Prime Minister leads action on food security, climate change and gender equality at Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today concluded his participation in the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda, where he worked closely with international partners to address key priorities, such as food security, climate change and gender equality, and making life better for people.

It is a critical moment. Commonwealth member states, along with other countries around the world, are feeling the effects of Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine through rising food and fuel prices, growing fear starvation, etc. These challenges are also compounded by the continued impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

During the summit, the Prime Minister took action to address these challenges and reaffirmed Canada’s unwavering commitment to the fundamental values ​​that should bring Commonwealth countries together: free and democratic societies and the promotion of peace and prosperity to improve the lives of all. .

While at CHOGM, Prime Minister Trudeau announced nearly $500 million to improve the lives of people in the Commonwealth and beyond. This total includes $250 million to help address the global food security crisis, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa, as announced on June 23. It also includes an additional $246.5 million to advance action in key areas, such as global health, gender equality, and sexual and reproductive health.

This total includes $94 million in funding for education, including,

• $80 million for the Canadian International Development Scholarship 2030.
• $7.8 million over three years for the renewal of Long-Term Institutional Support (LTIS) at the Learning communitybased in Burnaby, BC.
• $6.2 million for Teaching and Learning in Fragile Contexts, an initiative to improve learning outcomes in primary schools in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

It also includes $120 million for 11 initiatives that will support gender equality, empowerment of women and girls, sexual and reproductive health and rights in Commonwealth countries, including but not limited to , the following projects:

• $27 million to Partners for Municipal Innovation – Women in Local Leadership.
• $20 million in continued support to Nigeria for sexual and reproductive health and rights, especially in neglected areas.
• $15.5 million for artificial intelligence (AI) and global health.

The Prime Minister underscored Canada’s commitment to further support efforts to combat climate change and strengthen peace and security across the African continent by announcing $32.5 million.

On the sidelines of CHOGM, Prime Minister Trudeau also underscored Canada’s commitment to fostering trade and investment with its Commonwealth partners in Africa with the signing of the Canada-Rwanda Air Transport Agreement (ATA). Expanding Canada’s air transport relationships improves connectivity to new and existing destinations, which benefits passengers and businesses. The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to hail private sector deals worth up to $148 million in Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia. Expanding trade and investment with African countries is essential to our shared economic recovery, with expanded trade partnerships and more diverse supply chains creating jobs and growing the middle class.

In Kigali, Canada announced its intention to expand Canadian representation on the African continent to further strengthen our relationship. Canada’s office in Rwanda will be transformed into a High Commission, increasing its diplomatic capacity to help promote our various partnerships and the wide range of our common interests and cooperation. Canada is also in the process of establishing a dedicated mission and permanent observer to the African Union in Addis Ababa, which will emphasize our relationship with our African partners and strengthen ongoing efforts on our shared priorities. . With complex peace and security challenges around the world, now is the time to increase our support for regional peace and security.

At the end of the summit, the heads of government issued their communiqué on “Delivering a common future: connect, innovate, transform”, which affirms a renewed commitment to free and democratic societies and the promotion of peace. Commonwealth leaders also re-elected Patricia Scotland as Commonwealth Secretary General and also agreed on a set of reforms to modernize the Commonwealth and improve its governance, and looked forward to their timely implementation.

Quotation

“This is a critical moment. Now more than ever, countries need to come together to defend Ukraine, while addressing the global impacts of Russia’s illegal invasion, such as food security and poverty. We are also focused on growing our relationship with Commonwealth countries, including Rwanda, to create good jobs and middle-class growth that benefits everyone, while continuing to fight poverty together. climate change.

Fast facts

• During the summit, the Prime Minister participated in an intergenerational dialogue breakfast with the Commonwealth Youth Council.
• The Prime Minister also participated in the Commonwealth Business Forum’s Heads of Government and Business Leaders Roundtable. The Round Table was co-chaired by President Paul Kagame and HRH the Prince of Wales.
• The Prime Minister participated in a side event titled Keeping 1.5 Alive – The Glasgow Climate Pact and Building Momentum to COP27, co-hosted by Rwanda and the UK.
• The modern Commonwealth is a values-based association of 54 countries, most with historical ties to the UK and home to over 2.4 billion citizens across five continents.
• Canada is the Commonwealth’s second-largest donor, contributing a total of $10.86 million to the organization in 2021-22.
• This year, leaders gathered under the theme “Delivering a Common Future: Connect, Innovate, Transform” to discuss how to improve the lives of citizens across the 54 Commonwealth countries.
• During the summit, Prime Minister Trudeau also held bilateral meetings with the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, the President of Ghana, Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema.
• On June 23, 2022, Prime Minister Trudeau paid tribute to the victims of the genocide committed against the Tutsi in Rwanda at the Kigali Genocide Memorial.

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