Latest content: Small states

A Commonwealth study on ocean governance in the Pacific offers ways to sustainably capitalise on the economic treasures of the ocean

Secretary-General Patricia Scotland today urged the world to take action to protect the ocean environment and safeguard the future of nations who depend on the marine economy for national development.

Leaders from coastal nations and small island developing states from the Commonwealth will surf a wave of optimism this week at a major United Nations summit which aims to deliver on a global promise to conserve and sustainably manage the seas.

Small islands facing the threat of imminent extinction woke up this morning to a ray of hope following the launch of a “revolutionary” Commonwealth approach to climate change.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland welcomed high commissioners and climate change innovators to Marlborough House today and called on them to work together on technologies and approaches that have the potential to reverse climate change.

Some of the world’s leading environmental experts will meet at a Commonwealth conference this week to see how they can take forward an innovative strategy to reverse the human impact of climate change.

A Commonwealth strategy to transform the civil service in Mauritius into a modern, technology-savvy institution has been approved by the country’s Cabinet.

I would like to join with the government and people of Saint Lucia today to honour their son, and to celebrate his life and the immense contribution he has made to literature.

Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj today called for urgent agreement on harmful fishing subsidies to protect the trade and development interests of small states, which heavily depend on exports from this sector.

An ambitious international project to help Caribbean countries unlock the full economic potential of the seas took a step closer with a meeting of international partners at the Commonwealth’s headquarters last week.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland was delighted to welcome Fiji’s High Commissioner, Jitoko Tikolevu, to the Secretariat’s headquarters in London today.

The Commonwealth and the leading United Nations climate organisation have committed to work closely together to implement the landmark Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Leading experts and scientists have published a manifesto setting out commitments to reverse the human impact of climate change.

The Commonwealth’s Head of Climate Finance and Small States, Denny Lewis-Bynoe, explains why 2016 marked a turning point in the global battle against climate change, and why it is crucial that the world builds upon this momentum in 2017.
2016 was a pivotal year for climate change.

The Commonwealth’s Climate Finance Access Hub is a valuable instrument for the realisation of the Paris agreement on climate change and the internationally-agreed sustainable development goals.

Rising temperatures will have severe implications for crops, water and livestock in African small states if urgent measures aren’t taken, a new report has found.

A blog by Reginald Darius, head of economic policy in the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Commonwealth report warns that governments could be hit by huge unexpected pay-outs if steps are not taken to manage hidden liabilities in unfunded pensions, loan guarantees, disaster relief and other contingencies.

Legal experts from key international organisations, including the Commonwealth Secretariat, are meeting to develop a climate change legal toolkit to help countries carry out the Paris Agreement.

Small and vulnerable developing countries participating in global climate talks have expressed optimism that the Commonwealth will help them to access badly needed climate finance.

The Commonwealth reaffirmed its support to small states and vulnerable developing countries which face a daunting task in adapting to climate impacts, from desertification to rising seas.