43 heads of state - half of them from African nations - have confirmed their attendance for the Valletta Summit on migration which will be held on 11 and 12 November. This means that over 80% of heads of state invited for the Summit have confirmed that they will be attending.
In the meantime, over 30 heads of government have confirmed their attendance for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that will be held later on during the month. Over 3,000 official delegates have also confirmed their participation in the different forums that will be organised.
Details were given during a press briefing earlier today. Government Head of Communications Kurt Farrugia said upwards of 8,000 people will be taking part in the two events.
He said that all continents and countries in the Commonwealth will be represented at CHOGM. This year's Summit, he said, was organised in record time since Malta offered to host it instead of Mauritius just a year before. The same can be said for the Valletta Summit on Migration, with preparations starting only five months before. The two summits are sharing resources and personnel since they are being held close together.
Mr Farrugia said over 4,000 people are expected to attend each summit. This excludes the 2,000 journalists who are expected to cover the events. Some of the world's most renowned news agencies will be reporting both summits.
The government's communications chief said 120 countries will be participating in both summits and 15 venues in Malta and Gozo will be used. The main focus will be on Gozo and the south.
10 of the country's top hotels are already fully-booked while the influx of guests is expected to spill over to several other hotels.
Mr Farrugia said the main events, including the opening ceremonies of both summits, will be broadcast live on the national station.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, he said, would be holding bilateral meetings with various heads of governments and delegations.
Valletta Summit on Migration
During the same media briefing, Charles Mizzi, the communications officer for the Valletta Summit, said that almost all of the EU heads of state have confirmed their participation. The reason, he said, is that migration was an important topic and the scope behind the summit was to tackle the problems related to this phenomenon. Discussion topics will include shared responsibility, exploitation, the trafficking of migrants and cooperation between the member states. The summit will also aim to strengthen ties between the EU and North Africa, particularly the Rabat and Khartoum process on migration and the EU-Africa Mobility partnership.
Mr Mizzi said that three main venues - the Auberge de Castille and its square, the Mediterranean Conference Centre and Fort St Elmo - will be used during the summit. The latter will serve as a media centre. Over 665 media accreditations were issued for the migration summit alone.
CHOGM
CHOGM Task Force communications officer Chris Formosa said while the main events would take place between 27 and 29 November, the programme of activities starts on Saturday 21 November. A number of meetings, including the Commonwealth Business Forum, the Commonwealth Women's Forum and the pre-CHOGM meeting will take place in the week before the official opening.
Mr Formosa said that around 1,000 delegates are expected to take part in the business forum. This was the first time in CHOGM history that a Women's Forum would be held. The idea was so well-received that the Commonwealth Secretariat decided to make it a permanent event. This year would also see a record participation in the People's Forum, with over 600 expected to attend.
He emphasised that it was a very rare occasion to see four members of the Royal family together outside the UK.
More information about the Summits can be found at:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/international-summit/2015/11/11-valletta-summit-info/
https://chogm2015.mt/