In just a few weeks, the idyllic Pacific Island of Samoa, known for its beautiful beaches, tropical holidays and relaxation, will ramp up its island pace and begin bustling with activity as it hosts the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
It’s a significant moment for the small island nation, being the first CHOGM hosted by a developing Pacific Island state, although the larger islands of New Zealand and Australia have hosted in the past. And it’s one for the history books with Samoa set to welcome Head of the Commonwealth King Charles for the first time, having him stay overnight. The late Queen Elizabeth only visited for the day when she came nearly 50 years ago.
It’s Expensive to Be the Hostess With the Mostess
But hosting Kings, Queens and other VIPs is an opportunity that comes with a hefty price tag. According to local media reports, the Samoan Cabinet has approved $111,000 to upgrade accommodation just to host King Charles, with a Cabinet Directive providing that $35,500 was for furniture and fitting, $29,000 for Presidential suite renovations and $7,400 for bath additions. That’s very fancy bubble bath.
In total, $15 million has been put aside for the event, not including the assistance in kind from donor partners like New Zealand which is providing security and a floating hotel for delegates.
That said, it is a fantastic opportunity for Samoa to showcase itself and its organizational skills to global attendees, and to stimulate the economy with business opportunities for local accommodation providers, caterers, retail and tourism.
And Samoa knows what it’s doing; it’s not the country’s first global event. Samoa has done well from hosting large-scale gatherings in the past, including the Commonwealth Youth Games which saw 6.2% economic growth in 2015 and the Pacific Games in 2019 which saw a quarterly growth of 6.3%.
The country’s economic forecasts are already looking good with the government predicting more visitors and much needed investment off the back of the meeting. Samoa is expected to exceed the International Monetary Fund’s projections for global economic growth of 3.2% for the 2023/24 financial year, with the Asian Development Bank projecting Samoa’s growth at 4.2% and Samoa’s Ministry of Finance projecting an even more optimistic figure of 6.6%.
While all this sounds positive, some people in Samoa are worried that the expenditure for this meeting could be better spent on investing in much needed local infrastructure. Yes, the meeting will attract investment and visitors, but with a cost of US$15 million dollars, it’s not cheap. Could that money be better spent? It would certainly go a long way to finance the health system that doesn’t have enough staff and the education system that needs to retain teachers or to boost food security and reduce reliance on imported products. There are many initiatives currently relying on aid partners that could be supported by this money. It’s a catch 22. Do you spend the money and hope the economic growth predictions are right or even exceeded? Or do you not, and spend the money in house? However, it’s now a moot point as the money is spent and the leaders are planning their trips over to paradise.
What Will Leaders Be Talking About?
The theme of this year’s event is fairly vague: One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Commonwealth. A whole range of things could be on the agenda under that wide umbrella, with Samoan Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa saying that the chosen theme will allow attendees to look at all the key pillars of the Commonwealth through a resilience lens. More likely than not, those leaders are expected to focus their discussions on global economic, environmental and security challenges, and how the Commonwealth can work together to boost trade, innovation and growth, and empower the Commonwealth’s 1.5 billion young people to build a more peaceful, sustainable future.
Why Should We Take Notice of What Happens?
“Surging seas are coming for all of us” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres when he visited Tonga for the Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting. CHOGM being hosted in the Pacific means that climate change and its effects on developing island states like Samoa, one of the most important issues of our time, can’t fail to take up a reasonable amount of discussion time. However, will it make a difference or will it be yet more talk and not much action? We’ll have to see.
Prime Minister Fiamē says her hopes for the meeting are that, “together, we shall script a new chapter, one where our diverse strengths merge into a common vision, ensuring a prosperous and equitable future for all.”
….watch this space.
Photo: CHOGM Samoa 2024
