Secretariat support for The Bahamas
Elections
The Commonwealth sent observers to the elections in The Bahamas in 2017.
Human rights
The Secretariat helped The Bahamas to be elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council. It was the second Commonwealth small island developing state to be elected to the council.
Sport
Since August 2016, the Secretariat has helped build the skills of sport leaders and sport officials in The Bahamas.
Sport for development and peace work
Debt management
The Secretariat helped The Bahamas draft a law to help it manage its public debt. It also gave The Bahamas advice on its bond market (where traders buy and sell debt).
Natural resources
Secretariat experts on managing oceans and natural resources helped The Bahamas develop a Petroleum Bill and Regulations. The government passed its Petroleum Act in 2016.
In 2018, the Commonwealth helped The Bahamas prepare a law to regulate its mining sector.
Blue Charter
The Bahamas is a member of the following Action Groups: Coral Reef Protection and Restoration, Mangrove Ecosystems and Livelihoods, Marine Protected Areas, Ocean Acidification, Ocean and Climate Change, Ocean Observation, Sustainable Aquaculture, and Sustainable Blue Economy.
The Bahamas in the Commonwealth
Bahamian Robert Antoni was winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best First Book award with his novel, Divina Trace, in 1992.
Nevar Smith, from The Bahamas, was a 2015 Commonwealth Youth Awards finalist. He established the Bahamas Youth Movement – an organisation that encourages young people to find creative ways to contribute to their country.
The Bahamas hosted the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting in 2017. The same year, it hosted the Commonwealth Youth Games.
