Latest content: Social development

Around 100 young leaders from across Bangladesh have pledged to champion the values of the Commonwealth Charter, following a two-day workshop in Dhaka from 23 to 24 June 2025.

The number of people aged 65 and over in Commonwealth countries is projected to rise from 231 million in 2019 to 559 million by 2050. There is a growing need to ensure that they also age well, living productive, healthy and fulfilling lives.

To advance this goal, CommonAge has partnered with Innovate UK and the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC). On Friday, 13 June 2025, a network of investors, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders met in person, with some participating online, at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters at Marlborough House. Together, they discussed how they can create and fund sustainable solutions for health ageing through the CommonAge Living Well – Ageing Well Innovation Challenge. 

The 9th Commonwealth Debate on Sport and Sustainable Development, co-hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Sport, saw two strong teams of experts debate the merits of traditional and modern sport. Both sides agreed that sport has tremendous potential to unite and inspire communities. 

Traditional sports and games will be pitted against the increased interest in modern competition at the 9th Commonwealth Debate on Sport and Sustainable Development, to be held on Wednesday, 26 March 2025.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, and Founder and Chairman of the Khalili Foundation, Professor Sir Nasser David Khalili, have congratulated the joint winners of the first Commonwealth Peace Prize, Rev Dr James Movel Wuye and Imam Dr Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa.

The Commonwealth Secretariat is deepening its partnership with the CARICOM Secretariat on youth mainstreaming and youth statistics.

As we recognise January as Cervical Cancer Awareness month, a recent report from the Commonwealth Secretariat and TogetHER for Health illustrates a vital path towards eliminating cervical cancer in Commonwealth countries.

Disability was no barrier for a member of the Commonwealth group observing the recent Ghana election.

Grace Jerry, who uses a wheelchair, brought her keen perspective as a person with disability to the role, with the vision of “Barrier-Free Democracy” - universally accessible voting processes, with no physical, informational, or social impediments.

Over 20 Commonwealth election professionals have sharpened their skills following a five-day training course in Fiji, designed to strengthen electoral integrity and inclusion in the Pacific.

Following is the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, statement for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, observed on 3 December.

A new report, Ageing Well in the Commonwealth: A Roadmap for Healthy Ageing Across the Life Course, launched at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, indicates the urgent need to promote holistic wellness at all stages of life.

The Commonwealth Secretariat and the Khalili Foundation have launched the Commonwealth Peace Prize, which aims to reward excellence in peacebuilding and celebrate long-serving standard-bearers who are also role models for young people.

Seven years ago, 18-year-old Friana Kwevira, a woman with a disability from Vanuatu, attended a coaching session organised by the Commonwealth Games Foundation. It was an experience unlike any other for Friana, who described it as the first time she felt treated like a human being.

On 4 March 2024, the Commonwealth Secretariat Human Rights Unit, in partnership with the Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum (CDPF), convened a side event on practical pathways to strengthen access to justice for persons with disabilities during the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting in Zanzibar in the United Republic of Tanzania.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, has announced the appointment of three eminent leaders as her special envoys.