By Linus Aleke, Abuja
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, has been scheduled to embark on official visits to Samoa and the Kingdom of Tonga from 25 March 2024.
Mr. Snober Abbasi, Senior Communications Officer, Media and Public Affairs, Commonwealth Secretariat, in a statement, said that in both countries, she will hold discussions with Heads of Government, cabinet ministers and other public figures on issues of importance to the Commonwealth and the Pacific region, including Commonwealth assistance and cooperation.
The Secretary-General, he said, will arrive in Samoa on 25 March 2024, where she will meet with Prime Minister Hon Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa to discuss the preparations for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled for this October in Apia.
Mr. Abbasi also noted that from 30 March to 3 April 2024, the Secretary-General will be in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, for her first official visit.
She will meet with Prime Minister Hon. Siaosi Hu’akavameiliku, Deputy Prime Minister Hon Samiu Vaipulu, Foreign Affairs Minister Hon. Fekitamoeloa ʻUtoikamanu and other cabinet ministers.
Particularly, she will seek their perspectives on the CHOGM agenda as part of consultations with member countries ahead of the biennial meeting.
Whilst in Tonga, Mr. Abbasi said, the Secretary-General will visit communities affected by the 2022 Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai Volcano eruption and learn about the impact of the disaster on their lives and livelihoods.
Ahead of her visit, Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said: “Samoa and Tonga are wonderful countries with strong cultural links, and I am so happy to be returning to the Pacific. Both countries are central to our Commonwealth family and embody the values and commitments we share, with their governments and people actively contributing to the partnerships which make the modern Commonwealth so strong and dynamic.
“The beauty, heritage, and diversity of the Pacific are a blessing to the world. I look forward to working closely with the Commonwealth’s members in the region to confront shared challenges, seize shared opportunities, and support their goals to deliver a resilient common future for all.”
The statement said that Samoa will be the first small island state from the Pacific to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Discussions at the meeting, Mr. Abbasi will focus on global political, economic, and environmental developments as well as the work undertaken by the Commonwealth since the last summit in Rwanda almost two years ago.
The Secretary-General expressed her gratitude to the Government and people of Samoa for their warm hospitality and thorough preparations for the meeting.
On CHOGM, she said: “Our Head of Government Meeting in Samoa comes at a seminal moment, especially as the impacts of the climate crisis become more intense, more frequent, and more devastating. In the Pacific, people see and feel these impacts, living with them every day, despite the region bearing the least responsibility for causing the problem.”
