Mr Badara N Bajo, CHEC Gambia and Gunjur Environmental Protection and Development Group (GEPADG) a Gunjur based Climate and Environmental Organisation was among representatives from 55 Commonwealth countries from around the World with high powered delegations including Foreign Ministers that gathered at the Rwandan Capital, Kigali to deliberate on issues around Health, Press Freedom, Climate Change, and other threats facing the World at the June 21 - 25 Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM).
GEPADG Executive Director Mr Bajo represented the Commonwealth Human Ecology Council (CHEC) Governing Body as a Board member and Founder of CHEC Gambia. “The Commonwealth Human Ecology Council (CHEC) is a UK-registered international development charity committed to pursuing sustainable solutions for the preservation and use of the planet’s natural resources. Through its focus on human ecology – the web of relationships between ecosystems and human societies – CHEC works to create lasting improvements for local communities across the Commonwealth.”
The Leaders and other delegates of the Commonwealth nations were in Kigali for the official opening of the 2022 commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) held under the theme Delivering a common future: Connecting, Innovating, and transforming. The conference saw the attendances of Presidents, Prime Ministers in the Rwandan Capital of Kigali from 21 – 25 June 2022. CHOGM was cancelled twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the Kigali meeting, the president of Rwanda and host of CHOGM 2022 Paul Kagame underscored the importance of the meeting saying CHOGM brings them closer as like-minded countries. Zimbabwe, who has been out of the Commonwealth since withdrawing from the organisation in 2003 attended the meeting in their large numbers and applied to re-join the Commonwealth. The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles represented the Queen at the Kigali meeting.
The Commonwealth meeting (CHOGM) are held every two years with different forums such as the Commonwealth Business Forum, Commonwealth Youth Forum, and Commonwealth Peoples Forum. The outcome of these meetings and the Commonwealth Charter serves as working document for the Commonwealth Heads of Governments. Mr Badara N Bajo participated in the Commonwealth Peoples Forum.
Speaking to Gunjur Online after returning to Gunjur from the meeting, CHEC Gambia and GEPADG Executive Director revealed that “The Kigali CHOGM attracted a lot of investors in the human ecology sector, and I am very impressed with the friendly, green, and very clean nature of Kigali city which Banjul should learn from and follow. This could only be done through good leadership, citizens participation with attitudinal change. Rwandan membership of the Commonwealth has changed the narrative that it is the British Empire of course that is the root but today the commonwealth is a unified global family with a common vision to tackle the present global crisis and the Commonwealth is growing from strength to strength even welcoming countries that were under the French colony are applying for membership. Gambia should take her position seriously. I recommend the Gambia to open an Embassy in Kigali.”
