Abbasi attends C’wealth summit in UK today

LONDON: A five-day important summit of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2018 is going to be held here today (Monday).

The United Kingdom (UK) will host the meeting where leaders will gather in London and Windsor to address the shared global challenges we face and agree actions on how to create a better future for all.

There are four important forums i.e. business, peoples, youth and women’s forum. A vital delegation from Pakistan led by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will participate in the meeting.

The delegation, comprising Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Trade and Commerce Pervez Malik and others, will also partake of relevant meetings of forums.

British Prime Minister Theresa May will inaugurate the business forum where Prime Minister Abbasi will highlight the importance of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Khawaja Asif and Ahsan Iqbal will also participate in their relevant forum’s meeting where they will elaborate on the current policies how they are combating terrorism.

The foreign minister will also highlight the Syrian crisis besides taking the international community into confidence on their relations with the neigbours.

The Commonwealth is a diverse community of 53 nations and more than 80 organisations that work together to promote prosperity, democracy and peace. It is home to a third of the world’s population and nearly 40 % of its young people. The agenda of the Commonwealth Youth Forum is developed by an international taskforce made up of young leaders from across the Commonwealth, working in partnership with the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC) and youth-led networks.

“To mobilize youth and focus their efforts, there will be a youth forum. Prince Harry will be opening the Commonwealth Youth Forum to highlight the issues”.

The Commonwealth secretary general is scheduled to open the three-day Women’s Forum. The 2018 Women's Forum will reflect on some of the global challenges still faced by women, as part of a wider commitment to "leave no one behind" in the Commonwealth journey to achieving gender equality by 2030.

The Women's Forum will draw international delegates from the Commonwealth and the rest of the world to highlight women's positive political, economic and societal contributions and establish how women and girls will be key to building sustainable and resilient societies.

The first Commonwealth Women's Forum (CWF) was held in Malta in the lead up to the November 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) as a response to a proposal from the 10th meeting of the Commonwealth Women's Affairs Meeting of 2013.

The purpose of the CWF is to affirm high-level support and direct top-level policies for gender equality and women's rights, for women to be given the opportunity to interact with leaders and for the Commonwealth's commitments to gender equality to be positioned high on the agenda for heads of government.

The 2018 CWF will address the theme of “an empowered future for women and girls”. The theme signals a clear message that gender equality, women's rights, and women's empowerment are goals and means towards achieving sustainable development as pursued through the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The programme will include substantive plenary sessions and parallel workshops providing the opportunity for participants to focus on specific areas including: women in leadership, women, peace and security, women’s economic empowerment, gender parity in education, ending violence against women and girls, eliminating harmful practices

The people and businesses of the Commonwealth enjoy the advantage of having a common language, legal systems, and values, making it easier for them to communicate, trade and cooperate with one another. Every member has an equal voice, no matter its size.

During the week of 16th April, leaders will attend working sessions to discuss shared global challenges, attend a dinner hosted by Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace and gather at Windsor Castle for the Leaders’ Retreat - a day when leaders engage in frank dialogue and set the course for future Commonwealth co-operation

The forum will address the CHOGM 2018 theme 'Towards a common future' and will focus on six key areas, accessing modern financial services, easing the pathway for business and growth, harnessing Commonwealth technology and innovation, creating a new attitude to sustainable business, mobilizing an export economy and attracting inward investment.  

There will be another significantly important “The Commonwealth People’s Forum” organized by the Commonwealth Foundation. It is the single largest opportunity for the civil society to engage with leaders and influence policy.

The Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF) brings together civic voices from around the world to debate key issues facing Commonwealth people. Held every two years in the run-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the CPF is the single largest opportunity for the civil society to engage with Commonwealth leaders on global development issues.

At CHOGM in Malta, heads of government noted the consonance of the Foundation’s mission and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 with its emphasis on peaceful and inclusive societies and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels.

CPF 2018 brings a civic perspective to this discourse, with the central theme being Inclusive Governance: The Challenge for a Contemporary Commonwealth. Sessions on each of the Forum’s three days focus on a theme.

More than 350 delegates from 53 Commonwealth countries and beyond are expected to attend. The programme combines panel discussions, in-depth conversations, case studies and creative expression. It provides platforms for voices from across the globe and concludes with a call to action for a contemporary Commonwealth in the context of inclusive, just and accountable governance.