It’s the end of the first day of my first CHOGM
Posted by DannyRCS - 23/11/09 at 12:11 pm
It’s the end of the first day of my first CHOGM. As Derek Ingram, who is here at his 21st CHOGM told me this evening, “they are not always this chaotic”. Most of our day was spent going from booth to booth trying to collect accreditation, usually met by polite Trinidadians who unfortunately were not always in a position to help.
I have been struck by two things. First, that the scale of what will transpire over the next few days in Port of Spain is unimaginable, at least by local standards. The Commonwealth will deliver some 50 leaders with entourages, delegates for Business, People’s and Youth Forums, and a whole range of associated events. After only a day in Trinidad I get a sense of how big the Commonwealth really is.
The second is the ‘shopping list syndrome’ that seems to afflict many in the Commonwealth. Even in these few hours, I have heard from prominent speakers that the Commonwealth must focus on every issue under the sun. While I agree that the Commonwealth has to be flexible to deal with the issues of the day, do we really want our leaders to examine small business development or talk about counter-terrorism in their short time together? No, I hope this CHOGM will be focused on clear goals.
But, then again, it is the end of day one of CHOGM one…
Category : Director's Blog
Tags: CHOGM, Trinidad
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November 23rd, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Are the locals skipping out of town like SoH or will they engage in the discussions…did they wear red over the wknd????
November 24th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Sounds like much of the reactions in many of the comments on this site.
The Commonwealth is spread a little too thin, and trying to do it all is almost it’s failure.
November 24th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
How much will those whole thing cost in a recession?