Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, delivered a significant statement at the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministerial Meeting in New York shedding light on the preparations for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024, hosted by Samoa.
The event took place under the auspices of Secretary General, Baroness Patricia Scotland, and Chair-in-Office, Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda.
In his address, Prime Minister Rabuka expressed his gratitude to Chair-in-Office Kagame and Secretary General Scotland for convening the meeting, highlighting its importance for all Commonwealth member countries, particularly those in the Pacific.
The Prime Minister welcomed the expansion and adaptive approach to current and future programs within the Commonwealth, emphasising the specific needs of small island nations, which play a crucial role in the Commonwealth’s diverse membership.
He commended Samoa Prime Minister Fiame Mataáfa and the people of Samoa for the visionary theme chosen for CHOGM 2024 in Apia, ‘One Resilient Common Future: Transforming Our Common Wealth.’ He acknowledged the theme’s relevance in fostering mutual learning and collaboration within the Commonwealth Aiga, or Vuvale, as referred to in Fiji.
Reflecting on the preparations for CHOGM 2024, Prime Minister Rabuka stressed the importance of reviewing progress, addressing challenges, and establishing robust monitoring mechanisms.
Expressing Fiji’s excitement as the Pacific region prepares to host Commonwealth Leaders for the first time, Prime Minister Rabuka expressed support for the Samoa approach, emphasising accelerated action and solution-oriented partnerships.
Prime Minister Rabuka said the theme; ‘One Resilient Common Future’ is timely and relevant to global challenges.
Prime Minister Rabuka called on the Secretariat and Chair-in-Office to develop programmes promoting resilience and sustainable development. Fiji’s specific requests included coordinating the ten Action Groups for implementing the Blue Charter and exploring opportunities for support in its digitization journey.
Prime Minister Rabuka emphasised the transformative potential of discussions at the 2024 CHOGM and extended a warm invitation to the Commonwealth leaders to Apia, Samoa, in 2024.
SOURCE: FIJI GOVT/PACNEWS
