Latest content: Trade and economy

Commonwealth Finance Ministers have met to set out ways to tackle the global economic uncertainty amid trade tariffs, inflationary pressures, debt vulnerabilities, and geopolitical fragmentation.

During the Caribbean Telecommunications Union’s ICT Week, held in  Jamaica, the Commonwealth Secretariat officially launched the Commonwealth Model Law on Digital Trade, accompanied by an implementation guide. This landmark legal framework is designed to modernise trade rules, strengthen competitiveness, and drive inclusive growth in the digital economy

In the second of a two-part assessment of the global economic outlooks ahead of the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting in Washington on 13 October 2025, Dr Thomas Munthali, Head of Economic Policy and Small States at the Commonwealth Secretariat, outlines how member countries can best respond.

Food producers, entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector and hospitality professionals on Mauritius' Rodrigues Island have been trained in world-class food safety standards to help boost the territory’s growing export market.

In the first in a two-part assessment of the global economic outlooks ahead of the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting in Washington on 13 October 2025, Dr Thomas Munthali, Head of Economic Policy and Small States at the Commonwealth Secretariat, sets out the challenge facing member countries.

Fiji has launched a new digital interface, with support from the Commonwealth Secretariat, to better track how public funds are used.

Foreign Ministers from across the Commonwealth convened today at the United Nations Headquarters in New York for the  25th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM), chaired by Samoa’s Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Toelupe Maoiautele Poumulinuku Onesemo.

Commonwealth Central Bank Governors met on 16 September 2025 to address the economic challenges facing the 56 member countries, share their experiences, and explore opportunities for collaboration.

A blog by Neil Balchin (Economic Adviser, Trade Policy Analysis, International Trade Policy, Commonwealth Secretariat) and Kim Kampel (Trade Negotiations and Emerging Trade Issues, Commonwealth Small States Office) discussing their paper Investment Flows into Commonwealth Small States: Trends, Challenges and Implications.

Sri Lanka will begin using the Commonwealth Meridian software next month to manage public debt as part of its economic recovery plan. 

By Dr Mohamed Z M Aazim, Adviser, Debt Management, Commonwealth Secretariat

Government debt is increasing in most Commonwealth countries. In some cases, it is growing faster than the economies that need to support it.

Across the Commonwealth, women entrepreneurs are sparking meaningful change. From the bustling markets of Cameroon to the co-working spaces of Fiji and the tech labs of Canada, they are reshaping economies, lifting communities, and proving that inclusive growth isn’t just a slogan, it’s a necessity.

Trade Ministers from across the Commonwealth have concluded two days of high-level deliberations in Windhoek, Namibia, at the 2025 Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting (CTMM), with a bold affirmation of their shared commitment to deepen intra-Commonwealth trade, unlock sustainable investment, and defend the integrity of the multilateral trading system.

The Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting opened today in Windhoek, Namibia, with a united call for stronger cooperation, fairer financing, and a reinvigorated multilateral trading system, as member countries face rising global fragmentation, trade barriers, and climate-related shocks.

Commonwealth Secretary-General, Hon Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Opening Keynote: Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting in Windhoek, Namibia, on 19 June 2025.

As global trade continues to be tested by geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain pressures, and rising economic disparities, the Commonwealth Business Summit opened today in Windhoek with a clear message: trade and investment must deliver for all.

Commonwealth Trade Ministers will gather in Windhoek, Namibia, in June 2025 for their biennial Ministerial Meeting at a tumultuous time for global trade. Formidable headwinds are buffeting a global trading system already reeling on the back of the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, escalating geopolitical tensions, increasing fragmentation of the global economy, and disruption and destabilisation of global supply chains. An alarming trend of rising protectionism – headlined by the current United States administration’s tariff policies, escalating trade tensions and the prospect of a protracted trade war between the United States and China – threatens to further undermine the stability of the global trading order.

With the deadline for countries to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions fast approaching, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, urged business leaders to be ambitious in shaping the future of the planet.

A blog by Collin Zhuawu, Acting Head and Adviser, Multilateral Trade, International Trade Policy Team, Commonwealth Secretariat.