The bloc faces a new challenge as some member nations discuss removing the queen as their head of state. She is the head of state of 14 Commonwealth realms, but Barbados cut ties with the monarchy in November, and several other Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, say they plan to follow suit.
In his remarks Friday, Charles said “free” nations can make such decisions “calmly and without rancor.” The heir to the throne also spoke of his sorrow over slavery and its legacy for Indigenous communities and others, saying the Commonwealth “must find ways, new ways, to acknowledge our past.”
“Quite simply, this is a conversation whose time has come,” he said.
Commonwealth members reelected British diplomat Patricia Scotland as the group’s secretary-general on Friday. The summit is set to wrap up Saturday with the issuing of a final policy communique.
Rwanda's hosting of the summit is contentious to some who cite the East African country's poor human rights record under Paul Kagame, an authoritarian leader who has been de facto leader or president since a 1994 genocide.
Other critics are unhappy with what they see as an illegal and cruel deal with Britain to transfer migrants thousands of miles to Rwanda. That agreement faces legal hurdles, and the first group of migrants has yet to arrive in Africa.
World leaders attending the summit range from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose leadership of the Conservative party suffered a heavy blow overnight as voters rejected the party's candidates in two special parliamentary elections, is also in Rwanda.
Some meetings on the margins of the summit reported successes in efforts to address pressing issues such as managing climate change and deadly diseases.
More than $4 billion was pledged Thursday toward global efforts to accelerate the fight against malaria and other neglected tropical diseases. The money will come from governments, philanthropists and others in the private sector. In addition, pharmaceutical companies donated 18 billion tablets to prevent and treat those diseases.
Observers said the fundraising marks a significant breakthrough as malaria is a leading killer in Africa.
Dr. Francisca Olamiju, the head of a non-governmental organization in Nigeria that advocates for the poor, told The Associated Press of her high expectations for such a big gathering to bolster campaigns against tropical diseases.
World leaders must “walk the talk” and mobilize more resources for the cause, she said.
Summit participants also are urging increased action to curb global warming ahead of a United Nations climate change summit scheduled to take place in Egypt in November. Commonwealth governments have been asked to submit their targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by Sept. 23.
At the summit, Commonwealth leaders are expected to adopt a plan to address climate change, land degradation and biodiversity loss. The Living Lands Charter charter aims to achieve climate goals through a mixture of policy influence, financing, technical assistance, governance and sharing knowledge across nations.
Some 32 of the Commonwealth’s members are small states, with 25 of them small islands and developing states classified as vulnerable to climate change.
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Associated Press writer Rodney Muhumuza contributed to this report from Kampala, Uganda.
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Follow AP's coverage of climate issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate
Front row from left; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Britain's Prince Charles and Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations Patricia Scotland attend the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Friday, June 24, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Leaders of Commonwealth nations are meeting in Rwanda Friday in a summit that promises to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Dan Kitwood
Front row from left; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Britain's Prince Charles and Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations Patricia Scotland attend the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Friday, June 24, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Leaders of Commonwealth nations are meeting in Rwanda Friday in a summit that promises to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Dan Kitwood
Credit: Dan Kitwood
Dignitaries and delegates applaud as Britain's Prince Charles walks on stage during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Friday, June 24, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Leaders of Commonwealth nations are meeting in Rwanda Friday in a summit that promises to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Dan Kitwood
Dignitaries and delegates applaud as Britain's Prince Charles walks on stage during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Friday, June 24, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Leaders of Commonwealth nations are meeting in Rwanda Friday in a summit that promises to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Dan Kitwood
Credit: Dan Kitwood
Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations Patricia Scotland speaks during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Friday, June 24, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Leaders of Commonwealth nations are meeting in Rwanda Friday in a summit that promises to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Dan Kitwood
Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations Patricia Scotland speaks during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Friday, June 24, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Leaders of Commonwealth nations are meeting in Rwanda Friday in a summit that promises to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Dan Kitwood
Credit: Dan Kitwood
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, right, look at traditional dancers performing during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Friday, June 24, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Leaders of Commonwealth nations are meeting in Rwanda Friday in a summit that promises to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Dan Kitwood
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, right, look at traditional dancers performing during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Friday, June 24, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Leaders of Commonwealth nations are meeting in Rwanda Friday in a summit that promises to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Dan Kitwood
Credit: Dan Kitwood
Front row from left; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations Patricia Scotland and Britain's Prince Charles stand by their seats during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Friday, June 24, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Leaders of Commonwealth nations are meeting in Rwanda Friday in a summit that promises to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Dan Kitwood
Front row from left; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations Patricia Scotland and Britain's Prince Charles stand by their seats during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Friday, June 24, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Leaders of Commonwealth nations are meeting in Rwanda Friday in a summit that promises to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Dan Kitwood
Credit: Dan Kitwood
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a news conference at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in Kigali, Rwanda Friday, June 24, 2022. Leaders of Commonwealth nations were meeting in Rwanda's capital Friday to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dan Kitwood, Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Dan Kitwood
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a news conference at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in Kigali, Rwanda Friday, June 24, 2022. Leaders of Commonwealth nations were meeting in Rwanda's capital Friday to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dan Kitwood, Pool Photo via AP)
Credit: Dan Kitwood
Credit: Dan Kitwood
From left, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, and Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, gather for a group photograph at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) opening ceremony, at the Commonwealth Summit in Kigali, Rwanda Friday, June 24, 2022. Leaders of Commonwealth nations were meeting in Rwanda's capital Friday to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Muhizi Olivier)
Credit: Muhizi Olivier
From left, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, and Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, gather for a group photograph at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) opening ceremony, at the Commonwealth Summit in Kigali, Rwanda Friday, June 24, 2022. Leaders of Commonwealth nations were meeting in Rwanda's capital Friday to tackle climate change, tropical diseases and other challenges deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Muhizi Olivier)
Credit: Muhizi Olivier
Credit: Muhizi Olivier
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shakes hands with Rwanda President Paul Kagami during a bilateral meeting at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda on Friday, June 24, 2022. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Credit: Paul Chiasson
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shakes hands with Rwanda President Paul Kagami during a bilateral meeting at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda on Friday, June 24, 2022. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Credit: Paul Chiasson
Credit: Paul Chiasson
