The Commonwealth will celebrate the Queen’s 60 years as Head of the Commonwealth through five programmes known collectively as the Commonwealth Jubilee Diamond
Representatives of Commonwealth member governments, organisations, civil society and other partners met in London on 17 January 2012 to discuss the implementation of their plans to mark HM Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years as Head of the Commonwealth.
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Commonwealth Jubilee Diamond: The five programmes of the Commonwealth’s unified tribute represent the five facets of a diamond. |
They heard that progress has been made on the establishment of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, announced at the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia, which will be funded by private donations and voluntary contributions from member governments to support charitable projects and organisations across the Commonwealth.
They also discussed a number of initiatives to form a unified tribute with five facets - a ‘Commonwealth Jubilee Diamond’ - each highlighting an aspect of the Queen’s leadership of the Commonwealth and ensuring an enduring legacy for Commonwealth citizens.
The activities will focus on: women and leadership through a programme of interaction between women leaders of the Commonwealth; culture and connection building on the theme for this year’s Commonwealth Day ‘Connecting Cultures’; education and understanding among young people through an initiative to link schools across the Commonwealth; learning with the endowment of Diamond Jubilee scholarships; and youth and service by means of a programme aimed at advancing international understanding and volunteering.
The meeting to discuss the actual implementation of the multi-faceted plan was chaired by Lord Watson of Richmond.
