Pretoria – President Jacob Zuma is expected to arrive in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Friday where he will lead the South African delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane arrived earlier this week and has been participating in the pre-CHOGM Foreign Ministers Meeting, which focussed on the importance of equity in economic development and that inclusive development should provide opportunities to all members of society to contribute and benefit from it, as it can promote progress and advance the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
According to the World Wealth Report 2012, less than 1% of the world's adult population owns nearly 40% of the global household wealth, while 8% owns over 82% of the world's wealth. Disparities between urban and rural areas also exist.
CHOGM 2013 is taking place against the prominent international focus on the 2015 target date for achieving the MDGs and a number of initiatives examining the Post-2015 Global Development Agenda.
Due to the diverse membership of the Commonwealth, this organisation has a special interest in both the MDGs and the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
CHOGM is held every two years to enable leaders of Commonwealth countries to come together to discuss global and Commonwealth issues, and to decide on collective policies and initiatives. This is the first time an Asian country is hosting the summit in 24 years.
Since rejoining the Commonwealth in 1994, South Africa has worked closely with the Commonwealth, contributing politically, financially and in terms of capacity and expertise in the work of the organisation.
South Africa consistently uses its membership to promote the African Agenda and to monitor the implementation of the mandates given to the Commonwealth Secretariat by the Heads of CHOGM. – SAnews.gov.za
