The UK will host the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) in April next year after a gap of over 20 years as the 52-nation grouping seeks to devise shared approaches to the opportunities and challenges facing it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be among the Commonwealth leaders from over 50 countries to attend the summit, which will include Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle Queen Elizabeth II's official residences as venues for the first time. The Commonwealth Summit is held every two years and the 2018 CHOGM will see the UK take over from Malta as chair of the heads of government until 2020. Lat time the UK had hosted the CHOGM in 1997.
"The wonderful thing about the Commonwealth is that we are a family of 52 nations spreading across six regions. What motivates us as a family, and what has guided us, are the shared aims of good governance, sustainable growth, and inclusive social and economic development, aided by our common language, common laws, common parliamentary and other institutions, as well as our cultural ties," said Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland.
She added: "We are singularly well-placed and have connections and mechanisms which can help us devise shared approaches to the opportunities and challenges we
face together."