Commonwealth confirms Sri Lanka to host Heads of Govts. meeting in Nov. 2013

President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka and Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma last week in a joint announcement confirmed that the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 15 to 17 November 2013.

The international forum will bring leaders of 54 member countries of the Commonwealth to the country.

The Government has decided to set up a Task Force Secretariat at the BMICH to proceed with the work pertaining to CHOGM 2013 with an allocation of Rs. 217.44 million for expenses.

CHOGM 2013 will be the largest international event at the level of Heads of State Sri Lanka will be hosting since the 5th Summit of the Non Aligned Movement Sri Lanka hosted in 1976.

Announcing the event President Rajapaksa has said that Sri Lanka is looking forward to share experiences in areas of collective interest, including rural development, youth empowerment and people-centred socioeconomic growth within the Commonwealth family, and engage with all members to achieve a significant outcome.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General has noted that CHOGM is an opportunity for Commonwealth leaders to work on common approaches to the current national and global challenges and find ways for the organisation to serve the world better.

“The Commonwealth unites governments and people around practical action on shared values and principles, mutually supporting one another in a spirit of goodwill and cooperation,” Sharma has said.

The CHOGM held in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2009 unanimously agreed to hold its 2013 meeting in Colombo, and at the 2011 CHOGM held in Perth, Western Australia, Commonwealth reaffirmed its decision to hold the CHOGM 2013 in Sri Lanka.

Following the 2013 meeting, Sri Lanka will serve as the Chair of CHOGM for the next two years. CHOGM 2015 will be held in Mauritius.