Latest content: Social development

A new Commonwealth initiative to empower young women leaders has been marked with a regional launch in the Caribbean.

In a matter of hours, 1000 athletes and officials will be at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium, in the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre in The Bahamian capital Nassau, to witness a once in a life-time event.

A group of 25 people will be attending a workshop on Friday 7 July to discuss the findings of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s studies on women’s political participation in the Commonwealth.

The Bahamas 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games will encourage more young athletes than ever to give back to the global community, by teaching them how to harness sport as a tool for peace and development.

Inspirational young people from more than 50 countries have taken part in a global challenge to show how they would demonstrate the values of the Commonwealth Charter.

The Commonwealth is hosting an online discussion on education for migrants and refugees for the first time on its Education Hub.

With song, celebration, discussion and reflection, the Rwandan diaspora in the UK came together on Saturday for a conference on the empowerment of youth and women.

Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Khalili Foundation to develop a new generation of young, grassroots leaders who respect cultural and religious diversity.

Anti-corruption agencies in Africa have praised the Commonwealth Secretariat for bringing its resources and expertise to bear on national efforts to combat graft and enhance good governance.

Half a dozen non-governmental membership bodies have joined the family of civil society and professional organisations that are accredited by the Commonwealth.

“Sustainability and Resilience: Can Education Deliver?” This is the theme and the big question on which Commonwealth Education Ministers will deliberate at their conference in Fiji next February.

At the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Commonwealth and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights jointly hosted a side event on ending child, early and forced marriage.

Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, has joined the leaders of the Francophonie, the Ibero-American General Secretariat and the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries to make a universal call on behalf of humanity at the International Economic Forum of the Americas in Montreal.

Leading researchers and participants behind a new research project, ‘Sport for a Better World?’ look at the impact of sport as a tool for development and peace.

Nearly 100 students, young professionals and representatives from Commonwealth accredited organisations met in London last week to discuss how young people can contribute towards strengthening the Commonwealth’s reach in key areas.

The heads of anti-corruption agencies across Africa will assemble in Malawi for a major Commonwealth conference at which countries will seek to bolster regional crime fighting efforts.

This is why I was delighted that our message of peacebuilding, the Commonwealth theme for the year, resonated with all parties in Lesotho and with the ministers and officials I spoke to on my subsequent visit to Malawi.

Commonwealth health ministers concluded their one-day meeting on Sunday with agreements on universal health coverage, global security and violence prevention.

Commonwealth Health Ministers will gather for their annual meeting in Geneva on 21 May 2017, on the eve of the 70th World Health Assembly.

It is a great pleasure to have been able to come to Lesotho and Malawi for my first significant visit to Southern Africa. Malawi has been an extraordinary opportunity for us to look and see what we’re doing in relation to ending early marriage, and also what we are doing to attack anti-corruption.

The Commonwealth will highlight the links between health and global security in a policy paper that outlines the role of health protection in addressing violence and achieving security.