Commonwealth summit ends with call for action on climate, trade

KIGALI • The 56 members of the Commonwealth made broad commitments to addressing climate change and boosting trade on Saturday as they concluded a summit aimed at shoring up the relevance of a group that evolved from the British empire.

The club, which covers some 2.5 billion people or about one-third of the world's population, presents itself as a network for cooperation with shared goals, but critics say it needs to take concrete actions and be more than a talking shop.

The summit in Rwanda's capital Kigali included comments from Britain's Prince Charles on Friday expressing sorrow for his country's role in the transatlantic slave trade, the first time the Commonwealth has publicly addressed the subject.

Some members urged the organisation to go further by discussing reparations to countries affected by the transatlantic slave trade. There was no mention of the topic in the final communique or news conference, which instead focused on declarations regarding sustainable development, health care and gender equality.

A "Living Lands Charter" stated that Commonwealth countries would work to implement previously signed international pacts like the Paris climate agreement.

"We know that we are at code red when it comes to climate change and that the small member states are facing a crisis that could be existential," Ms Patricia Scotland, re-elected during the summit as Commonwealth secretary-general, told reporters.

Ms Scotland also touted rising trade between Commonwealth members, which she expected to hit US$2 trillion (S$2.8 trillion) a year by 2030 after collapsing during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mostly absent from the summit's public discussions were awkward issues concerning the host country. Many human rights groups consider Rwanda among Africa's most repressive countries. The US State Department has cited credible reports of arbitrary killings by the government, including politically motivated reprisal killings abroad. Neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting rebels waging a major offensive in eastern Congo.

Rwanda denies all of these charges. At the news conference, President Paul Kagame defended Rwanda's human rights record and accused Western governments of hypocrisy.

Also in the spotlight has been Britain's controversial policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, described as "appalling" by Prince Charles, according to British media.

Mr Kagame defended his country's role and denied it was motivated by the £120 million (S$205 million) Britain is initially paying Rwanda to house the asylum seekers. The arrangement was put on hold earlier this month after the European Court of Human Rights blocked the first flight to Rwanda.

"We try to do our best to give them a sense of security and normalcy," Mr Kagame said. "If they don't come, we won't complain. It's not like we are dying to have people come to us in this manner."

REUTERS