Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013

Thursday 14 Nov 2013 @ 15:20
Foreign,Commonwealth and Development Office

Updates from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2013 in Sri Lanka.

The UK strongly supports the Commonwealth, and firmly believes it can continue to be a force for good around the world, promoting freedom, democracy and human rights.

It consists of 53 independent member states, nearly a third of the world, with over two billion citizens, and several of the world’s fastest growing economies. The Commonwealth exports over $3trillion of goods and services a year and intra-Commonwealth trade in goods is valued at around £250 billion a year.

CHOGM 2013 will discuss issues that matter greatly to UK. This includes seeking a successor to the Millennium Development Goals, which focuses on eliminating absolute poverty and ensuring Commonwealth values, such as the rule of law and good governance, are at the heart of the next development framework.

They will also discuss upholding Commonwealth values, and expanding international trade. If we want to ensure that these issues are taken seriously then we have to be at the table. We are attending CHOGM not only to support the Commonwealth, but to shine a spotlight on Sri Lanka and to urge its government to take make real progress on issues of human rights, reconciliation, accountability and political settlement.

We will use the visit to Sri Lanka to see the situation on the ground first hand, to meet people on all sides of the conflict, and to raise UK concerns frankly and directly with the Sri Lankan Government. Like every other Commonwealth country Sri Lanka is expected to live up the values of the Commonwealth.

Over the last few years and in particular in the run up to CHOGM, the UK has regularly raised concerns with the Sri Lankan Government about post-conflict reconciliation, and the overall human rights situation.

We believe attending CHOGM is the right thing to do for the Commonwealth. If the UK is not there, we have no way of getting the Commonwealth to act on issues that matter to us.

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Stay connected to the latest happenings at the CHOGM 2013 in Sri Lanka through social media. Regular updates throughout the week will be provided on a variety of social media channels. Follow the handles, hashtags, and other social media accounts outlined below to stay connected.