The chances of President Paul Kagame hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali in June are growing dimmer by the day due to Covid-19, but Cyberspace offers an alternative. The pandemic and British departure from the European Union give the 54 Commonwealth leaders a strong reason to meet as soon as possible.
The loose-knit organization evolving out of the British Empire developed and developed economies by groups. The poorest countries must look to the Commonwealth for help to cope with Covid-19. Regardless of how or where the summit will be held, due to its experience with Ebola in 2019, Rwanda will have practical advice in dealing with the pandemic. A coronavirus tracker has been developed by the Commonwealth that shows daily cases in member countries, a tool designed to help countries prepare and respond to the pandemic.
Other members will be eying trade deals, looking ahead further to when the pandemic is history. The disease, which struck both Commonwealth head Prince Charles and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, blinds Britain’s leader. Trade possibilities are likely to be among the nations most keen to talk about. Building on a shared history and language, member countries offer an ideal platform for Britain to advance its trade agenda and deepen ties with like-minded nations.
Foreign Relations notes that London has championed a more outward-looking foreign policy vision, dubbed Global Britain. According to the publication, the Commonwealth is central to that goal of revitalizing the UK on the world stage. It is a vast market that accounts for some 2.4 billion people, or a third of the world population. Before the combined gross domestic product ( GDP) of the pandemic members reached $10 trillion, or roughly 14 per cent of global GDP.
The leaders of the Commonwealth hold their Summit every two years. The pandemic and the need to plan ahead of time as economies need to be restored would leave little chance at the Commonwealth Summit 2020 to check in on the priorities established in meeting in 2018, or set goals aligned with meeting 2020. The title is: Delivering A Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming. A nation that is not a former British colony or monarchy, or the United Kingdom itself, is the first to host the 2020 summit.
