Senior Lecturer in Law at St Mary’s University, Twickenham (SMU), Cherisse Francis, has attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia, Samoa as a delegate of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London, and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative.
CHOGM is a biennial summit where leaders from the Commonwealth of Nations, comprised of 56 member countries, gather to discuss global and Commonwealth-specific issues, collaborate on mutual interests, and work on policies aimed at improving the lives of their citizens. This was the first time that the meeting has been held in a Pacific nation.
While in Samoa, Cherisse participated in the Commonwealth Youth Forum, the Commonwealth People's Forum, and side events to the main CHOGM.
On each of these occasions Cherisse engaged with audiences from across the commonwealth on various topics including :
- The role of human rights and UN mechanisms in improving the lives of Commonwealth Young People
- The connections between climate change, human trafficking, and the right to safe and healthy working environments in the commonwealth
- Decolonising the criminal law; applying a human rights-based approach to decriminalising poverty and status in order to build resilient societies around the commonwealth.
During these events attendees and participants were able to share from a wide range of legal and civil society perspectives. In keeping with the meeting's theme of "One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth", many of the discussions took an intersectional approach to pressing issues.
Most often Cherisse's contributions focused on the Caribbean region and brought to light her experiences as an attorney, former youth advocate, and now a researcher, educator, and human rights defender.
CHOGM culminated with the election of a new Commonwealth Secretary General and decisions being made for the path the Commonwealth will take over the next two years.
