| 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting CHOGM 2013 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Host country |  Sri Lanka |
| Dates | 15–17 November 2013 |
| Venue(s) | Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre, Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, Waters Edge |
| Cities | Colombo |
| Participants | 50[1] |
| Heads of Government/State | 27[2] |
| Chair | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| Follows | 2011 |
| Precedes | 2015 |
| Key points | |
Colombo Declaration on Sustainable, Inclusive and Equitable Development Trackle High Debt & Poverty Boycott over Human rights in Sri Lanka | |
The 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM; /ˈtʃɒɡəm/) was the 23rd Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 15 to 17 November 2013.[3] Commonwealth leaders agreed on Sri Lanka as the 2013 host for the meeting when they met in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in 2009. Sri Lanka, which was originally slated to host the summit in 2011, was accused of committing atrocities during the Sri Lankan civil war and the summit was instead held in Perth, Australia; Colombo was given the 2013 summit instead.[4][5] The leaders of Canada, Mauritius, and India boycotted the summit, citing alleged human rights violations by Sri Lanka against its Tamil minority.[6][7] Protests were also banned during the summit.[8] President Mahinda Rajapaksa summarised the summit's events as: "Issues covered in the communique include development, political values, global threats, challenges and Commonwealth cooperation."[9] However, the meeting was overshadowed by controversy over Sri Lanka's human rights record and the alleged war crimes during the final stages of the civil war.[10][11][12] This was the first time in 40 years that the Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, was not present at the CHOGM.[13][14]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
communiquewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Commonwealth puts on united front after summit rifts". Bangkok Post. 17 November 2013.
- ^ "Commonwealth announces dates for 2013 Heads of Government meeting". Commonwealth Secretariat. 7 December 2012.
- ^ Webster, Philip (27 November 2009). "Gordon Brown will not back Sri Lanka's bid to host Commonwealth summit". The Times. London.
- ^ Chase, Steven (27 November 2009). "Ottawa opposes Sri Lanka bid to host next Commonwealth summit". The Globe and Mail. Toronto.
- ^ "Mauritius pulls out of CHOGM". The Sydney Morning Herald. Agence France-Presse. 13 November 2013.
- ^ "Mauritius pulls out of hosting 2015 CHOGM: PM". The New Indian Express. Press Trust of India. 16 November 2013.
- ^ "Colombo summit overshadowed by rights row". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ^ "War crimes dominate commonwealth summit".
- ^ "Colombo summit overshadowed by rights row". Al Jazeera. 15 November 2013.
- ^ "Sri Lanka summit overshadowed by human rights record". ITV News. 16 November 2013.
- ^ "CHOGM 2013: Commonwealth leaders sign communiqué on poverty reduction and trade as talks close". ABC News (Australia). 17 November 2013.
- ^ Cavill, Amanda (12 November 2013). "Controversy stalks Sri Lanka's CHOGM". SBS World News.
- ^ "Perfidious Albion cannot change its spots". TamilNet. 5 November 2013.