Vice-President, George Kunda, has arrived in Port of Spain, the Capital City of Trinidad and Tobago in South America, to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which officially opens this Friday.
Mr Kunda and his entourage arrived at Piarco International Airport last evening at 22:40 hours local time aboard British Airways.
He was accompanied by his wife, Irene, Foreign Affairs Minister, Kabinga Pande, Central Province Minister, Ackimson Banda and Senior Private Secretary at the office of the Vice-President, Kenneth Ngosa.
On hand to receive the Vice-President at the airport were high ranking government officials from the host country, Zambian High Commissioner to Britain, Professor Royson Mukwena, Deputy High Commissioner to Canada, Nedson Nzowa and other senior government officials.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Patrick Manning, says he is optimistic that this week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting could overcome the pessimism surrounding next month’s united Nations Climate Change talks in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Prime Minister was giving the feature address at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth People’s Forum at Queen’s Hall yesterday.
Mr Manning said as chair of CHOGM, Trinidad and Tobago is working assiduously with other nations, in and out of the Commonwealth, to attain a position that is strong enough to advance the process toward a global agreement on this critical matter affecting humanity.
He said the fact that the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon and other world leaders outside the Commonwealth, such as the French President, Nicolas Sarcozy and Danish Prime Minister, Lars Rasmussen are attending CHOGM is an indication of the intensity of the efforts on climate change.
Mr Manning underlined the need to tackle climate change, saying a recent UN Summit of world food security had found escalating mass starvation and malnutrition, with the world having one billion starving people.
“Six million children die of hunger every year, seventeen thousand every day. Much of this tragedy and trauma is taking place in the Commonwealth,” he observed.
He said the Commonwealth, with its diversity, is a microcosm of humanity and reflects diverse positions on climate change.
“We are, therefore, in a very good position to lead the way forward on this matter,” he said.
Mr Manning urged the People’s Forum to let their views be known on climate-change and on the global financial crisis. He blamed the latter crisis on a violation of trust between citizens and the bureaucracy which he said must be loudly condemned.
Inviting comments from the People’s Forum on small business and other issues, Mr Manning told the gathering that the voice of the people must be heard on every issue of concern.
He said democracy is more than a periodic visit to a voting booth but rather an unending process that must always deepen the involvement of the citizenry in national affairs. The voice of the people must continuously be heard, and its influence felt.
And Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, hailed the role of civil society, saying it was one leg of a three-legged stool comprising society and also made up of the government and the business sector.
He said all three need each other, adding that there is supposed to be creative tension between the trio which each have their own constituencies.
Mr Sharma said the People’s Forum contains the voice of the people and it must be heard. He said the global economic downturn had hit civil society groups both by reducing donations and by increasing demands for their services.
He added that civil society acts both to protest, cajole, criticize and hold accountable, but can also advise, support and partner.
Commonwealth Foundation Chair, Simone de Comarmond, also gave an address in which she said people in the world who have been traditionally vulnerable have now been even worse hit by the global economic crisis. [ZANI]
RB, ba kujanda trip! dont worry you can go at see the World Cup which is still in Somalia
RB is resting for a change.
Thank God!!!
Finally, Finally our cries have been heard!!!
God is good all the time.all the time, God is good. thanx RB for visiting Zambia
There must be a catch RB is planning to replace Kunda whilst his out of the country
God is great…RB is now listening . Hope he is not just pretending !!!!!!
#4 you are so crazy…
I think RB has a trick up his sleeve
Lesa uwasuka atwasuka lelo…chishumfwa chaunfwa lelo….but guys Kunda will just make the people of this country to look useless…the tone of his voice is pathetic….and he will just talk about the PF/UPND pack…shame
Your comment was a bit too short. Please go back and try again. (CHAMUKABUDULA)
Do you know the number of foreign trips RB has made in the last 12 months- 25!!!
Kanshi these people read what we sabaila here and ZWD.
RB is visiting Zambia for a moment so the resident GK can take the skies, RB will soon be leaving to where he lives..the skies and abroad.
ya ya ya ya RB has listened!
I just wonder the relevance of the Provincial Minister on the Team or may be its an issue of “NIZAKUPATSAKO KA TRIP NAYIWE UDYEKO”.
The old man is tired and depressed!
Uuuhhh, Nedson Nzowa is in CANADA!!!!
Please your excellency do some tangible work as you are visiting Zambia.
In a blatant attempt to hide the decline in global temperatures since 1960, climatologists have been exposed as manipulating data using ‘tricks’ to support their own hyped-up global warming agenda.
Hackers managed to penetrate the servers of the University of East Anglia, in eastern England, a leading global research centre on climate change and uncovered thousands of emails and documents meant to be kept secret from the public, showing direct manipulation of climate data to alter climate charts in an effort to hide the decline in global warming since 1960.
While hacking is never to be encouraged, it has thrown a massive spotlight onto the secrets hidden from the public and indicates collaboration between global warming scientists to hide the truth and instead promote their cause.
At a critical time in history when world leaders are about to meet in Copenhagen to discuss ways to combat so-called man-made global warming, surely this new evidence, however obtained, must condemn the lie peddled to the unsuspecting public that global warming is a threat.
Port au Spain is a very nice place – LT, I hope your cameraman is also part of the delegation, we need some pictures of the meeting.
Guys, dont think RB has listened to your complaints,he is planning to go and attend a beauty peagent with King mswati in somaliland.dont forget that he is never short of great ideas for taking a trip
Hopefully the supporters of global warming will read the leaked emails and reports and petition their leaders to step back from this fraudulent global warming issue. Or maybe they would rather continue believing the lie, because it better serves their cause.
We can only hope that world leaders will do nothing more than enjoy a pleasant bicycle ride around the charming streets of Copenhagen come December. For if they actually manage to wring out an agreement based on the current draft text of the Copenhagen climate-change treaty, the world is in for some nasty surprises.
Cousin Namakando king souchile kwa State House? Was food too much for you CHAKUTI WACHISWA AKUCHISWA. NKULYA ASHONTO MUDALA. Too much of everything is bad. BAKUFILE BUKAYI MWA EVELOPU YAKAKI? Cousin never share a table with an enemy. NCHINDICHAKO ULAFWA.
Be ready for a crude shock. Going on holiday in space. He is entitled for a working holiday
Where is the Chief Tourist???
Kunda has travelled at last the gods have answered our calls let that President in Zambia ( Banda) sit in his office and do some work, i pitty the people who put him in that office which he does not deserve. And i know when i read tomorrow papers on the internet the man will not have been in Lusaka today how can you have a best friend in King Mswati at his age?
Ah! You people, RB must be cursing at GK and twitching that he never went. He obviously wanted to go but of course, even GK is not a good choice for Zambia. Why not send brilliant(?) and exposed young men like Brad Machila to these events? What is GK going to say? I just hope he wont be speaking.
RB IS SICK FOR MISSING THIS TRIP. I THINK THE WIFE SAID SHE IS TIRED OF FLYING EVERY TIME SO SHE WANTS TO REST. AM SURE HE IS MAKING A REQUEST TO VISIT SOUTH AFRICA ANY DAY SO THAT HE CAN EQUALIZE TO THIS TRIP HE MISSED!!
1984 whats with global warming on kabwela’s post?
I have just re-checked at the presido schedule and it shows that RB will be travelling to Sweden due date 28th November, 2009. And from Sweden, he will proceed straight to South Korean, China and Japan before returning to Zambia on 19th December 2009.
Yayayayayayaya!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cikamba RB ayatekako panshi lelo. (I mean ama suitcases yakwe!!!!!!!)
No disrespect, but did he by any chance eat nkanga (guinea fowls) like our late Mazoka…
Rupiah “Air Miles” Banda atushako ka?
#29 Loose Canon. George Kunda speaks in capital letters, LOL.
Ooh yayaya.. For goodness sake, what de **** is GK gonna speak at the meeting? Lets hope he is not there to admire the beauty of Trinidad & Tobago.