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The opening ceremony at the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC) was attended by President, Dr. Irfaan Ali and 53 other Heads of State and Government, including United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Head of the Commonwealth of Nations, Queen Elizabeth II, was represented by her son and heir apparent, Charles, Prince of Wales. Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland, who was re-elected for another term, was present.

President Kagame, in his remarks at the opening ceremony of the two-day summit, paid tribute to the Commonwealth’s Head for her leadership of the body over the last 70 years.
“The Commonwealth we need is on the frontlines of global challenges, not on the periphery watching events unfold,” President Kagame charged.

“We are united by a shared language, whether English is our first, second, third or even fourth one.
“But what really defines us are the values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter and the commitment to good governance, the rule of law and the protection of rights. That’s why we shall always remain open to new voices and the new members,” President Kagame said.

Reflecting on the dark events that struck Rwanda in the 1990s, Kagame said: “Today, we are a nation transformed in heart, mind and body.
“Three-quarters of our population are young people with no memory of those events. Everything we do, including joining the commoners in 2009, is aimed at making sure that our people are connected, included and forward-looking.

“We are delighted that through CHOGM, you have the opportunity to get to know us and we aim to repay that trust with many years of continued friendship.”
Kagame further noted that, “the fact of holding this meeting in Rwanda, a new member with no historical connection to the British Empire, expresses our choice to continue reimagining the Commonwealth for a changing world.”

Meanwhile, Commonwealth Secretary-General (SG) Patricia Scotland, for her part, said the Commonwealth today is a beacon within the international system.
“Yes, we have shared interests and practical advantages, but we are the most significant grouping of countries in the history of the world which is bound, above all, by values which we all aspire to.

“These values of peace and justice, of tolerance, respect and solidarity and our role as the foremost international champion for small and vulnerable states remain our enduring responsibility,” the Secretary-General remarked.

Baroness Scotland said honouring these values and that vision is not only a sacred act for this generation, but it is also a gift for future generations.
“Today, as we gather in the midst of new and decisive shifts in our world, it is imperative that those values shape the choices we will make in the hours and days ahead.

“The economic damage of COVID, and mounting debt, confront us all. The rapid intensification of climate change poses an existential danger. The tremors of conflict and instability in our world, the spiralling costs of food and fuel and economic uncertainty, threaten a serious and protracted crisis. This CHOGM is, first and foremost, an opportunity to find answers to these questions,” the SG stressed.

Noting that it will not be easy, the Baroness said the solutions will simply not ride up onto the stage and present themselves.
“We must talk and listen to each other and give all that we have to achieve progress for the 2.5 billion people we— you— represent.

“… The world is changing,” she continued, “People are anxious. I understand the pressure you, as Heads of Government, are under. The last few years have shaken the kaleidoscope. But before the pieces settle, we have an opportunity right here, right now to show the world what real unity, real solidarity, real cooperation and real progress look like”.

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