Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla are expected in Rwanda on the occasion of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to participate in different flagship events and other planned engagements. The Prince of Wales, the eldest son and heir-apparent to Queen Elizabeth II, in a statement from Clarence House, said that together with his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, he was looking forward to meeting Commonwealth leaders in Kigali. The Commonwealth meeting is expected to take place between June 20 and 26. “Over the years, I have learned a great deal from the ideas, concerns and aspirations which people across the Commonwealth have so generously shared.” He said there is a pressing need to find opportunities for young people as two out of three Commonwealth citizens are under the age of thirty. “Taking shared responsibility to solve problems like these means the Commonwealth has the potential to make a profound difference in the lives of its citizens - and, in so doing, to be an unparalleled force for good in our world.” During his stay, he will focus on climate, health and the private Sector where he will meet business owners from across the Commonwealth, host a roundtable with the Sustainable Markets Initiative, Commonwealth leaders and global CEOs, as well as attend the Kigali Summit on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, on June 23. He will visit a local wildlife sanctuary that has reclaimed surrounding wetlands and protected endangered cranes to highlight the critical importance of rejuvenating land. The British monarch will also announce a new partnership to create a “Living Lab”, promoting sustainable agriculture and land management with local communities, linked to similar initiatives across the world. The Prince will also visit one of Rwanda’s Regional Colleges to find out how students are supported in technical and vocational training to boost their potential to gain employment and increase the country’s economic growth. In a population of 2.6 billion people, sixty per cent of Commonwealth citizens are under the age of thirty and in Rwanda the age profile is even lower with an average age of twenty. On the other hand, the Duchess of Cornwall together with the First Lady Jeannette Kagame, will visit a public library supported by Book Aid International, a charity of which she recently became Patron, after the Duke of Edinburgh. The engagement will also highlight The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition and the growing number of successful Rwandan entries. On the second day, Duchess Camilla, the First Lady, and Patricia Scotland the Commonwealth Secretary General, will attend a Violence against Women and Girls event. This being the first visit to Rwanda by a Member of The Royal Family, “they will both have an opportunity to reflect on the strength and resilience of the Rwandan people, as well as their commitment to reconciliation and optimism, following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,” the statement read. They will visit the Genocide Memorial where they will tour the museum and lay a wreath. The Prince and The Duchess will meet with women from the Village of Hope, an organisation set up after the Genocide to offer shelter to women who had suffered gender-based violence. Afterward, the Prince of Wales will visit a Reconciliation Village where he will meet with both survivors and perpetrators of the Genocide, and later on, he will visit a local church to view a Genocide Memorial. Prince Charles is expected to meet some of the beneficiaries from across the Commonwealth of his charity, Prince’s Trust International, which aims to support people in education, training, or employment. On the final day of engagements, they will both attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Opening Ceremony at the Kigali Convention Centre. The leaders’ summit will be preceded by meetings for representatives from Commonwealth networks for youth, women, civil society, and business actors to discuss current political, economic, social, and environmental issues. The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries.
