Opening Remarks by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Hon Shirley Botchwey at the Launch of the Commonwealth Foundation Strategic Plan 2026-2031 on 2nd September 2026
It is a pleasure to mark this important moment for the Commonwealth Foundation.
Congratulations to everyone who has helped shape this new Strategic Plan.
It is the product of an inclusive process of consultation across the Commonwealth, and you can be proud of what you have achieved.
The Plan sets out an ambitious agenda. Strengthening civil society, supporting creative practitioners, and connecting them with governments so they can influence public debate and policy for the better. For people and planet, and for the Commonwealth’s shared prosperity agenda.
As we all know, a strategy acquires value through implementation: by guiding choices, concentrating effort and driving tangible change in people’s lives.
That is our shared task.
The Plan captures this in a resonant phrase: ensuring that “the Commonwealth of Nations remains a ‘Commonwealth of the People’ whose collective purpose is driven by the aspirations of its citizens.”
This goes to the heart of what our modern Commonwealth should be.
The test of our work must be whether it expands the freedom, security and opportunities of the 2.7 billion people we serve.
Today, nearly all our Member Countries – especially small and vulnerable states – bear the consequences of global decisions they have limited power to shape.
And too many people see a growing gap between the promises made to them by institutions and the experience of their daily lives.
The Commonwealth’s vocation must be to help bridge both gaps.
By bringing large and small states together on equal terms, across regions and geopolitical divides, and by uniting around common values, we create a powerful voice and direction for change and transformative impact.
And crucially, through the Commonwealth Foundation, we connect governments and Commonwealth institutions more closely with civil society and the people to ensure we achieve those goals.
This is a vital element of a relevant Commonwealth, one that delivers better democratic, economic and environmental outcomes for all our people.
A focus on results is crucial as we look towards CHOGM, under its theme of “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth.”
Prosperity requires investment, trade and enterprise.
But building prosperity also means investing in people, strengthening trusted institutions and unleashing the creative potential found right across our Commonwealth.
That’s why, in St John’s in November, the Commonwealth People’s Forum will rightly put civic voices at the heart of our deliberations.
This serious and ambitious Plan shows how the Foundation will contribute to our shared mission in the years ahead.
The work of delivering it is already under way.
We will know we are succeeding when communities can see and feel, in their daily lives, the difference our partnership makes.
The Secretariat is proud to work alongside our sister institutions in that vital task.
