Gilani to leave for Perth tomorrow to attend Commonwealth moot
ISLAMABAD, Oct 25 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani will represent Pakistan at the 54-member Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Perth, Australia to discuss global issues.  Gilani is leaving tomorrow (Oct 26) for Perth where he will address the Forum besides meeting the world leaders on the sidelines of the moot. He is expected to return on Oct 31. The Commonwealth leaders who meet every two years represent world’s largest and smallest, richest and poorest countries which are home to two billion citizens of all faiths and ethnicities.The CHOGM provides a unique forum to pursue trade and investment opportunities, reinforce the strong people-to-people links and promote their shared values.
The event with the theme 2011: “Building National Resilience, Building Global Resilience” - will provide an opportunity for Commonwealth leaders to meet in Australia to discuss world issues relevant to building a strong and secure future for all.
 A number of parallel events will take place including the Commonwealth Business Forum 2011, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) Australian and Western Australian Governments and the private sector.
The Forum will provide a unique opportunity for delegates to contribute and present key policy recommendations to CHOGM; learn about new business and investment opportunities; conduct business with other international partners; network with key government and business leaders; and influence the debate on important trade and investment issues.
 Another event will be the Commonwealth People’s Forum aimed at raising the profile of civil society organizations and to strengthen links between them and the private and public sectors, as well as youth.
It will also seek to create opportunities for dialogue between civil society and government ministers on priority issues in the Commonwealth.
 An important parallel event “Empowering Women to Lead” will be hosted by Prime Minister Julia Gillard to discuss how to achieve gender equity in leadership positions across the Commonwealth.
 The event will promote the important role women play in private and public sector leadership.
Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard, will host the Heads of Government Meeting and take over as the Commonwealth Chairperson-in-Office and will continue in office till the 2013 CHOGM which will be held in Sri Lanka.
The main decision-making forum of the Commonwealth is the biennial CHOGM, where Commonwealth Heads of Government, including Prime Ministers and Presidents meet for a few days to discuss matters of mutual interest.
 The parallel theme of ‘Women as Agents of Change’ will be of particular significance in Perth as the Commonwealth’s first woman chair-in-office, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, will hand over the chair to another woman, Julia Gillard.