Malta

Interview with Phyllis Muscat, head of CHOGM taskforce

Interview with Phyllis Muscat, head of CHOGM taskforce

As Malta gears up to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November 2015, work is already underway to ensure this huge event goes without a hitch. Local businesswoman Phyllis Muscat, who has varied work experience including on the executive committee of the Malta-US Chamber of Commerce and the executive committee of the Malta Association of Women in Business, was appointed head of the CHOGM Taskforce in November 2013. She spoke to The Report Company about the challenges involved and what Malta is doing to ensure this year’s CHOGM has a real impact.

The Report Company: What has Malta learnt from its experience hosting CHOGM in 2005, and what are your expectations of this year’s event?

Phyllis Muscat: We hosted CHOGM in 2005 very successfully and the fact that we were asked to host it again is an expression of confidence the Commonwealth countries have in Malta organising another successful CHOGM. The country’s experience of CHOGM in 2005 demonstrated the need to involve all stakeholders early on in the preparation and to be ready for the unexpected.

The Commonwealth includes 53 countries from all across the world, representing 2.3 billion people. We welcome the opportunity to showcase what Malta can offer, which despite its size, has the capabilities to deliver projects of this magnitude.

We are aiming at a smart CHOGM. Several reforms have been proposed by the prime minister, including how the summit should be organised and the outcome document. This is going to be much shorter than usual, with clear outcomes and outlining where the Commonwealth wants to be. A women’s forum is also being held for the first time and it is creating a lot of excitement. We are looking forward to discussing women’s issues as part of this international community.

As a build-up to the event itself, we developed a vibrant cultural exchange programme which hopefully raises awareness on the Commonwealth among its peoples.

Women’s issues are always discussed at CHOGM, but such a forum allows for a more focussed approach. Women’s wellbeing affects all Commonwealth countries irrespective of size or stage of development.
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TRC: How are you working to ensure that the logistics of the event run to plan?

PM: It is a challenge which we all embrace due to the opportunities it offers to raise the profile of Malta. We have a very dedicated and talented team with experience in organising big events, and we are working in partnership with various ministries and public entities. The commissioner of police is heading the security operation, in collaboration with other entities such as the armed forces of Malta, the civil protection department, and the ministry for health.

TRC: What tangible results can be expected from the meeting?

PM: The role of the taskforce is to create the best environment possible so that meaningful political discussions can take place. It is up to our leaders to exchange these debates into tangible results.

TRC: How are you working together with the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) to facilitate the development of stronger partnerships between governments and businesses?

PM: CWEIC and the taskforce are working closely to organise the Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF). Together, we are preparing the programme, inviting speakers and executing the delegate sales strategy, as well as seeing to the logistics requirements. This forum will bring together around 1,300 business people from all over the globe, and not just the Commonwealth, so the opportunities are enormous. Traditionally Malta provides a bridge between EU, North Africa and the Middle East.  CBF will extend this role.

The Commonwealth Business Forum is a global event with top level participation ranging from heads of government and their delegations to chairs and CEOs of multinationals, from global investment companies to world experts from a diverse range of fields. This makes it an unrivalled networking opportunity and a platform for doing business. Infrastructure, health, technology, finance, tourism, maritime economy, and sustainability are some of the areas to be tackled.

TRC: What is the thinking behind the Commonwealth women’s forum?

PM: This idea started brewing when, with the Australian high commissioner to Malta, we were working on organising an event for International Women’s Day. The prime minister immediately endorsed it, as did the Commonwealth secretariat. An organising committee was set up and it is working very closely with the gender section of the secretariat, looking at areas such as entrepreneurship, empowerment, leadership and social development.

The Commonwealth Business Forum is a global event with top level participation ranging from heads of government and their delegations to chairs and ceos of multinationals, from global investment companies to world experts from a diverse range of fields.
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TRC: What is the thinking behind the Commonwealth women’s forum?

PM: This idea started brewing when, with the Australian high commissioner to Malta, we were working on organising an event for International Women’s Day. The prime minister immediately endorsed it, as did the Commonwealth secretariat. An organising committee was set up and it is working very closely with the gender section of the secretariat, looking at areas such as entrepreneurship, empowerment, leadership and social development.

Women’s issues are always discussed at CHOGM, but such a forum allows for a more focussed approach. Women’s wellbeing affects all Commonwealth countries irrespective of size or stage of development. Malta, for example, still battles with low representation of women in boards and politics. Other countries are dealing with forced marriages or women’s health. This is why this will be a very interesting forum, which should stir up a lot of debate and perhaps controversy. I expect it to create outcomes that will make a difference in people’s lives at the end of the day. The women’s forum is expected to become a permanent fixture in the CHOGM calendar.

TRC: There will also be a people’s forum and a youth forum. What can you tell us about those?

PM: Under the general theme of resilience, the Commonwealth people’s forum is an opportunity for civil society to look at what makes resilient societies and voice their concerns on issues such as the rule of law, human rights, environment and sustainability. Migration will also feature prominently not only in the meetings for heads of government and ministers for foreign affairs, but also at the people’s forum. This is a very important issue at the moment affecting many states, be they countries of origin, transit or arrival.

With more than half of the Commonwealth population under the age of 30, the Commonwealth youth forum will provide a platform for young people to set and manage their own agenda and contribute to development and democracy. One of the main objectives of the Malta Commonwealth Youth Forum 2015 is to feed directly into the agenda of the heads of government meeting. Thus the theme chosen follows closely the main theme of the heads of government summit which is ‘Adding Global Value’. The major topics are education, entrepreneurship, health, sustainability, ICT, gender issues, and human rights. Linked with the theme is the #WhatNext? social media campaign where youth are being asked to make their voice heard by sending their own message to the heads of government ahead of the summit.

TRC: What makes this year’s CHOGM a smart CHOGM?

PM: A smart CHOGM is one that uses resources in an efficient way to achieve tangible results. We are investing a lot to ensure that we have positive outcomes.

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This article was published 19 November 2015
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