Guyana joined 52 countries under one flag to commemorate Commonwealth Day under the 2018 theme of “Towards a Common Future”. A variety of activities, events and seminars are being organised globally, including the Commonwealth Day Service on Monday, March 12, at Westminster Abbey in London.
Commonwealth Day is observed on the second Monday of March every year. It encourages individuals, communities, and organisations to take pride in the Commonwealth identity and promote the shared values and principles of peace, democracy, and equality. The Commonwealth of Nations also supports the Commonwealth Games, which is a sporting event held every four years for member countries.
The day brings together the Commonwealth’s member countries to promote understanding on global issues, work towards mutual cooperation and celebrates the diversity, resilient unity and enriching values that define the Commonwealth.
Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland stated in her message to mark the annual event, “With our fellow citizens, we live, learn, work and play in countries set in every continent and ocean – all 2.4 billion of us, representing a glorious spectrum of diversity and talent. It is by living and working for the good of one another, towards a common future, that we build our Commonwealth.”
This year’s theme explores how the Commonwealth can address global challenges and work to create a better future for all citizens through sub-themes of sustainability, safety, prosperity, and fairness, in line with the theme of the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London, which will be held from April 16-20 2018.
According to British High Commissioner Greg Quinn, key areas of focus at the upcoming meeting include a more secure future: increasing cooperation across security challenges including global terrorism, organised crime and cyber-attacks; a more sustainable future: building the resilience of small and vulnerable States to deal with the effects of climate change and other global crises among others. He also urged Member States to work together to ensure the Commonwealth has the institutional strength to face these challenges effectively.
The Commonwealth’s objectives were first outlined in the 1971 Singapore Declaration, which committed the Commonwealth to the institution of world peace; promotion of representative democracy and individual liberty; the pursuit of equality and opposition to racism; the fight against poverty, ignorance, and disease; and free trade. To these were added opposition to discrimination on the basis of gender by the Lusaka Declaration of 1979 and environmental sustainability by the Langkawi Declaration of 1989. These objectives were reinforced by the Harare Declaration in 1991.
The current highest-priority aims are on the promotion of democracy and development, as outlined in the 2003 Aso Rock Declaration, which was built on those in Singapore and Harare and clarified their terms of reference, stating, “We are committed to democracy, good governance, human rights, gender equality, and a more equitable sharing of the benefits of globalisation.”
The purpose of the voluntary Commonwealth is for international cooperation and to advance economics, social development, and human rights in member countries. Just last year, members of a Commonwealth Ministerial Group assured Guyana of the unequivocal and collective support of Commonwealth member Governments for the maintenance and preservation of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial borders, in accordance with the 1899 Arbitral Award.
Further, the Heads expressed their full support for the United Nations Secretary General to choose a means of settlement in keeping with the provisions of the Geneva Agreement of 1966, to bring the controversy to a definitive end. Recently, Commonwealth Secretary General Scotland reiterated her support for the decision of the UN Secretary General António Guterres, to refer the long-standing border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Over the years, Guyana has continued to work towards strengthening the partnership with the Commonwealth in many areas, including governance, trade, financial services, and elections.
