The Commonwealth has a sense of family and belonging that is perhaps unique among communities of nations. This is undoubtedly due, in large part, to the exceptional record of service of HM Queen Elizabeth II, whose Diamond Jubilee has been so widely celebrated this year. Never before – and perhaps never again – has a voluntary grouping of sovereign nations come together under one Head for 60 years.
The personal commitment of the Queen to promoting respect for our shared Commonwealth values and strengthening the ties of friendship and affinity is unmatched. We owe Her Majesty a great debt of gratitude for the manner in which she has dedicated her life to serving the Commonwealth – as much by what she is, as by what she does.
There are times when the Commonwealth itself needs simply to ‘be’, rather than to ‘do’, in order to bring its benign influence to bear on international affairs – and for the well-being of its citizens and member states. The sense of trust and common purpose with which Commonwealth Heads of Government and ministerial meetings are imbued may be intangible and not easy to define, but can nonetheless be potent in helping the Commonwealth to exert a positive influence on world affairs.
Respect for diversity comes more easily to states that belong to a family of nations that embraces as equal Nauru, with 10,000 citizens, and India, with a population of 1.25 billion. At Commonwealth meetings, collective action is decided on a basis of consensus, with participation by each of our 54 member states dependent on adherence to Commonwealth values and principles rather than population, location, development or economic endowment.
Many of our citizens derive their sense of Commonwealth identity from non-governmental elements of our global family. Civil society organisations, through which officials, professionals, young people and communities of practice or special interest can unite in common purpose, have long been accorded a special place of honour in the Commonwealth.
When the Commonwealth Secretariat was established as the ‘civil service’ of the Commonwealth in 1965, the Commonwealth Foundation was set up in parallel to work alongside the voluntary organisations of the Commonwealth and serve their needs. Both Secretariat and Foundation were accommodated at Marlborough House, graciously lent for Commonwealth purposes by Her Majesty the Queen.
The depth of specialist knowledge and range of professional expertise available across the Commonwealth through the staff and memberships of these civil society organisations is exceptional. The new strategic plan currently being developed for the Secretariat, as directed by Heads of Government in Perth last October, will see this reservoir of Commonwealth talent and innovation utilised far more imaginatively in future.
Commonwealth cooperation and collective practical action to improve the lives and livelihoods of our citizens can be enhanced through an even more inclusive and collaborative approach than has been adopted in the past. New horizons for mutual aid and connection are being opened up as a result of advances in communications technology and the rapid roll-out of access to the Internet through mobile devices.
It is to harness the benefits of such technological progress and economic development that we have devised Commonwealth Connects, offering secure cloud-based online workspaces through which both governmental and non-governmental aspects of Commonwealth communication and transaction can be propagated and proliferate.
Such common endeavour promises to bring a new sense of shared identity, especially to our youth, helping us collectively to raise our profile and deepen the impact of our joint actions as the Commonwealth family, in advancing democracy, economic and social development, and respect for diversity.
