Commonwealth heads of government meeting (CHOGM) November 15-17 |13 November 2013

Sri Lanka ready to welcome heads of states

Over 600 security officers and 14,000 military and police personnel have been mobilised to provide security  and escort to the heads of states who will be attending  the 24th Commonwealth heads of government meeting (CHOGM) on Friday.

President James Michel will also be at the event and a Seychelles delegation which includes Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Paul Adam, ambassadors Marie-Pierre Lloyd and Waven William, representatives of the Seychelles International Business Authority (Siba) and Seychelles Investment Board (SIB), as well as youth representatives is already in Colombo to take part in various forums and other meetings prior to the heads of state meeting itself on Friday.

Colombo City and the southern coastal city of Hambantota in the south, which is five hours drive away from the capital, are all ready for the great event of which preparations started several months ago.

It is the largest conference Sri Lanka is hosting after the Non-Aligned Summit in 1976.

Flags of all the 53 member countries adorn the newly opened highway from the Bandaranaike International Airport to the city centre where most of the pre-meeting events are taking place.

“It is a great achievement for Sri Lanka to host such a big and important event as it is a big  opportunity to portray the country, not only as an economic hub but also as a unique destination for conferences and tourism,” one of the event organisers said.

In a welcome message to all international dignitaries and guests attending the event  published  and broadcast in the media, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said: ‘’Sri Lanka is honoured  and privileged to have been chosen to host the event  this year.”

He said that after suffering for decades from a brutal civil war Sri Lanka has undergone a tremendous transformation since the end of the hostilities in 2009. He said the different events planned not only in the centre of Colombo but in other parts of the country, leading up to the heads of states meeting  will hopefully give delegates an opportunity to experience the rich cultural heritage and varied scenic beauty of Sri Lanka.

The different pre-CHOGM events kicked off on Sunday with the Commonwealth People’s Forum under the theme ‘Equitable growth and inclusive development beyond post-2015 development agenda’.

The three-day event offers an opportunity for non-governmental organisations or other bodies to share ideas and experiences with others around the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth youth forum is a three-day event during which youths from around the Commonwealth, including Seychelles, discuss  issues affecting them and voice their concerns and make  their contributions  to advance  development and democracy in the organisation.

Yesterday, Tuesday, saw the start of a two-day business forum in the morning under the theme ‘Partnering for wealth creation and social development’ and a meeting of small islands states in the afternoon.

Text: Marie-Anne Lepathy

Photo:  Patrick Joubert in Sri Lanka