Ministers and senior officials from the 53 Commonwealth nations have met at Lancaster House in London today ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, CHOGM.
Delegates discussed how member states could work even closer together on sustainability, fairness, security and prosperity.
Among the topics were how member states could collaborate to tackle the existential threat of climate change and the adoption of the Commonwealth Blue Charter on ocean governance.
Speaking on the UK's ITV News, Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said, "It is really exciting because every foreign minister around that table said they were wholly supportive of the Blue Charter and they intended to recommend it the heads. The Secretariat, with all our member states, has worked really hard to present it as a solution to some of the challenges we face. It's a proud moment for all our 53 countries and it is a proud moment for the Secretariat. We've got our fingers crossed that when our leaders see this, they will celebrate with us."
Ministers were also shown the new Innovation Hub, which was launched on Monday, and the toolkits aimed at sharing best practice around the Commonwealth.
Ministers' views on all the topics which were discussed will now feed into the main CHOGM conference, the theme of which is 'Towards a Common Future'.
