Commonwealth summit opens in Perth today

Human rights, food security and economic growth will dominate the agenda at the summit of the Commonwealth nations' leaders, which begins today in the Western Australia city of Perth.
Queen Elizabeth II will officially open the meeting of the 54-nation Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre at 10:00am (local time).
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is leading a 55-member delegation, reached Perth yesterday afternoon and will attend the inaugural session today.
Diplomatic sources said leaders in the three-day summit will discuss a series of issues involving setting up of a monitoring mechanism for human rights, economic and social development, food and energy security, etc.
The biennial Commonwealth conference will also focus on global resilience amid uncertain economic conditions, climate change and other challenges.
The meet would discuss another proposal for the re-election of Indian Kamalesh Sharma as secretary general of the Commonwealth.
Today Hasina will attend two executive sessions of CHOGM and the lunch to be hosted by Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma in honour of the participating heads of government.
In the evening, the PM will attend a banquet to be hosted by Queen Elizabeth II in honour of the heads of government and their spouses/partners at Golden Ball room of Pan Pacific Perth Hotel.
On the sidelines of the conference, Hasina will have separate meetings with her Singapore counterpart, the president of Sri Lanka and the foreign minister of Australia.
She will also visit Karrakatta Cemetery and place a floral wreath at the memorial of WAS Ouderland, the only foreign national who received the gallantry award "Bir Protik" from Bangladesh government for his contribution to the country's liberation war.
The Commonwealth is a legacy of British colonial times, with most members having direct or indirect experience of rule under the British Empire. Most have English as an official language. However, its two most recent members Mozambique and Rwanda have no historical link to Britain.
The Commonwealth is a coalition of 54 independent countries committed to promoting democracy, good governance, respect for human rights and equality, the rule of law and sustainable economic and social development.
Based in London, the organisation represents about two billion people.