The Prime Minister of Samoa, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa is now the chair-in-office of the Commonwealth Heads of Government as the 27th meeting opened on the island of Samoa.
She, together with the new Secretary General, will steer the affairs of the organisation for 2 years until the next meeting in 2026
In her speech, the Samoan Prime Minister stressed the need for the 56 member countries to work together, to forge a united Commonwealth family, to avoid suffering in isolation in line with the theme of this year’s meeting, which is ‘One resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth.’
The Head of the Commonwealth, King Charles III who is also attending for the first time as Head of Commonwealth emphasised the connections between member countries and the need to acknowledge the past as a guide to making the right choices for the future in the face of the tensions around the world.
He spoke about the right ways to address inequalities, especially in access to justice, education, skills acquisition, climate, opportunities, employment and health
‘None of us can change the past, but we must commit, with our hearts to learning its lessons and to finding creative ways to right inequalities that endure’
King Charles III also announced the launch of a new Commonwealth fellowship programme for students to build skills for a resilient future in nursing, teaching, engineering and the Green Transition
He highlighted other steps that would help the Commonwealth to be an indispensable example to the world
CHOGM before the end of the meeting on the 26th of October would also be electing a new Secretary General
Written by
Moyo Thomas
TVC News Foreign Affairs Correspondent
