Campaigners from Africa have called for more action to end ‘harmful practices’, such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and child, early and forced marriage (CEFM), which they say remain ‘shamefully widespread’.
Read news - Campaigners call for prevention and eradication of harmful practicesMain page for this area of work
Event
The Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting (CHMM) will provide member countries with an opportunity to share experience and lessons, as well as build consensus on collective action, to address non-communicable diseases in the Commonwealth
Last month’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was a major opportunity for leaders to discuss some of the pressing health challenges facing member states.
Read news - CHOGM lookback: communicable diseases in the spotlightA centre to tackle violent extremism in Cameroon has been welcomed by the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Read news - Commonwealth supports centre to tackle extremism in CameroonThe success of the Gold Coast Games that ended last week, and the four-year journey to the next, in Birmingham in 2022, were celebrated at a sports breakfast in London this morning. Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland also met with guests over breakfast before travelling to Windsor for the Commonwealth Summit Leaders’ Retreat.
Read news - Commonwealth sport continues to ‘grow and develop'The Second Commonwealth Women’s Forum begins in London on Monday with a call for women’s rights to be firmly on the agenda of leaders when they meet later in the week.
Read news - Forum to urge leaders to invest in womenYoung leadership, gender empowerment and the future of women in the Commonwealth. Just three of the varied topics discussed at the Women of the World Festival (WOW) in Brisbane, Australia, where Commonwealth Secretary-General was a key speaker.
Read news - The future of Commonwealth young women is brightThe debate is the Commonwealth Secretariat’s signature annual event and the first to be held outside London. The inaugural event in 2016 was a tie. It focused on whether government investment should be focused on health outcomes or broader human and social development results.
Read news - Sport pays for itself in the CommonwealthTrinidad and Tobago has hosted the second Faith in the Commonwealth Youth Training of Trainers workshop, uniting passionate young leaders across the Caribbean in the pursuit of building more cohesive communities.
Read news - Blog: Faith in the Commonwealth workshop brings young Commonwealth peacebuilders together in the Caribbean The Commonwealth is far from achieving gender equality when it comes to women in political decision-making roles.
Read publication - A Handbook for Gender-Inclusive Elections in Commonwealth AfricaThe Judicial Resource Book on Violence Against Women for Asia deepens our understanding of the varying forms of VAWG and raises awareness of the important role that the judiciary can play in tackling them. It is designed to be used by judicial officers and other professionals as a practical contribution towards promoting justice and fairness in the judicial process for women who have been victims of violence.
Read publication - Judicial Resource Book on Violence Against Women for AsiaMinisters say the measurement and evaluation of the contribution of sport, and making it mainstream to national development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) need to be strengthened.
Read news - Ministership call for ways to recognise the value of sportSport helps education, health, gender equality, breaks down barriers and ensures social and economic empowerment.
Read news - Benefits of sport need to be measured Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has met the Bangladesh Youth and Sports Minister Dr Biren Sikder on the margins of the 9th Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting at the Gold Coast in Australia.
Read news - Bangladesh pledges sport linked to SDGsSport is set to play a starring role in Australia from next week, with a major Commonwealth ministerial conference taking place the day before the 21st Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.
Read news - Australia set to host Gold Coast Games and Commonwealth Sports Ministers MeetingThe Commonwealth, in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Australia, Malta, Sierra Leone and Vanuatu, held a side event on disability inclusion in the workplace on the margins of the 37th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Read news - An inclusive work environment is a 'must factor' for people with disabilitiesThe former police commissioner of The Bahamas made an impassioned plea for the Commonwealth to support initiatives that will tackle gun crime and violence through-out the Caribbean.
Read news - Gun crime and peace-building top of the agenda for Bahamas High CommissionerTo commemorate International Women’s Day, the Commonwealth’s Gender Section hosted an event at Marlborough House entitled ‘Progress for Women and the Vote in the Commonwealth’.
Read news - International Women’s Day 2018: ‘Progress for Women and the Vote in the Commonwealth’The Commonwealth Secretariat, the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and Commonwealth of Learning (COL) have signed a historic partnership agreement to work even closer together to ensure better education for member states.
Read news - Historic signing to enhance Commonwealth sustainable educationAlmost 480 delegates, from 33 Commonwealth countries and no fewer than 22 ministers
Read news - Planning for a fairer, more sustainable educational futureEducational opportunities in Commonwealth countries should be transformed by a new framework being launched at the 20th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (20CCEM) in Nadi, Fiji, 19 -23 February.
Read news - Bringing education goals within reachEducation ministers must ensure “no-one is left behind” when they gather for a major Commonwealth conference next month, former prime minister of New Zealand Helen Clark has said.
Read news - Education conference must ensure “no-one is left behind”Last November Goodenough College and The Royal Commonwealth Society brought together four experts to discuss and debate the role that education can play in putting youth at the forefront of fostering stability, change, and a peaceful future.
Read news - Blog: An education approach to preventing and countering violent extremismEvent
In February 2018 education ministers will meet in Fiji to discuss solutions to some of the Commonwealth’s most pressing education challenges, including low enrolment rates in preschool, primary and secondary schools, low adult literacy and persisting gender disparities in education.
Forced labour, child labour and exploitation were all addressed at an event marking International Human Rights Day.
Read news - Commonwealth marks International Human Rights Day