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The official opening of the 13th Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) to the African Union, 22 January 2007

The official opening of the 13th Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) to the African Union, 22 January 2007

McKinnon to visit East Africa, attend AU Summit

23 January 2007

Commonwealth Secretary-General’s talks to focus on democracy, good governance and development

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon will visit Kenya and Tanzania this week for talks focusing on democracy, good governance and development. He will also be present at the African Union (AU) Summit in Ethiopia.

Mr McKinnon will arrive in Kenya on Wednesday, 24 January 2007, where he is expected to brief President Mwai Kibaki on preparations for this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Uganda in November.

He will also discuss other Commonwealth initiatives, including the work of the Commission on Respect and Understanding, which is exploring ways to promote mutual understanding and respect among all faiths and communities, as well as the Committee on Commonwealth Membership, which is focusing on the criteria for membership of the organisation and other related issues.

The Secretary-General will also address a business forum comprising leaders who attended a Commonwealth Secretariat-supported conference of Kenyans in the diaspora in London last year.

He will also speak to students at the Alliance High School, Kikuyu, about the place and importance of young people in promoting democracy and good governance.

Mr McKinnon, who met Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete in London on 16 January 2007, will be in Tanzania from 25 to 27 January for discussions with political leaders. While in Tanzania, the Secretary-General will also meet political leaders in Zanzibar and tour a Commonwealth-supported Women’s Economic Empowerment Project.

The third leg of Mr McKinnon’s Africa trip will be in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he is a guest at the 8th Summit of the AU. The Commonwealth has worked with the AU on a wide range of initiatives, including strengthening trade advisory services in member governments to build their capacity for trade negotiations.

The Commonwealth Secretariat is also cooperating with the AU on democracy and development issues.

The Secretary-General also hopes to hold bilateral meetings with a number of Commonwealth African leaders in Addis Ababa.

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