THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH SMALL STATES CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH SMALL STATES CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE Report from Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2015 in Malta
Dr George Vella
is the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Malta. He started his parliamentary career within the Labour Party in 1978 and was elected as an MP in 1981. He has held various positions including Leader of the Malta Delegation to the Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe; Malta’s Permanent Representative at the Council of Europe; Deputy Leader for Parliamentary Affairs; and Vice Chairman of the Malta/EU Joint Parliamentary Committee.
From 27 to 29 November 2015, Malta was the host for the second time in ten years, of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). This Commonwealth Summit brought together the Leaders of 53 Commonwealth nations representing 2.2 billion people or almost one third of the world’s population. The Commonwealth Summit provided the Leaders of the Commonwealth with the opportunity to share experiences and exchange views on a series of regional and international issues. More importantly they explored measures on how to strengthen their resolve and to reaffirm their commitments towards practical and cooperative contributions to the political values of the Commonwealth. Convened under the theme, ‘The Commonwealth: Adding Global Value’, the Commonwealth Heads of Government discussed and agreed on steps to advance their national, regional and international cooperation. In their Leaders’ Statement, the Commonwealth Heads of Government addressed a number of areas covering peace and security; sustainable development; oceans, seas and marine resources; migration; small States; young people;
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responses to corruption; the fight against poliomyelitis; and the renewal of the Commonwealth. On Small States specifically, the Heads of Government, in their Statement, declared that they “are conscious that 31 of our members are small states, which have their own particular strengths and opportunities as well as vulnerabilities in addressing today’s global challenges, especially climate change.” In this context the Commonwealth Leaders welcomed and encouraged the continuing support of the Commonwealth, including advocacy and technical assistance, to support small states in building their resilience, advancing growth and prosperity, and creating a better future for their citizens. In addition to their Statement, the Commonwealth Heads of Government adopted a final Communiqué which recorded “the full breadth of matters” addressed during the Malta CHOGM. In their Communiqué, the Commonwealth Leaders “reaffirmed their shared commitment on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth to the values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter.” With special reference in the Communiqué to Small States,
the Commonwealth Heads of Government “recognised that while some small states enjoy medium to high GDP per capita, giving the impression of strength, they continue to suffer disproportionately from diseconomies of size, frequent external shocks such as the 2008 economic recession which gravely impacted their economies and societies, and adverse events including natural disasters and environmental change which can affect the entire population and substantially hamper sustainable development or even threaten their very existence.” Heads of Government also “recognised that the Commonwealth has always been a strong advocate for the cause of small states by raising international awareness of their vulnerability.” Heads of Government further “recognised in particular the need to address the debt and financing needs of small states and called for innovation and new partnerships, and for the international community to continue actively to explore innovative measures to alleviate their vulnerabilities and challenges.” Accordingly, the Commonwealth Heads of Government “welcomed the work of the Commonwealth