Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma is scheduled to arrive in Guyana tomorrow for a three-day visit, to gain a clear understanding of the region’s concerns and priorities, a release from the Commonwealth said today.
Sharma will call on recently elected President, David Granger, and some of the members of his coalition Government. He will also meet with the Speaker of Parliament and other key stakeholders in the country, a release said.
The visit will continue a series of high-level engagements in the Caribbean. Last week the Secretary-General met with recently elected St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister, Dr Timothy Harris, and attended the Commonwealth Conference of Education Ministers in The Bahamas. From Guyana Sharma will travel to the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference in Barbados.
The release said that the trip to the region and consultation with heads of government is part of the Secretary-General’s preparations for the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), in Malta on 27-29 November 2015.
“The aim is to meet with as many Commonwealth leaders in the Caribbean as possible to ensure their concerns and priorities are reflected in the CHOGM agenda,” Sharma said, in the press release.
The Secretary-General will also address key issues affecting small states in the region, including ocean governance, climate change, education and youth empowerment and debt.