THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH SMALL STATES CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE


“The agreement reached by the Malta 2015 CHOGM to launch and establish the Commonwealth Small States Centre of


Excellence and to accept the offer by Malta to host the Centre can be hailed as an important milestone.”


and help these countries to address the special challenges faced by them. Based on a gap analysis, it has been established that there is currently no institution that is undertaking this crucial work for small states. The Centre will engage in advocacy, analysis and thought leadership on issues of particular concern and interest to small states. Funded and supported by the Government and the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Centre’s objectives are to facilitate and impart targeted and predominantly internet-based capacity building programmes, including the provision of a referral service where direct assistance cannot be provided; serve as a focal point for the sharing of best practices; maintain links with development agencies and others; and provide an information and referral service regarding academic and research work, in partnership with the University of Malta.


38 | The Parliamentarian | 2016: Issue One


Initial priority areas identified to be undertaken include: public debt management; natural disaster management, adaptation, mitigation and recovery assistance; broadband internet connectivity; diplomatic training; women and enterprise; ocean governance; collaboration and synergies with the Commonwealth Trade Financing Facility; synergies with the Malta-Commonwealth Third Country Programme. Other areas are to be progressively evaluated for inclusion. The SS-COE is envisaged to operate on the basis of a clear Value for Money model; employing remote, online- centred and video-based capacity building solutions that rest on identified best practices and which are tailored to the specific needs of Small States; engaging local and/or international experts who are recognised leaders in providing in situ capacity building solutions sought by Small States; involve


strategic partnerships, with other countries and/or regional organisations in the appropriate specialist fields aligned to the Centre’s priorities (e.g. the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the University of South Pacific, and other relevant academic institutions within Commonwealth countries; the University of Malta and Malta- based institutions including the International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI), the International Oceans Institute (IOI), the DiploFoundation (DIPLO), and the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies (MEDAC) among others). This will include linkages to other existing and emerging small states entities such as the Mauritius-based Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub and the Malta- based Islands and Small States Institute.


The operation of the Small States Centre of


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