00:00This is an enormously significant event for Samoa, and an enormous amount of effort really
00:07has been poured into making it a success.
00:09As you mentioned, the numbers here are huge.
00:12You've got not just the three monarchs, but 56 member countries of the Commonwealth.
00:16Many of those are sending leaders.
00:18On top of that, some 4,000 delegates also flooding into Apia, which is not a very big
00:23place.
00:24All of that is putting a pretty considerable strain on Samoa and its government, but it's
00:28a task that they're really embracing with quite a bit of relish, and they've got a bit
00:32of support.
00:33So, for example, the government's bringing in a massive cruise ship, which is docked
00:37not far from where I'm standing right here in central Apia, which can house some of those
00:41delegates because the hotels are all overflowing.
00:44You've also got the fact that you've got a number of Pacific countries, 10 or so in total,
00:49who are actually sending additional police here to Apia to help with security.
00:54And on top of that, when you leave the capital and go out into the villages, you really do
00:58get a sense of a country that's pouring every effort into this event.
01:01So every single one of those 56 member countries has been assigned a village.
01:06That village is then decked out in the flags of that country, and the delegation from that
01:10country is very gently encouraged to actually go and visit to try and get a sense of Samoan
01:16hospitality.
01:17So this is a big deal for Samoa, and you really do get a sense of not just the government,
01:22but many people here in Apia, and more broadly, throwing their shoulder to the wheel.
01:26When you talk to locals about that argument, they're not that interested in it.
01:30They say no matter what the merits of Chogga may or may not be, the main thing they're
01:34excited about is the opportunity to really amplify Samoa's voice, including on the international
01:39stage.
01:40And unsurprisingly, many people here are keen to talk about issues that are important to
01:44them.
01:45And of course, on top of that list is climate change.
01:47Samoa, like many Pacific island nations, is deeply anxious about the threats posed by
01:51climate change, sees it as an existential risk, and they hope that with all the TV cameras
01:56and media here in Apia, they'll have an opportunity to really amplify that message.
02:02Of course, that doesn't mean that questions over the Commonwealth's legacy are irrelevant.
02:06Just for example, we're going to get a new Secretary-General of the Commonwealth elected
02:10later this week, and all three of those who are from Africa have advocated, for example,
02:15the idea of reparations for colonialism and slavery.
02:19So these ideas are still alive, but debates around the monarchy and colonialism can be
02:25in the Pacific a little bit more muted than you might find in places in the Caribbean,
02:30for example, or in Africa.
02:32So our expectation is that it may not dominate the agenda in the way it might elsewhere.
02:37Many Commonwealth nations are developing nations, and it includes a host of both Pacific and
02:42Caribbean nations.
02:43They face a really similar set of challenges, not just the threat of climate change, but
02:48the fact that it remains far too difficult to actually get a hold of money, including
02:52from multilateral institutions, to deal with that impact.
02:55So I think that will absolutely be at the top of the agenda.
02:58And it's not just climate change.
03:00We're expecting leaders also to issue an oceans declaration that really emphasizes the critical
03:05importance of ocean health in not just stabilizing the climate, but towards stabilizing environmental
03:11degradation more broadly.
03:12Now this is multilateralism, so it's long, slow, and sometimes painstaking work.
03:18But the Commonwealth Secretariat and others say that they believe this could be a real
03:22spur to action.
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