THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH SMALL STATES CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE


THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH SMALL STATES CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE


Report from Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2015 in Malta


Dr George Vella is the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Malta. He started his parliamentary career within the Labour Party in 1978 and was elected as an MP in 1981. He has held various positions including Leader of the Malta Delegation to the Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe; Malta’s Permanent Representative at the Council of Europe; Deputy Leader for Parliamentary Affairs; and Vice Chairman of the Malta/EU Joint Parliamentary Committee.


From 27 to 29 November 2015, Malta was the host for the second time in ten years, of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). This Commonwealth Summit brought together the Leaders of 53 Commonwealth nations representing 2.2 billion people or almost one third of the world’s population.


The Commonwealth


Summit provided the Leaders of the Commonwealth with the opportunity to share experiences and exchange views on a series of regional and international issues. More importantly they explored measures on how to strengthen their resolve and to reaffirm their commitments towards practical and cooperative contributions to the political values of the Commonwealth.


Convened under the


theme, ‘The Commonwealth: Adding Global Value’, the Commonwealth Heads of Government discussed and agreed on steps to advance their national, regional and international cooperation. In their Leaders’ Statement, the Commonwealth Heads of Government addressed a number of areas covering peace and security; sustainable development; oceans, seas and marine resources; migration; small States; young people;


36 | The Parliamentarian | 2016: Issue One


responses to corruption; the fight against poliomyelitis; and the renewal of the Commonwealth.


On Small States specifically, the Heads of Government, in their Statement, declared that they “are conscious that 31 of our members are small states, which have their own particular strengths and opportunities as well as vulnerabilities in addressing today’s global challenges, especially climate change.”


In this context the Commonwealth Leaders welcomed and encouraged the continuing support of the Commonwealth, including advocacy and technical assistance, to support small states in building their resilience, advancing growth and


prosperity, and creating a better future for their citizens.


In addition to their Statement, the Commonwealth Heads of Government adopted a final Communiqué which recorded “the full breadth of matters” addressed during the Malta CHOGM. In their Communiqué, the Commonwealth Leaders “reaffirmed their shared commitment on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth to the values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter.” With special reference in the Communiqué to Small States,


the Commonwealth Heads of Government “recognised that while some small states enjoy medium to high GDP per capita, giving the impression of strength, they continue to suffer disproportionately from diseconomies of size, frequent external shocks such as the 2008 economic recession which gravely impacted their economies and societies, and adverse events including natural disasters and environmental change which can affect the entire population and substantially hamper sustainable development or even threaten their very existence.” Heads of Government


also “recognised that the Commonwealth has always been a strong advocate for the cause of small states by raising international awareness of their vulnerability.”


Heads of Government


further “recognised in particular the need to address the debt and financing needs of small states and called for innovation and new partnerships, and for the international community to continue actively to explore innovative measures to alleviate their vulnerabilities and challenges.”


Accordingly, the


Commonwealth Heads of Government “welcomed the work of the Commonwealth


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92