The 25th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting kicked off in London on Thursday, as Britain, the current chair, sought to position the community as a route for tackling a number of global challenges, from climate change to protectionism, based on “equal” voices from across the group.

“It’s a meeting that takes place at a time of significant global challenges. The rules-based international system, which has consistently delivered both prosperity and peace, faces threats in many forms and on many fronts,” Prime Minister Theresa May said during the opening of the first of three executive sessions that took place on Thursday, ahead of the leaders’ “retreat” at Windsor on Friday.

Alongside attending the executive sessions, the Prime Minister held several bilateral meetings, including with Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni; Gambian President Adama Barrow; President of the Seychelles, Danny Faure; Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda, Gaston Brown; the President of Kiribati, Taneti Maamau; Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama; the Prime Minister of St Lucia Allen Chastanet, and the Solomon Islands Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela.

Ahead of the summit it was hoped that renewed interest from India will give new impetus and relevance to the organisation. After many years of active engagement with it, there was an eight-year period where no Indian Prime Minister had participated in a CHOGM, so the decision by Modi to attend the event was seen as a significant moment for the group. “I had not been able to visit the last summit and this time, it was an honour that Prince Charles came personally to India last year to invite me for it. The Queen herself wrote a personal letter to me, a matter of great pride for India,” Modi said at Westminster Central Hall on Wednesday, at the Bharath Ki Baath, Sabke Saath event.

From the Indian perspective, the Commonwealth offers opportunities to reach out to small states, that make up around 60 per cent of Commonwealth members. In some of these states India has no diplomatic presence, and forging relations with these countries could help India secure crucial votes during UN or multilateral contests it was involved in, says Rahul Roy Chaudhury, head of the South Asia programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. India also viewed the Commonwealth as a counterpoint to China, and its expanding influence in South Asia and the Indian Ocean, he added.

Opening the summit on Thursday, 91-year-old Queen Elizabeth expressed her “sincere wish” that the Commonwealth would choose Prince Charles as her successor to lead the 53-nation community. Ahead of the summit there had been debate over who should lead the Commonwealth if and when the Queen chose to step down from the role, which she had taken over from her father.

Security, and counter-terrorism, education, climate change and environmental issues were set to feature prominently in discussions, as well as opportunities to grow intra-Commonwealth trade to $700 billion by 2020, challenging rising protectionist sentiment globally.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW