Commonwealth Secretary-General, Hon Shirley Botchwey, opening remarks at the Annual Convention of the Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA) . Marlborough House, Friday 18th July 2025.
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Marlborough House. Please allow me to begin by expressing sincere thanks to each and every one of the members of the CMA and their partners. As medical professionals, educators, and advocates, you stand at the frontline of health and wellbeing in all 56 of our nations. The Commonwealth Medical Association has long embodied values that unite us and strengthen our resilience: professionalism, solidarity, and service.
In your day-to-day work — whether in rural clinics, bustling city hospitals, research labs, or policy forums — you serve not just as practitioners, but as custodians of human dignity. And in this Annual Convention, you bring your collective knowledge and wisdom to bear on shared challenges that no single country can solve alone.
It is an honour to join you for the first time as Commonwealth Secretary-General. And it is fitting that the recent Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting in Geneva was my first Ministerial Meeting in this role — because, as I said then – and I say again now – health is not simply a sector: it is the foundation of every development aspiration, every economic ambition, every hope we carry for the future.
We came again from the Health Ministers Meeting with a clear message: health is not a cost. It is a catalytic investment — in prosperity, in security, and in resilience. Yet, across the Commonwealth, the reality is stark. Significant healthcare inequities persist. Millions remain underserved. Systems remain fragile. Fiscal space is tightening, even as demand accelerates. Our ministers recognised this – and they called not for incremental change, but for transformation: long-term investment, integrated primary care, digital innovation, and above all, equity.These priorities resonate strongly with the mission and work of the Commonwealth Medical Association.
Your focus on inclusive, sustainable, and resilient health systems — from digital health, to TB eradication, to empowering youth in medicine — mirrors the priorities set by ministers and echoed across governments. But as we gather in a world marked by turbulence and fragmentation, the question before us is not only technical. It is political and moral. How do we use the power of the Commonwealth — this unique network of nations, professions, and people — to drive progress that no single actor can achieve alone?
I believe the answer lies in partnership. Partnership is central to my vision for the Commonwealth. It is the method and the message. That is why accredited organisations like the CMA matter so deeply. You are not just stakeholders; you are solutions partners. Co-creators of impact. So the Commonwealth Secretariat, under my leadership, is already exploring ways to work with you more closely.
Across our programmes — from digital health assessments to mental health law reform, from pharmaceutical access to healthy ageing roadmaps — we are seeing the value of harnessing professional expertise and networks to deliver national and local solutions.
Let us explore how we can replicate and scale this collaboration with the CMA:
- To amplify technical cooperation.
- To connect policy with practice.
- To ensure that regional needs inform global action.
The entire Secretariat will be your partner in this. And I, as Secretary-General, commit to championing health across the Commonwealth — not as rhetoric, but as strategy. Because in the end, our Commonwealth is only as strong as the health of its people. And in this moment of global reversals, the value of our Commonwealth should not be measured in declarations, but in delivery — in lives improved, systems strengthened, and futures secured.
President Jayalal, distinguished members, as you begin your deliberations today, know that your efforts are seen, valued, and supported. Thank you for your tireless work. Thank you for your service to your nations, and to our Commonwealth family.
Together, let us build the healthier, more resilient, and more equitable Commonwealth that our people deserve.
