“Commonwealth can make a difference in many corners of the world:” Abbott

Saturday, 16 November 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Following is the address delivered by Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013, at Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre yesterday

The Commonwealth spans 53 countries with 30% of the world’s population, 20% of the world’s land mass, but just 15% of the world’s GDP, and it’s our job to improve that. The Commonwealth is not a community of power, wealth, geography, religion, or language, so much as a community of values. We believe in democracy based on the rule of law, we acknowledged Queen Elizabeth as the Head of the Commonwealth. We share a legacy of British institutions and influence, which all of us have adapted and improved in our own ways. We are convinced that you don’t make new friends by losing old ones. We remain members of the Commonwealth because we believe that this dialogue helps us to come closer to be our best selves. Commonwealth Charter In Perth two years ago, the Commonwealth members collectively agreed on important and timely reforms. We resolved and championed our central values more effectively and we boosted cooperation on important global issues such as food security and sustainable development. The key achievement though was leaders’ agreement to develop a Commonwealth Charter. This charter has since been tabled in many of the Parliaments of the Commonwealth, including the Australian Parliament. The charter expresses our principles and aspirations refined over 60 years of collaboration and development. It gives us a standard to judge our actions. We also agreed that when the Commonwealth values are challenged, we should engage earlier, and in a spirit of inclusion, not isolation. It’s a credit to the leaders and to the delegations present in Perth two years ago that this has been achieved. Australia is proud to have played its part in the development of the Commonwealth Charter.

Making the Commonwealth more effective During the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, we also considered how we could make the Commonwealth more effective as an organisation. Our Perth declaration on food security principles recognises that half of the world’s one billion hungry live in Commonwealth nations. They are our people and they deserve better. This will mean improving agriculture productivity and reducing barriers between food producers and markets. It means allowing markets to develop freely and naturally. Also in Perth, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Trust was launched honouring her Majesty’s lifetime of duty and service. This trust has already raised more than 100 million pounds from across the Commonwealth. This will be deployed in the fight against dividable blindness across the Commonwealth and to support our young leaders. As the outgoing chair, Australia looks back on the world of the past two years with satisfaction, but not complacency because each achievement sets up the need for the next one. Australia thanks its Commonwealth friends for their support and help during our term as chair in office. Here to praise and judge Finally I acknowledge Sri Lanka as our host and as the Commonwealth chair for the next two years. This country has emerged from many troubles. But with peace has come more freedom and more prosperity. So we are here to praise as much as to judge. There are examples in the Commonwealth; in South Africa there is an island for instance where intractable problems have finally responded to the better angles of their nature. Sri Lanka’s willingness to host this Commonwealth shows its commitment to democratic pluralism and freedom based on law in order to reassure all its citizens that justice today is better than yesterday. Tomorrow will be better than today. My friends, this Commonwealth can make a difference in many corners of the world. For example, encouragement and instinct to find common ground wherever possible based on shared values. May these days of discussion foster all our best instincts.