The 2022  Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) this year was held in Kigali, Rwanda from 14th and 28th June, after a 4-year gap following the 2018  meeting in London. The theme this year centred on, ‘Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming’. In the run-up to CHOGM, the Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF) takes place and acts as an advocacy channel for Civil Society to voice their priorities and recommendations.

The CPA was represented by Mr Flandrie Habyarimana, Councillor for Rwanda and Ms Winnie Nambatya, in-country consultant for Uganda who was in attendance at the CPF and CHOGM. The CPA also hosted a side event on ‘Emerging from the Pandemic: Antimicrobial Resistance – a Call to Action’ as well as attending several other events, led by Winnie and Flandrie. A complete list of events can be accessed here. 

The CPA’s advocacy efforts for this event began many months and years beforehand. Through our membership with the Commonwealth Health Professions and Partners Alliance (CHPA) and our presence on the Informal Federation of Commonwealth Organisations (IFCO) steering committee, the CPA directly contributed to the advocacy papers developed; which were drafted and presented to the Commonwealth Heads of Government around the following themes:

• Governance and rule of law
• Sustainability (Trade and Environment)
• Youth
• ICT and Innovation
• Health (Read the report)

The  Civil Society recommendations and the subsequent deliberations from the Heads of Government are then reflected in the Communiqué issued by CHOGM as an outcome of the meeting.  Read more about the events and outcomes of CHOGM here.

We were excited to see many elements of our advocacy work reflected in the Communiqué, including the emphasis on the need for action to tackle AMR, which appeared for the first time as a key area for action.

Photo credits: CHOGM Rwanda 2022