A delegation from the government of the Republic of Uganda arrived in Malta on Sunday afternoon for a two-day visit for meetings with a number of Maltese technical experts responsible for ICT and media services deployed during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Malta in November 2005.

In an official communication sent to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the government of the Republic of Uganda considers the planning and management process, as well as the ICT and media facilities deployed during the Malta CHOGM, as models of excellence, and intends to discuss first-hand experiences with a view to adopting a comparable operational model during the 2007 Uganda CHOGM. The Ugandan delegation is made up of senior officials and special advisors from the Office of the President, the ICT Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

At the end of the Malta CHOGM, several heads of governments, foreign ministers and the Commonwealth Secretary General had described both the political achievements and local preparations as a huge success.

During their stay in Malta, the Ugandan delegation is expected to meet with members of the CHOGM 2005 Task Force, and with other local stakeholders directly involved in the Malta CHOGM. An intensive programme of meetings covering various areas of CHOGM ICT has been drawn up by Brian St John, CHOGM 2005 ICT Coordinator, who is managing this visit together with Chris Scicluna, CHOGM 2005 Media Services Technical Director.

A series of technical presentations shall cover general ICT requirements for the organisation of a CHOGM, preliminary planning and facilities management, ICT-readiness of selected venues, connectivity, desktop hardware and application services, technical support, the CHOGM Information Portal, Media Centre design and build, satellite and broadcasting facilities, live event coverage, and other topics integrating ICT and media.

On Wednesday, the delegation is expected to pay a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, who is currently Chairman of the Commonwealth Connects Steering Committee and also Chairman of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration.

The Malta CHOGM Task Force was chaired by Ambassador Salv Stellini, while Alan Camilleri was Head of Logistics, Transport and Communications. Malta is currently Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth.