THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS IN DELIVERING ON THE COMMONWEALTH’S AGENDA
THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS IN DELIVERING ON THE COMMONWEALTH’S AGENDA
Senator Hon. Dennis D. Moses
is the Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. He previously held positions at the OAS General Secretariat in the Commonwealth of Dominica and in Guyana; at the InterAmerican Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in Barbados; at CAB International at its headquarters in the United Kingdom; and as career diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago. Minister Moses is fluent in French and Spanish, is married and has two children.
At the milestone of 70 years, the Commonwealth emerges as a family of nations that is bound by shared inheritances, enlightened by diversity, guided by the lessons of experience and history and emboldened with a renewed mandate and sights set on shaping a tomorrow that is fairer, safer, more productive and more sustainable than yesteryear. As the Commonwealth celebrates its 70th anniversary, this year’s theme of ‘A Connected Commonwealth’ underscores the benefit and value of the Commonwealth’s global engagement in all aspects of society and the rich diversity of the Commonwealth family of nations, with its enduring commitment to persevere and collaborate in a spirit of friendship and goodwill. It gives recognition to the Commonwealth’s determination to connect people, institutions and governments through education, concern for the environment, economic and trade cooperation, sport, the promotion of peace and good governance, and outreach to youth, women and marginalised communities. Over the course of 70 distinguished years, the Commonwealth has transitioned from the old into the new with its unwavering focus on sustainability and inclusion for all within the Commonwealth fold. Despite the complexity and gravity of the challenges encountered in today’s global landscape; from mushrooming security threats and conflict, to evolving health risks, to extreme weather events and climate impacts, to continued
abuses of the rights of women, children, minorities, the differently abled and other marginalised groups; the Commonwealth remains firmly planted in the foundation of the Commonwealth Charter and dedicated to fostering meaningful development for the Commonwealth’s 2.4 billion citizens across some 53 Member States. The year of 2018 was a year of exceptional global challenges and opportunities, marked by action on the part of the international community to substantively address climate change, environmental degradation, socio-economic exclusion and migration, with a view to creating a roadmap for achieving sustainable development at the global level. It was in that spirit of cooperation, partnership and common purpose that Commonwealth Heads of Government converged in London and Windsor in April 2018 under the theme of ‘Towards a Common Future’. It achieved its purpose of bringing to bear decades of accumulated Commonwealth knowledge and experience, as well as strategic influence, on the outcome of global conversations taking place in other international fora that directly impact the standard of living and quality of life of the peoples of the Commonwealth, the majority of whom live in impoverished conditions in developing countries. Bearing in mind that Commonwealth populations represent a third of the global population, 60% of which are young people under the age of 30, the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
(CHOGM) featured multidimensional discussions by the Heads of Government on how to better pursue shared goals of fairness, sustainability, security and prosperity. To this end, the outcome documents of the meeting highlighted the advocacy and practical contributions of the Commonwealth in finding durable solutions to major challenges and concerns. In addition to the new and expanded mandates emerging from CHOGM 2018, the convocation of Commonwealth Heads demonstrated collaboration, leadership and innovation through
“At the milestone of 70 years, the Commonwealth emerges as a family of nations that is bound by shared inheritances, enlightened by diversity, guided by the lessons of experience and history and emboldened with a renewed mandate and sights set on shaping a tomorrow that is fairer, safer, more productive and more sustainable than yesteryear.”
The Parliamentarian | 2019: Issue Two | 100th year of publishing | 129