Grenada joins the 56 Member States of the Commonwealth and over 4,000 officials in attending the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia, Samoa, from 21–26 October 2024.
The Head of Delegation for Grenada is the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland Her Excellency Rachér Croney. This is the largest gathering of Commonwealth Member States and the first Heads of Government Meeting to be held in the Pacific. The biannual Heads of Government Meeting was last held in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2022.
Building on CHOGM 2022, leaders will deliberate on global economic, environmental, and security challenges and discuss how Commonwealth countries can work together to build resilience, boost trade, innovation, and growth, and empower the Commonwealth’s 1.5 billion young people for a more peaceful and sustainable future. The theme for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming Our Common Wealth.” The 56 nations from Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific will work towards reinforcing multilateral cooperation, exploring new opportunities, and tackling common challenges to safeguard future generations.
The summit will feature executive sessions for Heads of Government, a Foreign Minister’s Meeting, a Commonwealth Youth Forum, a Business Forum, a Women’s Forum, and a People’s Forum, along with over 30 side events on various issues such as climate change, finance and investment for resilient growth, gender-based violence, and developing disability inclusion and equality across the Commonwealth. His Majesty King Charles III will also be in attendance to address the summit as Head of the Commonwealth.
On the first day of the summit, High Commissioner Croney attended the People’s Forum, which focused on the vital role of grassroots initiatives in climate and health justice. The speakers emphasised the invaluable contributions of indigenous leaders and youth advocates and the need to close the gap on climate change and health, which currently operate in silos.
The panel emphasised that civil society should take charge of climate solutions, the empowerment of young people, and the importance of working together across generations for climate justice. There was a call to action that urged participants to rethink policies related to climate and health, increase financial support for indigenous organisations and local communities, and include traditional health practices in broader climate solutions towards creating a fair and sustainable future for all Commonwealth communities.
CHOGM will focus on several thematic areas throughout the week with a focus on highlighting women’s political, economic, and societal contributions while identifying policies to advance gender equality; addressing issues impacting young people, and ensuring they have a voice and agency in the future; engaging with leaders on global development issues; recommending and championing solutions to global challenges; creating opportunities for collaboration and exchange of ideas; reinforcing multilateral cooperation; exploring new opportunities; and tackling common challenges. The issue of reparatory justice is also on the agenda for Caricom.
The 7th Secretary General of the Commonwealth will be elected in Samoa during the Heads of Government Retreat. Contending for this position are The Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ghana; Joshua Setipa, a former Minister of Trade and Industry in Lesotho and former Managing Director of the UN Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries; and E Mamadou Tangara, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Gambians Abroad, Republic of Gambia. The incumbent will succeed Baroness Patricia Scotland, who was appointed in 2015 as the second Secretary-General from the Caribbean and the first woman to hold the post.
High Commission for Grenada
