Preparations for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting are progressing well according to Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa.
Samoa will host the meeting in 2024.
At a press conference late last week, Mata’afa said a senior delegation from the Commonwealth Secretariat visited Samoa in November last year, to look at potential venues for the meeting and the airport.
She added the delegation commenced discussions with the relevant government Ministries on the preparations, and on the formulation of a theme for the meeting.”
“The outcomes of the visit were positive, signaling a good start to our preliminary preparations.”
Mata’afa said a National Task Force will be set up to lead and coordinate all preparations for the event.
“The Task Force will consider our preparations and readiness to ensure security of the leaders and their
delegations while in Samoa, venues, acommodations, transportation and other infrastructure, protocol services, events programme and managing official ceremonies, health, finance and emergency response coordination. Guidelines for meeting our host country obligations are in the Commonwealth Blue book. A special Unit will be established in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to support the work of the National Task Force.”
This is the first time the CHOGM will be hosted in the Pacific and by a Small Island State.
The CHOGM comprises 56 member countries from across Africa, Asia, Carribean and the Pacific. This is the first meeting under the leadership of the new Head of the Commonwealth family, King of England, Charles III.