Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Commonwealth Secretariat to explore joint initiatives

Bloomberg Philanthropies and The Commonwealth Secretariat today announced the signing of a multi-year agreement to explore a number of mutually supportive joint initiatives to aid international trade, innovation and sustainability.

Signed during the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London this week, the agreement will see both parties seek to collaborate on areas of common interest, by leveraging their experiences, resources and networks.

These initiatives may include:

• Supporting more inclusive economic growth and sustainable development programmes to enable increased international trade, employment and business growth, while promoting the sustainable development of natural resources and developing improved climate finance frameworks
• Collaborating on the development of the Commonwealth Innovation Hub, which was launched at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) this week
• Strengthening the resilience of small and vulnerable states to the impacts of natural disasters caused or exacerbated by climate change by participating in the states’ risk assessment and potential damage assessment, along with recovery and sustainable, resilient rebuilding efforts
• A joint effort to collect, analyze, and display data on commercial fishing, and provide support to improve governance of fisheries and monitoring of marine protected areas
• Working with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, of which Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of the board, to develop a programme of collaboration to reduce pollution and improve resilience to climate change across Commonwealth cities

Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, three-term Mayor of New York City, said: “Bloomberg Philanthropies has worked closely with Commonwealth nations to protect public health, support trade and economic growth, and confront climate change - and we look forward to building new partnerships that will help address these and other big challenges facing all nations. Our world is more interconnected than ever before, and the more we cooperate and work together towards common goals, the brighter our future will be.”

The Rt. Hon Patricia Scotland QC, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, said: “Collaboration between Bloomberg and the Commonwealth Secretariat offers valuable new opportunities to carry forward our work in serving the 53 member countries of the Commonwealth family. We look forward to drawing on the range of leadership and experience Bloomberg has to offer, notably on sustainable development, economic growth, smart cities and tackling climate change. Cooperation in targeted areas brings synergies arising from access to technical know-how and smarter use of resources.”

About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies works in over 120 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s charitable activities, including his foundation and his personal giving. In 2017, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $702 million. For more information, please visit www.bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. Bloomberg contact: Rachel Nagler,  [email protected]  +1-212-205-0386