Secretary-General statement at first dialogue with Commonwealth Accredited Organisations

It is a great privilege to welcome you — in person and online — to Marlborough House for our first dialogue together since I took office as Secretary-General.

And let me thank you for your very warm words of welcome to me since my election. Forging strategic partnerships, with AOs at the centre, for the transformation of the Commonwealth was core to the vision I articulated during my campaign.

I am honoured to share this moment with you. Because you are more than partners; you are essential threads in the fabric of our Commonwealth — steadfast champions of its values, mission, and spirit.

You represent not only expertise, commitment, and reach — but also the heart of what makes the Commonwealth a living force for good.

Whether through advocacy, education, humanitarian support, or grassroots engagement — your work uplifts lives and communities.

You are agents of change and stewards of hope.

In places where others see challenge, you see possibility.

And where others might turn away, you lean in — standing up for peace, inclusion, democracy, sustainability, and human dignity.

In a world shaken by conflict, division, economic strain, and environmental crisis, this matters more than ever.

People are losing trust in institutions.

Inequality is rising.

Climate change is eroding lives and futures.

Yet across our Commonwealth — from small island states to major economies — the response must be one of determination, not retreat.

And here, the Commonwealth offers something unique: a platform built not on power, but on principles.

A network of 56 nations bound by history, values, and a commitment to each other’s progress.

A space for solutions.

But we cannot do this alone.

If this moment is defined by disillusion, let the Commonwealth be defined by purpose – and that purpose is only realised through partnership.

That is why your role — your insight, your networks, your reach — is indispensable.

You create impact.

You help translate our shared commitments into lived realities for the 2.7 billion citizens we serve.

And you do so with extraordinary dedication.

Last year alone, your estimated contribution to Commonwealth programmes exceeded £99 million — but beyond the numbers, the real impact is seen in innovation and ideas for effective delivery, empowered women, engaged youth, more resilient communities, and strengthened democratic practices.

I want to especially welcome the seven newly accredited organisations who are joining our family.

Your addition signals not only growth, but renewal — and a deepening of our collective capacity to serve.

Today, you will hear about proposals to respond to the vision of our leaders for the Commonwealth as we write the next chapter: a Commonwealth that is purposeful, effective, and responsive to the needs of our people.

A Commonwealth that delivers.

A Commonwealth that leads.

In addressing inequality, together with the pernicious effects or manipulation of social media, that continue to deepen the fragility of our democracies and ensure that each Commonwealth citizen enjoys the democratic dividend, the only condition for safeguarding democracy, our foundational value? 

In unlocking economic prosperity in the industrialized part of the Commonwealth, where stagnated growth threatens social stability and protection?

In transforming the economies of the developing part of our Commonwealth where decades of incremental progress have been exposed by COVID-19 as neither sustainable nor resilient?  

In facilitating Commonwealth responses to climate change and sea rise that threatens our Member States and our planet.

Even if we had not realized the urgency of the need for a new Commonwealth, events today- the rapid breakdown of the rules based international system, its attendant instability and uncertainty, and the fragmented nature of the shift from a unipolar world to a multiple multipolar world - has created the opportunity for the Commonwealth to become the most consequential international organization.

We cannot address the challenges faced by our Member States and their desire for shared prosperity by continuing with the business-as-usual model.   

We need to make our democracies and social development more responsive to the expectations of our people.

We need to make trade a win-win for our businesses and economies by changing the business model that caters to our proportionally small middle class and makes the 2.7 billion people a consumer market, powering profits and investments.

We need to use distance education to ensure every Commonwealth kid interested in digital skills receives training and preparation to become entrepreneurs, with access to financing.

We need a renewable energy revolution across the Commonwealth, taking advantage of, and benefiting, Commonwealth industry and finance.

And our voice must count in global resilience building - in trade, finance and climate adaptation and mitigation.

And I want to be clear: this vision can only be achieved if we all are part of it. Focussing on our respective comparative advantages and what we do best, ensuring cooperation and coordination to avoid duplication and overlap, and targeting support for our Member Countries in a way that leads to maximum impact, resilience and shared prosperity.  

Together, we can build a Commonwealth that moves with courage and clarity — grounded in values, strengthened by partnership, and driven by the needs of our citizens.

Our agenda today has been designed to benefit from your presence and your ideas, and — most importantly — your ongoing commitment to the Commonwealth and its people.

This engagement will however not end today. Our Accredited Organisations are not an accessory to the Commonwealth — you are its lifeblood. We must deepen our engagement

You bring our Charter to life.

You make our values visible.

You ensure our mission matters not just in meeting rooms, but in classrooms, clinics, courtrooms, in marketplaces and communities.

And I want our relationship to grow stronger.

That means more engagement.

More visibility.

And more co-creation of the solutions we pursue.

As Secretary-General, I promise to work closely with you — not only to listen, but to act. Not only to acknowledge your value, but to elevate it.

And not only to protect the space you occupy in our ecosystem — but to help you flourish within it.

We have already seen what’s possible when we collaborate — such as the STEM programme launched with The Links, Incorporated.

I want more of that.

More innovation.

More ambition.

More results.

Because the challenges we face — and the injustices our people endure — will not wait.

But together, we can rise to meet them.

Together, we can deliver a Commonwealth that is worthy of the hopes placed in it.

Together, we can prove that — even in times of fracture and flux — trust, partnership, purpose, and principle still matter.

Thank you for your dedication.

Thank you for believing in this family of nations.

And thank you for walking with me on this journey.

I look forward to our conversation.