26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
Chairperson
Ms. Saima Wazed participated in the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting (CHOGM) held in Kigali, Rwanda from 22–25 June 2022.
The biennial meeting of leaders from Commonwealth nations was an opportunity to discuss global issues. Our Chair participated as a panel discussant in the side event "Violence Against Women and Girls" organized by Commonwealth and the No-More Foundation. The side event which was attended by senior official representatives from 54 countries, had several high-level participants including the Duchess of Cornwall.
During CHOGM week, Saima Wazed was the keynote speaker at another high-level event, titled “Rethinking Mental Health: A Commonwealth Call to Support, Care and Transform.” The event was co-hosted by the Governments of Bangladesh and Rwanda supported by Commonwealth Secretary-General, with institutional support from Shuchona Foundation. The objective of the side event was to mobilize a Commonwealth-wide awareness campaign and policy interventions as well as sharing of best practices on tackling post-covid Mental Health challenges, reducing social stigma and exclusion, and ensuring inclusive and affordable mental health care, welfare, and empowerment of individuals with Mental Health (MH) conditions and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs) across the Commonwealth. Commonwealth member states, CSOs and regional/ international organizations working in the mental health sector who attended the CHOGM 2022, participated in the event.
