The appearance of Queen Elizabeth II , Head of the Commonwealth , at the opening of the CHOGM was a novelty . The monarch had never appeared at a CHOGM before , and it marked the beginning of a renewed interest in the Commonwealth from the monarchy . The rest of the opening ceremony was low-key . The Edinburgh Declaration was agreed , endorsing the report of the Inter-Governmental Group on Criteria for Commonwealth Membership ( IGCCM ) which consolidated and revised previous rules and agreements which had developed over the previous 60 years . The CHOGM was , unlike the preceding meeting in Auckland , an unspectacular affair with regards to policy . This was a result of a large number of newcomers to CHOGM , with twenty countries having new leaders , and the consequent requirement to build new personal relationships , which was compounded by the short retreat , which lasted only a few hours , but at which most business is usually done
preceding meeting in Auckland
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1995
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1997