The Commonwealth Secretary-General speaks at a conference hosted by the Round Table - the Commonwealth Journal for International Affairs.
The Commonwealth “must continue to be a global force for good in empowering and safeguarding its citizens, and a voice for those who continue to be side-lined in international dialogues,” Kamalesh Sharma has said.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, who steps down on 1 April after eight years of service, spoke yesterday at a conference hosted by the Round Table - the Commonwealth Journal for International Affairs - at which he drew attention to the plight of small and developing states and marginalised peoples.
“We cannot shy away from the condition of our most vulnerable citizens in our Commonwealth family,” he told the audience of academics, diplomats and media professionals at the two-day event at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge, UK, between 7-8 January.
Looking back on his period in office, Mr Sharma hailed the Commonwealth Secretariat’s work to build the resilience of small states, its proposal for multilateral debt swaps for climate action, and the Commonwealth Small States Centre of Excellence - which was launched at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in November 2015.
“As a champion of small states there is no other organisation in the same league or anywhere near the Commonwealth. What we come up with are practical ideas, not homilies. We stand tall, we see far, and we hold toolkits in our hands,” he added.
The theme of the Round Table conference was ‘The Commonwealth after Malta: the Progress of Renewal and Reform’, with particular focus on adding value in global decision-making processes. Other topics discussed at the two-day event included ‘civil paths to peace’ and the benefits of intra-Commonwealth trade.
In his speech, Mr Sharma praised the Commonwealth Secretariat’s efforts to support young people and professionalise the youth work sector. He also underlined the importance of building partnerships with both international organisations and the family of accredited Commonwealth organisations.
Secretary-General Sharma will be succeeded by Baroness Patricia Scotland, who was selected by Heads of Government in Malta in November.
The Round Table produces the United Kingdom’s oldest international affairs peer-reviewed journal as well as acting as a forum for Commonwealth debate and advocacy. See their website at: www.commonwealthroundtable.co.uk/