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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – PRIME MINISTER Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas will lead the St. Kitts-Nevis delegation to the 21st Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHGM) in Trinidad and Tobago this weekend (Nov. 27 to 29).

Nevis Premier Hon. Joseph Parry, Chief Secretary Joseph Edmeade, Foreign Service Officer Nerys Chiverton and the Federation’s High Commissioner to the UK, His Excellency James Williams, are the remaining members of the federal contingent.

World leaders are turning out in full force for the biennial summit, which is being held in a CARICOM country for the first time. In addition to the heads of Commonwealth states, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen will be in attendance.

As CHGM Chair, T&T Prime Minister Patrick Manning will steer discussions around a packed agenda that includes dominant international issues such as climate change, development, youth, human rights and democracy.

The Commonwealth of Nations is an inter-governmental organisation of 53 independent member states, most of which were once part of the British colonial empire. This year is the 60th anniversary of its adoption of the London Declaration, marking the birth of the modern Commonwealth.

In a communiqué released yesterday (Nov. 26) by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PM Douglas expressed his enthusiasm and optimism for the CHGM.

“The Commonwealth Summit and its associated meetings provide a rare occasion for such a diverse group of countries to come together to advance their concerns and perspectives on the various issues. The organisation links people of developing and developed countries and provides an entry into every major grouping in the world.

“St. Kitts and Nevis welcomes every opportunity to participate in the various Councils of the Commonwealth in order to give voice to our major concerns and to ensure that the Commonwealth remains useful, effective and relevant towards meeting the needs of all member states and enabling us to rise to the challenges of the changing times,” noted the Kittitian Leader.
There have been several preparatory meetings leading up to the CHGM in which representatives of the Federation have participated.

Hon. Ricky Skerritt, Junior Minister of Tourism, Sports and Culture, was present for the Commonwealth Business Council earlier this week, while Commonwealth Youth Ambassador Tavo Sergeant and Youth Officer Chereca Weaver attended the Commonwealth Youth Forum.