Events & Meetings
By
Dec 2, 2003, 22:13

The Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM) holding in Abuja, the Federal capital Territory of Nigeria will bring together almost one third of the world's leaders, mostly Presidents and Prime Ministers.

The meeting, which begins on Friday 5 December,
traditionally encourages frank exchanges and views between Presidents and Prime Ministers of the Commonwealth nations in an informal setting.

Abuja CHOGM 2003 will open with a public ceremony, where the Head of the Commonwealth, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will present an address. It will be followed by other addresses and discussions held in-camera.

The Heads of Government will be on Retreat at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on 6-7 December 2003. They may issue a Declaration at the conclusion of their retreat on 7 December and a final Communiqué at the conclusion of CHOGM on Monday, 8 December 2003.

The concluding press conference will take place at approximately 2p.m. on 8 December 2003.

However before the meetings, associated committees of the Commonwealth would meet in the week preceding CHOGM. Their recommendations are considered at CHOGM.

Parallel special events involving non-government organisations, business and youth now coincide with each CHOGM. Action plans are developed at these events to complement official Commonwealth statements.

Fourth Commonwealth Youth Forum

From November 25 to December 3, 2003 the Fourth Commonwealth Youth Forum was held as part of CHOGM process. This is in recognition of the fact that young people represent two-thirds of the population of the Commonwealth. The overall theme of the Forum is Commonwealth Youth and the Challenges for Development.

The forum had about 200 delegates in attendance, made up of two delegates per country drawn from all the 52 current member countries including 50 Nigerian participants. This year’s forum explored issues such as youths and democracy, youths as instruments for socio-economic development, and HIV/AIDS.

The forum aims to challenge young people to identify strategies they can implement in their communities on their return home.

Commonwealth Peoples Forum

Leaders of the 54 nations making up the Commonwealth agreed in 1997 to hold a "shadow" CHOGM ahead of the summit of the heads of government proper. One of such activities, the Commonwealth Peoples Forum, is holding in Abuja from Sunday 30 November under the aegis of the Commonwealth Foundation.

The Commonwealth Foundation is an agency of the Commonwealth charged with the responsibility of creating connections, energy and synergy between the people of the Commonwealth.

The forum will feature a number of activities. The major attraction is the Market, designated as an area where people and organizations display their wares. The Nigerian market is symbolic. It consists of 81 shops in an area that has been designed to resemble a typical Nigerian village.

The forum also serves as venue for culture, entertainment and art exhibitions. The village where the market has been set up makes for a picturesque site. The huts, with their thatched roofs, seek to give the feel of the village, and men and women in Nigerian dress complete the traditional touch.

The forum is also featuring performances from different individuals and groups around the Commonwealth as well as meetings on diverse subject matters of concern to people and organizations. A communiqué will be issued at the end of the forum.

Commonwealth Business Forum

The Commonwealth Business Forum, which opens on Tuesday 2 December and ends on Thursday 4 December, will be the biggest international conference on sustainable development since the World Summit in Johannesburg.

The event is taking place ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and brings together over 600 business leaders and eight Heads of Government. President Olusegun Obasanjo will address the opening session.

The Forum is being organised by the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is being held to promote business with an eye on sustainable development ahead of the heads of government meeting (CHOGM) from Friday 5 December to Monday 8 December in Abuja; Nigeria.

The theme for the Forum is 'Achieving Sustainable Development - Challenges for Business and Governments’. It will bring together business and government leaders from around the world to discuss practical ways to enhance trade and investment in the world’s second largest trading bloc.

The Commonwealth Business Forum is major international business event. Organisers say that this year’s Forum will build on successful dialogues held at previous events, and break new grounds by articulating private sector views on how to make globalisation work in a way that balances economic advances with social accountability.

The Business Forum will address all aspects of sustainable development as they relate to specific business sectors and economies. Its practical policy suggestions will form the basis of a framework for corporate citizenship, which will be presented for endorsement at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Commonwealth Parliamentary Workshop

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Workshop is another major event preceding CHOGM. The workshop holds from Wednesday 3 December to Friday 5 December at the National Assembly complex Abuja under the theme: “Engendering Development and Democracy”.

The Workshop is organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat in partnership with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the British Council and the Commonwealth Foundation. It brings together parliamentarians from the four regions of the Commonwealth to share their experiences as politicians. The lawmakers are to discuss the barriers and challenges they face, and seek ways to sensitise their peers to their role in ensuring gender equality. The workshop will also attempt to raise awareness of the role civil society can play in partnership with politicians in addressing policy issues and effecting change.

The CPA consists of the national, provincial and state Parliaments and Legislatures of the countries of the Commonwealth. Besides parliamentarians, representatives from civil society organisations and the Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network will also participate.

Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nigeria, will open the conference. During the workshop, the parliamentarians will discuss such issues as: gender, trade and globalisation, women in decision-making, HIV/AIDS, conflict and peace, and strategies for partnerships between parliamentarians and civil society organisations.

A communiqué will be drafted and submitted to Commonwealth leaders for their consideration at CHOGM.

Cultural Packages

A cultural event is being planned by the British Council Nigeria on December 7, 2003 as part of activities to commemorate the CHOGM. It will feature 28 dancers from Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria and the UK. The event is also part of activities making the British Council Diamond Jubilee year.

In the same way, the Theatrical Production Team (TPT) of the CHOGM is also putting together a cultural package. The package includes presentation of three dances pieces - Bata Dance, Ikorode, and Harvest.

· The Bata Dance as performed by the lady talking drummer, Ara and a group of dancers is reminiscent of entertainment scenes in the court of Alaafin Sango during his reign as Alaafin of Oyo in the western part of Nigeria.

· Ikorode is derived from an ancient dance in Enugu State in the eastern part of Nigeria. Ikorode shares glaring similarities with the popular Atilogwu dance in terms of pace, rhythm, tempo and melody.

· The Harvest dance is taken from the northern state of Borno. It is a display of plenty and fertility of the land.


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