CHOGM 2009: PM Najib arrives for landmark meeting

2009/11/26

From Fauziah Ismail in Trinidad & Tobago

PORT OF SPAIN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak arrived this morning for the three-day Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting, where climate change will be the major topic of discussion between the 53 leaders of the grouping. The biennial summit, which begins tomorrow, is themed “Partnering for a more Equitable and Sustainable Future.” This year's meeting will also coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth.

The three-day meeting promises to be one of the most important Commonwealth meetings ever.

Its secretary-general Kamalesh Sharma expects leaders to embrace the issue of climate change as the meeting offers the only opportunity for the leaders to meet before the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change next month.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and French president Nicolas Sarkozy who are strong environmental advocates, will be Commonwealth's special guests at the meeting. United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki Moon has also confirmed his attendance.

Nothing is expected to take precedence over the issue of climate change as the developing and developed countries sit on two opposite sides of the fence where this is concerned.

Commonwealth officials acknowledged that no one country can tackle these issues alone. As such, emphasis will be on adopted an integrated approach to find joint solutions.

Leaders are also expected to review international and economic developments as well as examine avenues for Commonwealth cooperation for development.

An official said Malaysia may bring to the table a discussion on the need for reforms of current international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the United Nations in an effort to tackle global economic crisis.

Malaysia is an active member country of the Commonwealth through the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC). It was established by Commonwealth leaders in 1971 to put the skills of member countries at each other’s disposal.

Through CFTC, Malaysia had fielded its officials as experts and consultants for technical assistance projects in other Commonwealth developing countries to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills in technical fields to some developing countries. Malaysia has also hosted training at its training institutes.

And with half of the Commonwealth population of two billion comprising those under 25 years of age, leaders will be looking at ways to engage the young in lined with its 60 th anniversary theme of ‘thecommonwealth@60 - serving a new generation’.

As the first step, Sharma has embraced new media to reach the younger generation. The Commonwealth has asked the public to e-mail questions about the grouping.

Sharma will answer as many questions and suggestions as possible during CHOGM, with responses (and the emails) published on Twitter, Facebook and on the Commonwealth Secretariat’s website.

There are, of course, other issues in which the host and neighbouring governments have a special interest – capacity building in export, human resource and skills development, upscaling of the services sector, the environment and protection against natural devastation, engagement by diasporas in nation-building at home, cushioning against a variety of price shocks such as in energy and food, and others.