Media Wire Express Correspondent
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Hon. Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, represented the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Hon. Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, at the official opening of the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Apia, Samoa, on October 25, 2024.
Tanzania, at the meeting also attended by the Minister of Blue Economy and Fisheries of Zanzibar, Hon. Shaaban Ali Othman, along with Tanzanian youth who participated in the CHOGM Youth Forum, has emphasized the agenda of clean cooking energy, encouraging member states of CHOGM to take the lead in developing robust strategies for producing this energy for sustainable development in their countries, as a way to address climate change.
To achieve this, Tanzania aims to collaborate with various stakeholders, including regional and international organizations like CHOGM, the private sector, and financial institutions to facilitate access to clean, affordable, and user-friendly cooking energy, thereby addressing health challenges for users of traditional energy sources such as firewood and charcoal and reducing environmental degradation.
In his official opening of the meeting, King Charles III of the United Kingdom urged member states of the Commonwealth to enhance collective efforts to achieve resilient development, including addressing climate change, which poses an urgent threat of global environmental disasters that require immediate action. He emphasized that every member country has a voice in addressing emerging community challenges.
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King Charles also stated that in all Commonwealth initiatives, young people should be at the forefront, receiving educational and skill-building support, particularly those living in small island states. He mentioned that he continues to lead in this regard.
“In my entire life in the UK and within the Commonwealth, I have tried in every way to create opportunities, especially for the youth and those whose voices are often unheard. That is why when we met in Malta nearly a decade ago, I urged the Prince’s Trust at the time, now King Charles’s Trust, which will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary, to expand its global operational reach within the Commonwealth,” he said while discussing educational support for young people.
The main agenda of the 27th CHOGM meeting focuses on resilience in achieving shared goals, where member countries have been advised to remain resilient in areas of economy, environment, democracy, rule of law, human rights, and the well-being of people in society.
For her part, the Prime Minister of Samoa, Hon. Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, stated that if the discussions and unifying elements of the Commonwealth are implemented by each member country, resilience will be achieved. She also thanked the Commonwealth for their contributions during the constitutional crisis in Samoa in 2021.
The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Hon. Patricia Scotland KC, also emphasized the issue of environmental protection, calling for unity in accelerating the fight against climate change to prevent major disasters and thanked the Commonwealth for giving her the opportunity to serve in her position.
“I want to emphasize that we depend on each other to solve problems while suffering together. If we go together with unwavering faith, we will achieve our goals,” Scotland stated.
Additionally, on October 26, 2024, a new Secretary-General of the Commonwealth will be elected, and the countries currently vying for this position are Lesotho, Gambia, and Ghana.
