Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in Samoa for CHOGM. Photo: OPM
APIA, Samoa – Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley participated in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa on Friday.
He joined leaders from over 50 nations across Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific.
The CHOGM 2024, themed “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming Our Common Wealth,” is notably the first to be hosted in a Pacific Small Island Developing State (SID), highlighting the region’s growing importance on the global stage, Dr Rowley said on a Facebook post on Friday.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting has been a biennial event since 1971, fostering collaboration among member countries. Trinidad and Tobago, which joined The Commonwealth on August 31, 1962, previously hosted the 21st CHOGM in November 2009.
At the formal opening ceremony, Dr Rowley joined other leaders, including the Prime Minister of Samoa, Afioga Fiame Naomi Mataafa, King Charles III of the United Kingdom, and Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland, all of whom delivered remarks.
Following the opening, Dr Rowley took part in the CHOGM executive session at Parliament House. In the afternoon, he engaged in bilateral talks with Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong. Their discussions centered on enhancing partnerships in training and capacity building, with a focus on national security, digital, and public service transformation.
Accompanying Prime Minister Rowley were Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Dr Amery Browne, and T&T High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Vishnu Dhanpaul .
