The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which had been postponed due to Covid-19, will be held next year in Kigali, Rwanda.

The meeting had been previously planned for June 2020 in the Rwandan capital.

President Paul Kagame and Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the summit would now take place in the week of June 21, 2021.

“CHOGM Rwanda 2021 will be an exceptional occasion to deliberate together on the enormous technological, ecological, and economic challenges and opportunities facing the Commonwealth, particularly our young people, and which are all the more pressing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic,” President Kagame said, adding that Kigali looks forward to hosting it.

Ms Scotland said the summit would bring together Commonwealth heads of States “to take practical action on the critical issues we all face.”

“Our meetings in Rwanda will give us a real opportunity to focus on our post-Covid-19 recovery, but we also know that the pandemic has not reduced the urgency with which global challenges such as climate change, the global economy, trade and sustainable development need to be dealt with decisively through multilateral cooperation and mutual support.”

The heads of State’s summit will be preceded by meetings for representatives from Commonwealth networks for youth, women, civil society and business.

The Commonwealth is an association of 54 countries.

www.theeastafrican.co.ke