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Immediately is Commonwealth Day. Within the UK we are going to rejoice this occasion in Westminster Abbey with our largest annual multi-faith gathering. It’s a privilege for my nation to host so many leaders and representatives.
Events like these afford us the distinctive alternative to fulfill and converse within the prolonged firm of previous and valued pals. However they’re much greater than that. Commonwealth Day is an opportunity to deal with our most urgent points. To think about new cures for widespread issues. For us to trend a recent imaginative and prescient for an unsure future.
2023 is a very particular 12 months for our Commonwealth. It’s the tenth anniversary of the Commonwealth Constitution. It units out the values and aspirations of our shut partnership. Values like peace, safety, rule of legislation, good governance and sustainability. These rules should all the time be our priorities. They’re extra related now than ever earlier than.
It’s also the Commonwealth Yr of Youth. House to 1.4 billion folks younger folks, we must always always remember that the future of the Commonwealth depends on the subsequent technology. Allow us to take into consideration what we wish to bequeath them.
We’ve inherited a wealthy and vital legacy from the earlier technology of leaders, together with Her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth. Our problem as we speak is to have interaction and empower future leaders. To encourage the younger individuals who will sooner or later sit within the seats we at the moment occupy. To offer them with an instance of compassionate authorities and wise administration.
As International Secretary of the UK, I’m a pleased with our Commonwealth membership, and dedicated to doing what I can to make sure that this formidable fellowship of pleasant nations delivers actual advantages to the two.5 billion folks dwelling in its 56 members states.
The muse of our friendship is likely to be primarily based on a fancy historical past, however it’s also primarily based on a shared understanding – that we will help each other; that we are able to meaningfully enhance the lives of individuals around the globe, that sovereignty, democracy and freedom ought to and should be defended irrespective of the worth.
We should always always remember the incomparable make-up of this progressive organisation. It contains a few of the world’s largest and most affluent economies in addition to a few of the smallest and most aspirational. Our range of scale poses a wonderful alternative to deal with lingering financial imbalances; to guard our planet and improve our possibilities for a sustainable future.
In an more and more geopolitical world, the place sovereignty is being challenged, the Commonwealth is an important community of prospering free nations.
Whereas there’s a lot the Commonwealth, or every other multilateral organisation, can do to make an actual distinction, I consider we’re at our simplest once we focus our efforts on a number of important goals.
Firstly, the Commonwealth has the potential to ship extra on democracy, good governance and the rule of legislation. We noticed this final 12 months, when Commonwealth Regulation Ministers endorsed the primary ever set of Commonwealth Media Freedom Rules.
Secondly, we must always use the refrain of our mixed voices to advocate for pressing motion on local weather change and the safety of biodiversity and the pure surroundings. Commonwealth leaders highlighted this pressing want for motion on local weather change after they met in Kigali in 2022. Allow us to take it ahead.
At COP27, the worldwide neighborhood agreed to new measures that construct on the Glasgow Local weather Pact. And, in Montreal, we noticed the historic settlement of a brand new international biodiversity framework. We now want to completely implement these commitments and to go additional and quicker on this crucial decade. I consider the Commonwealth can and ought to be on the epicentre of this unfolding agenda.
We recognise the actual challenges that local weather change poses for small and weak states, significantly islands near sea stage. We proceed to advocate in multilateral boards and the Worldwide Monetary Establishments for enhanced entry to finance and assist.
Lastly, we should enhance commerce and funding between Commonwealth international locations. The UK believes that the Commonwealth can play a bigger function by supporting creating members in attracting extra funding throughout this economically turbulent time.
Reaching progress in these precedence areas of values, local weather, commerce and funding gained’t be straightforward. It’s going to require member states to make sure the establishments of the Commonwealth are driving the agenda ahead, and focussing on actions and programmes that ship actual influence and optimistic change.
I stay up for discussing these points with my fellow Commonwealth International Ministers this week, once we all meet in London.
Printed in The Specific Tribune, March 13th, 2023.
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