Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013

23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting CHOGM 2013
Host country	Sri Lanka
Dates	15–17 November 2013
Venue(s)	Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre, Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, Waters Edge
Cities	Colombo
Participants	50
Heads of Government/State	27
Chair	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Follows	2011
Precedes	2015
Key points
Boycott over Human rights in Sri Lanka

The 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM; /ˈtʃɒɡəm/) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 15 to 17 November 2013.Commonwealth leaders agreed on Sri Lanka as the 2013 host for the meeting when they met in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in 2009. Sri Lanka, which was originally slated to host the summit in 2011, was accused of committing atrocities during the Sri Lankan civil war and the summit was instead held in Perth, Australia; Colombo was given the 2013 summit instead. The leaders of Canada, Mauritius, and India boycotted the summit, citing alleged human rights violations by Sri Lanka against its Tamil minority. Protests were also banned during the summit. President Mahinda Rajapaksa summarised the summit's events as: "Issues covered in the communique include development, political values, global threats, challenges and Commonwealth cooperation." However, the meeting was overshadowed by controversy over Sri Lanka's human rights record and the alleged war crimes during the final stages of the civil war. This was the first time in 40 years that the Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, was not present at the CHOGM.

At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2007 in Kampala, Uganda, Commonwealth leaders agreed on Sri Lanka as the host for the 2011 meeting. However, during the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war the government was accused of committing war crimes, and hence at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2009 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago it was decided that the 2011 meeting would be held in Perth, Australia whilst Sri Lanka would host the 2013 meeting. At the 2011 meeting Commonwealth leaders reaffirmed that the 2013 meeting would be held in Sri Lanka.

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