The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland QC, arrived today in Kigali, where she is set to review plans ahead of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which will be held in Kigali the week of 20 June 2022. 

The Secretary-General is also expected to feature as a special guest speaker at the Conference of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa.

The anti-corruption meet will feature heads of anti-corruption agencies from across the Commonwealth’s 19 African member states will meet in Kigali from 3 – 7 May 2022.

The conference will focus on the theme of ‘Combating Corruption for Good Governance and Sustainable Development in Africa’. 

Scotland noted that with the oncoming CHOGM being the first to be held in Africa for over a decade Rwanda had showed outstanding commitment and dedication to delivering the summit.

"I am delighted to be back in Rwanda and it is with confidence and anticipation that I look forward to the Commonwealth family coming together for a face-to-face Heads of Government meeting in Kigali this June. This is the first CHOGM to be held in Africa for over a decade and I commend the Government and people of Rwanda for their outstanding commitment and dedication to delivering an exemplary CHOGM. I thank all Rwandans for their grace and fortitude in undertaking such detailed preparations to ensure a safe, secure and productive CHOGM that drives the Commonwealth forward during these trying times,” she said.

Scotland will also be conducting bilateral meetings with senior government officials whilst she is in Rwanda.

CHOGM is a pivotal agenda-setting and decision-making space for the diverse community of 54 Commonwealth countries.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal sovereign states. It is home to 2.5 billion people and includes both advanced economies and developing countries.

Connected by similar traditions, language, governance and legal structures, monarchs, presidents and prime ministers from Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific, meet every two years at CHOGM, to explore how they can pool their resources and innovations to transform joint challenges into exciting opportunities.