The future of the Commonwealth
11
September 2024 — 1:30PM TO 3:00PM
Anonymous (not verified)
2 August 2024
Chatham House and Online

The Secretary-General candidates’ debate.

At the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa in October, the seventh Commonwealth Secretary-General will be chosen. The Leaders of member countries shape Commonwealth policies and priorities. Every two years, they meet at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in a rotating basis and this year they will vote on who to succeed the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC who has held the post since April 2016 and is completing her second term. Ahead of this vote, the three declared candidates, will convene at Chatham House, presenting their vision and responding to questions from the moderator, Zeinab Badawi and responding to questions from a physical and virtual audience.

This time the three candidates, Mamadou Tangara of the Gambia, Shirely Botchway from Ghana and Joshua Setipa of Lesotho are all African. Africa represents over one third of Commonwealth membership of 56 states, a diverse global platform from Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific that includes some of the world’s biggest, smallest, richest, and poorest countries, representing 2.7 billion citizens, with more than 60 per cent aged 29 or under.

Under the theme of “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth”, the Heads of Government meeting will be the first full Commonwealth summit first presided over by King Charles III as Head of the Commonwealth. Symbolically, it will also be the first Heads of Government Meeting held in a Pacific Small Island Developing State.

Please note that in-person attendance for this event will be balloted. Guests looking to join in-person must register interest in joining. Full confirmations to successful applicants will be sent on Monday 9 September at 13:00.

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Source: Chathamhouse Events