Climate change, AI in focus at Commonwealth's Oct meeting in Samoa

The secretary general of the Commonwealth stated that the main topics of discussion at the summit, which is scheduled for October in the tiny Pacific Island of Samoa, would be climate change and attempts to stay up to date with advancements in artificial intelligence.

The Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 countries led by King Charles, grew out of the British Empire to include 11 Pacific nations and 2.5 billion people worldwide.

“This is not a threat about extinction tomorrow, many of them are thinking, it is extinction today,” Patricia Scotland said of the climate change risks that make small Pacific nations particularly vulnerable.

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“If we look at what’s happened in countries like Vanuatu and Nauru and all of them, they see this rise in sea level and the rise in temperature as an imminent threat,” she said, speaking from the Samoan capital of Apia.

Climate change will be highlighted when Samoa becomes the first tiny island state in the Pacific to host the annual Commonwealth Heads of Government conference.

According to Scotland, the organisation aimed to place climate finance consultants in member countries to increase attempts to raise money to address the effects of climate change.

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The digitalization of the world economy and artificial intelligence are more debate points.

“If the small and developing states are left behind, then their opportunity to take advantage of that huge potential increase in development and opportunity is going to be gone,” she added.

A Commonwealth spokesman said plans for the Samoa summit factor in the attendance of King Charles, set to give his first speech as the head of the grouping after missing the annual Commonwealth Day event this month to recover from cancer treatment. The Commonwealth celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.