President for Commonwealth Leaders meeting

Rohan Mathes

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected to leave the island today to participate at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2007 (CHOGM) from November 23 to 25 in Kampala, Uganda, President's Media sources said.

A total of 52 Heads of Government, almost one third of the world's leaders, including Prime Ministers, Presidents and monarchs have indicated their participation in this CHOGM summit.

The CHOGM which is generally held on a biennial basis, brings together Commonwealth leaders to a dialogue on global and Commonwealth issues, and to agree upon collective policies and initiatives.

The last CHOGM was held in Valetta, Malta in November 2005.

The highlight of the forthcoming CHOGM in Kampala would be the opening ceremony for Heads of Government and other invited guests.

It would also include the 'Executive Session' and the 'Retreat' for the Heads of Government.

As part of the main events of the CHOGM 2007 in Kampala, there had been four major Pre-CHOGM meetings of the Commonwealth. They were the Commonwealth Youth Forum, the Commonwealth Business Forum, the Commonwealth Peoples Forum and the meeting of Commonwealth Foreign Ministers.

These summits provide an opportunity for an unique forum for consultation at the highest level of government.

They are organised by the host nation in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.

Commonwealth leaders have met regularly for over a century, the first meeting being known as the Colonial Conference dating back to 1887. The Colonial Conference was replaced in 1911 by Imperial Conferences which had been held regularly until 1937. In 1944, the meetings had become the British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations Prime Ministers' Meetings and had been held almost annually in London.

However with the dawn of independence to India and Pakistan in 1947, and their subsequent inclusion in the Commonwealth, the meeting had been known as the Commonwealth of Nations Prime Ministers' Meeting, with the permanent omission of the words British and Empire. Later in 1971 in Singapore, the term Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was adopted.