24th Commonwealth Heads of Meeting kicks off in Malta

From left, first row: Prince Charles, Prince Philipp, President Maithripala Sirisena, the outgoing Commonwealth Chair-in-Office(L), Queen Elizabeth II and Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma attend the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta on 27 November. The 2015 Commonwealth Summit kicked off today to a grand opening ceremony with Queen Elizabeth II, followed by intense working sessions where world leaders grappled with climate change. As the clock ticks to a UN climate conference in Paris starting Monday, leaders including France’s Francois Hollande, Britain’s David Cameron and the UN’s Ban Ki-moon will try to open the door to a landmark accord for taming greenhouse gases – AFP

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth ll declared open the 24th Commonwealth Heads of Meeting last morning with dignitaries from 53 commonwealth countries attending and a large contingent of media personnel from the respective countries present at the Mediterranean Centre in Velleta, Malta.  

The programme commenced amidst tight security and the Commonwealth dignitaries headed by Queen Elizabeth ll and 53 heads of State including the Outgoing Chairman of CHOGM Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Muscat the incoming Chair made their way to the venue on schedule last morning amidst rainy weather.

The programme that lasted two hours commenced with the introductions of the Commonwealth heads, followed by the address of the head of the host country Dr. Muscat.

“Powerful weapons to be unleashed to eradicate radicalisation are called Education and employment”

The Maltese Prime Minister in his address said there’s so much done by the Commonwealth and there is so much to be done. 

“The Commonwealth should be a grouping of good countries. It should be a good Commonwealth, a standard and an inspiration that two billion citizens, especially those not bound to the past but more interested in the future, will directly relate to.” 

“I believe that we should have an agenda with clear priorities for the next few years. An agenda that helps a good Commonwealth Add Global Value. The first is the fight against radicalisation. We live at a time where young people .within the commonwealth and beyond, are attracted to join terrorists groups that want to destroy democracy and our way of life. 

Part of the immediate fight is, unfortunately the necessarily, of military nature. Nevertheless on the long term there are much more powerful weapons that need to be unleashed to eradicate radicalisation and its causes. They are called education and employment.”

“Terrorists are more scared of well-educated girls and boys who manage to get a good job than they will ever be of any army.” 

He said the world faces a considerable challenge in implementing the sustainable Development Goals..but the smaller countries which are so vulnerable both to the impacts of climate change but also to the financial consequences.

Thus the concept of a Commonwealth Green Finance Facility initially of $ 1 billion, that will provide cost effective guarantees and credit enhancement for small scale green and blue initiatives, that is environment and maritime related projects, across commonwealth. The intention he said is for the facility to become operational in 2017. 

Malta he said is where the world meets, it is a place that Roosevelt and Churchill met on crucial talks on Europe, and 26 years ago Bush and Gorbachev met before the fall of the Berlin wall. Two weeks ago South Africa met on migration. This he said he believes is a watershed moment for commonwealth in Malta and he assured that the full potential of the Commonwealth will be met during his tenure as Chairman of the Commonwealth.

After the welcome show the outgoing chair Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisenain in his address said that he was fully satisfied with the accomplishments during the last two years with the goals set at the last CHOGM held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

He said that the progress made in areas such as poverty education promotion of trade sustainable development, involvement of youth in development activities growth, equality and dignity of the citizens. 

He said that he was extremely happy that Queen Elizabeth and paid tribute to her great leadership given to the Commonwealth.

The President emphasised that what is important is human values and not the power of wealth. 

Referring to the Kotte statement issued during the CHOGM in Colombo he categorically stated the need to enhance trade initiatives to expand private sector management in trade and economic activity.

President Sirisena praised the work of the outgoing Secretary General Kamlesh Sharma and thanked him for the excellent support and cooperation extended to him as chair in office. 

He also extended his best wishes to the incoming chairman Malta Premier Joseph Muscat. 

The Commonwealth Secretary General Sharma in his address paid a glowing tribute to the Queen for her thoughtful resolve and dedication to commonwealth and added she inspired him personally for the last 8 years during his tenure. He also praised the creation of the first ever Women’s Forum and paid tribute to his wife, as he said behind every great man there is a woman, and thus his wife has been his greatest asset.   

Queen Elizabeth in her address made emphasis on the project to protect the world’s forests 

Much has been said about the youth. The Commonwealth principals, ideals must be taken forward by the youngsters who are under 30 years who constitute as the majority in the Commonwealth. 

I am enormously proud of all the achievements made by the Commonwealth – all of which was in my lifetime. In conclusion she paid a glowing tribute to her husband Prince Philippe and the Prince of Wales for the immense support they have rendered towards the commonwealth.

With the following announcement by the Queen the 24th summit of the CHOGM came in to being - 

“Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to declare open this Twenty-Fourth Meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government. “

After which another spectacular cultural show that showed off the talents of the Maltese ended the programme. 

The full speech of the queen is as follows-; 

This is the second time in a decade that the flags of the Commonwealth have flown over Malta for the Heads of Government meeting. It gives me great pleasure to salute the Maltese Government and people for the resolute support which they have given to the Commonwealth and to this gathering.

Malta is, by the modern definition, one of the Commonwealth’s Small States, a group which constitutes more than half of its membership. These sovereign countries have an equal voice in the councils of the Commonwealth, and none more so than Malta.

With its long history of resilience and courage in the face of adversity, Malta is a reminder that a nation’s size is no measure of the moral strength of its people or its willingness to play a full part in the global agenda.

Prince Philip and I first came to live here in 1949, the same year in which the Commonwealth was founded.  The sixty-six years since then have seen a vast expansion of human freedom: the forging of independent nations and new Commonwealth members, many millions of people sprung from the trap of poverty, and the unleashing of the talents of a global population.  I have been privileged to witness this transformation, and to consider its purpose.

 It is not in our nature as a Commonwealth to vaunt our achievements, yet this progress was not a foregone conclusion.  It is rightly said that the Commonwealth is an association underscored by values.  But meaningful progress demands that those values be put into practice, mobilizing the vast network of civil society groups who work to strengthen health, laws and governance across all our countries.

The reservoir of energy, talent and knowledge encompassed by the Commonwealth’s network is prodigious.  I was therefore delighted to have welcomed many of its members recently in London, when I learnt more about their work and what could be done to encourage it further.  And I have been especially touched by one such project, The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy, which has been proposed by Commonwealth countries wanting to harness their collective expertise and resources to protect the world’s forests.

This and other initiatives are a practical demonstration of the power of the Commonwealth, working as a group, to effect real change for generations to come. In that vein, it must also be right publicly to redouble our commitment to the Commonwealth’s youth, our future.  Much has been said about the possibilities afforded by connectivity within the Commonwealth among younger generations, being the majority of those under 30 years of age and often facing the greatest challenges of inequality, disadvantage and poverty.  

This positive force of engagement by young people acting for young people is so much of what the Commonwealth is about and aspires to be.

Ladies and gentlemen, I feel enormously proud of what the Commonwealth has achieved, and all of it within my lifetime.  For more than six decades of being Head of the Commonwealth, a responsibility I have cherished, I have had the fortune of the constancy of The Duke of Edinburgh. Next year, the Commonwealth Study Conference, founded by him as what he once described as an ‘extraordinary experiment’ dedicated to equipping Commonwealth leaders, will itself celebrate its sixtieth anniversary.  To that, and to his many other Commonwealth associations, Prince Philip has brought boundless energy and commitment, for which I am indebted.

Nor could I wish to have been better supported and represented in the Commonwealth than by The Prince of Wales who continues to give so much to it with great distinction.

At this meeting, the Commonwealth will be charged with demonstrating leadership, often in practical ways, on an agenda of global issues and drawing on the distinctive contribution of our members.  I wish you every success in this endeavour and, further, extend my thanks to the Secretary-General for his own eight years of dedicated service to the Commonwealth.