PNG PM O'Neill in London for Commonwealth Meet
Papua New Guinea is among 54 Commonwealth Heads of Government Leaders who kicked off the first day of the meeting yesterday.
Mr O’Neill is accompanied by Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Rimbink Pato and other leaders.
The summit was originally scheduled to be hosted by Vanuatu at the end of 2017 but was moved to the United Kingdom because Vanuatu was no longer able to host the event due to the damage done by Cyclone Pam to the island nation’s infrastructure.
The position of Commonwealth chair-in-office, held by the government leader of the CHOGM host country, will be transferred at the summit from the Prime Minister of Malta to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who will hold the post until the 26th CHOGM expected in 2020.
The theme of the summit is “Towards a Common Future”. The British hosts have set out four main goals for the summit:
Prosperity: boosting intra-Commonwealth trade and investment;
Security: increasing cooperation across security challenges including global terrorism, organised crime and cyber attacks;
Fairness: promoting democracy, fundamental freedoms and good governance across the Commonwealth; and
Sustainability: building the resilience of small and vulnerable states to deal with the effects of climate change and other global crises.
Under consideration will be: A Commonwealth Blue Charter on ocean governance, a Commonwealth connectivity agenda for trade and investment, a declaration on cybercrime, and revised Commonwealth guidelines on election observation in member countries.
This is the first CHOGM held following the United Kingdom’s decision to withdraw from the European Union, a decision which has resulted in calls for Britain to strengthen its economic ties with and play a greater role in the Commonwealth.
Papua New Guinea also has a youth participation contingent led by National Youth Development Authority boss Norit Luio. Press Release
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