Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Vincent Biruta has issued assurance on the country’s readiness to host the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of State Summit (CHOGM) under a safe environment. Rwanda will be hosting the summit in its capital city Kigali from June 25 to 26, after it was rescheduled from mid-2020 because of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. In an article he wrote in the latest edition of Commonwealth voices magazine published this month, Biruta said that as the world looks ahead with optimism that the global health situation will improve over the next few months, Rwanda is looking forward to welcoming fellow member states to the CHOGM summit. He highlighted the country’s national Covid-19 response, saying it has been focused on multi-sectoral collaboration and built upon regional and international responses. “As we continue to strengthen our capabilities, be reassured that we will host you in a safe environment, in respect of all World Health Organisation recommendations,” he said. He praised “the accelerated international response to the current public health emergency,” referring to it as an illustration that “when we combine our efforts, we have the capacity to prepare for future threats but also, to act on pre-existing ones.” Biruta also spoke about the Covid-19 vaccine, saying the Commonwealth, could play a key role in ensuring equitable access to and distribution of fairly priced vaccines, using its experience as a leader on environment and climate change that continue to affect communities around the globe. The upcoming CHOGM meeting is the 26th edition of the summit. It will be held under the theme “Delivering a common future: connecting, innovating, transforming.” It is looked at as an opportunity for Commonwealth Leaders to reflect on new forms of global governance while also raising ambitions on key decisions taken during CHOGM 2018. It will also be the occasion to build unified positions ahead of key upcoming events, including the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) scheduled for early November 2021, in Glasgow, UK. “It is indeed time to put our words into action, by making our governance models more inclusive; by making our health systems more resilient; by ensuring our economies and trade attain sustainable growth; by strengthening our social protection systems; by taking bold action on climate and by unlocking the advantages of technology for development,” Biruta said. The CHOGM summit is a biennial meeting of the leaders from all Commonwealth nations. The Commonwealth of Nations, generally known simply as the Commonwealth, is a political association member states, many of which used to be territories of the British Empire, though it is open for any nation that wants to join. Rwanda is the youngest member of the Commonwealth, having joined the organization in 2009, and it is one of the very few member states without any direct British colonial connection or constitutional link.
