Latest content: Small states

Celebrating the year in pictures

Ten years ago, a devastating tsunami crashed into parts of south and south-east Asia killing hundreds of thousands of people and injuring many more.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma's Human Rights Day statement, Marlborough House

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma arrives in The Bahamas on 29 September for a two-day visit.

Fiji is reinstated as a full member of the Commonwealth following a decision by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group

Leaders gathered in Samoa from 1-4 September at the United Nations' International Conference on Small Island Developing States, to help build durable partnerships and secure sustainable development for vulnerable coastal nations.

Address by Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj to the Plenary Session of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States

We need to move beyond simplistic measures of development and reconcile sustainable management of oceans with economic and social needs - Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj

A vulnerability resilience framework, newly revised and expanded by the Commonwealth, helps small states to develop policies to build resilience and bounce back from economic and environmental crises.

The heads of three regional organisations, together with the Commonwealth, have called for the strengthening of a global partnership to support climate change planning and finance in small island developing states.

Youth leaders represented at a global summit on small island nations in Samoa have called on national governments to include young people as partners for sustainable development.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Lesotho, Mothetjoa Metsing has said the study tour of Members of Parliament and senior officials from his country which he led to New Zealand has enabled them to better understand government under a Mixed Member Proportion (MMP) system.

Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj reports back following a successful meeting with the President of Malta.

"This partnership will see enhanced delivery of our work to deal with specific debt challenges of small states through a combination of policy and technical capacity building efforts" - Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj.

Download the proceedings report for the Third Global Biennial Conference on Small States 2014.

Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj will attend the forthcoming Meeting of Heads of Government from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) taking place in Antigua and Barbuda from 1 to 3 July 2014.

“We believe that island countries have to revisit their thinking in terms of their resources” - Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj

World Press Freedom Day is a day to recognise the essential contribution of journalists and journalism to national and international efforts to achieve peace, democracy and diversity.

The heads of the two global bodies representing much of the anglophone and francophone world met in London on 30 April to discuss ongoing collaboration between their organisations.

Kamalesh Sharma today conveyed his sympathy to the government and people of Solomon Islands following the loss of life and destruction of property caused by flash floods that struck the Pacific island nation on 3 April 2014

“The Commonwealth is pleased to facilitate connecting both G20 and non-G20 members to discuss ways of addressing the most pressing development needs, especially those of small and vulnerable developing countries” - Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj

The Foreign Minister of St Vincent and The Grenadines Camillo Gonzalves spoke about the recently concluded Third Biennial Global Conference on Small States on Jamaica's Hot 102 FM.

Practical solutions on debt, development and climate change from the Third Global Biennial Conference on Small States in St Lucia from 26 to 27 March 2014

“Position and strength: small states on the global playing field"