The British High Commissioner to Rwanda, Jo Lomas, has said that the United Kingdom (UK) leaving the European Union (EU) will not destabilise the Commonwealth.

Lomas made the remarks on Friday, March 13, 2020 the celebrations of Commonwealth Day 2020 at Rwanda Parliament.

The UK officially ceased to be a member of the EU on January 31, 2020 after 47 years of membership – and more than three years after it voted to do so in a referendum.

Commonwealth is an organisation consisting of 54 member states – with 2.4 billion people or about one-third of the world’s population – including the United Kingdom and other countries, most of which used to be part of the British Empire.

Its member countries span from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific. While the Commonwealth was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, Rwanda joined it in 2008.

"People often ask me about Brexit and the impact to the Commonwealth. First of all, I should say that Commonwealth is a different organisation to the EU. It’s got different aims, different structures and different processes. So you can’t really compare the two,” she said.

Commonwealth Day 2020 celebrations brought together all Senators, Deputies and High Commissioners from the Commonwealth member countries with residence in Kigali. on Friday (Craish Bahizi)

She said that they are working to ensure that no Commonwealth country is badly affected because of Brexit.

"For example, the UK is committed to extending duty-free and quota-free access to least developed countries under the EU’s current ‘Everything But Arms’ initiative.

This is an initiative under which all imports to the EU from the Least Developed Countries are duty-free and quota-free, with the exception of armaments.

"So, this will ensure that countries like Rwanda keep the existing duty-free access to UK markets, and we’ll provide new opportunities to increase trade links,” she observed.

She said that people should be sure that the UK will continue to prioritise efforts towards a fairer, more prosperous and more sustainable, and secure world.

"And for us, the Commonwealth will continue to be a key organisation to help deliver those goals,” she said.

Boosting trade

Lomas said that free and fair trade is one of the areas of work that are important to the Commonwealth.

"The trading costs between Commonwealth countries are on average 19 percent less than those between no-member countries. This is referred to as Commonwealth advantage,” she said.  

She indicated that the Commonwealth Secretariat estimates that the trade between member states will exceed $700 billion this year.

"So to support this agenda, the UK has been working with Commonwealth partners to deliver initiatives aimed at improving the business environment, boosting inter-Commonwealth trade, investment and promoting quality,” she said.

Olivier Nduhungirehe, the State Minister in Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation said that the Commonwealth market was worth $585 billion in 2019 and with the potential to reach$2 trillion in 10 years.

"With 54 member states, and 2.4 billion people, Commonwealth is important global network that is important for Rwanda and for other members of the Community. There is also of course trade opportunities,” he said.

CHOGM 2020

In June, Rwanda will host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2020.

Nduhungirehe said that up to 40 Heads of Government, and around 6,000 delegates are expected to attend it.

He said that the overall theme of CHOGM 2020 is "delivering a common future, connecting, innovating, and transforming.”

Under this theme, there are five sub-themes to be discussed which are governance and the rule of law, ICT and innovation, youth, the environment, and trade.

Senate President, Augustin Iyamuremye observed that Rwanda is not simply looking to deliver the meeting, "but to ensure that it is the renewal of the Commonwealth spirit as a Community for the people.”

"The fresh perspective championed by Rwanda together with other Commonwealth countries should ensure that the legacy of CHOGM 2020 in Kigali is a generation lifted by opportunities, lifted out of isolated communities and disconnected countries, lifted out of digital divide, lifted out of miseducation,” Iyamuremye said.