Learn about the Secretary-General
14 October 2021 to 14 October 2021
Event
Join us on 14th October at 12:00 BST for the final live event for Hack the Planet 2021.
Main page for this area of work
Fifteen individuals and groups have been recognised for making a significant impact on communities, countries and regions of the Commonwealth, by creating innovative solutions to pressing development challenges.
Read press release -
15 Commonwealth innovators awarded for groundbreaking work on sustainability
Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, shares a video message to mark International Day of Peace, which is observed globally on 21 September.
Read news -
2021 Peace Day message by the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth
The °źÂț”ș and NO MORE Foundation are launching a new âJoin The Chorusâ initiative to help the 54 member countries tackle an alarming rise in domestic and sexual violence during the COVID-19 pandemic while urging leaders to make prevention a top priority in rebuilding efforts.
Read press release -
Commonwealth Says NO MORE launches initiative to prevent domestic and sexual violence in 54 countries
Foreign Affairs Ministers from across the Commonwealth met yesterday for the 21st annual Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM). The meeting was held virtually for the second year in a row due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read press release -
Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers meet to discuss COVID19, vaccines and climate change
IPS spoke to Commonwealth Secretary-General the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC about the Associationâs climate initiatives, the unique challenges faced by small states, its focus on gender mainstreaming and access to financing for critical adaptation and mitigation projects.
Read news -
In a Watershed Year for Climate Change, the Commonwealth Secretary-General calls for Urgent, Decisive and Sustained Climate Action
During a visit to The Bahamas this week, the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland called for urgent action to ensure improved climate resilience of small states and promised to amplify the concerns of small and other vulnerable states at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow this November.
Read news -
Commonwealth to champion climate-vulnerable small states at COP26
Event
A collection of âJoin the Chorusâ resources designed to prevent domestic and sexual violence, including a public service message, will be launched at a special event on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 20 September.
Commonwealth Secretary-General The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC has called on G20 members to urgently work with the Commonwealth and other partners, particularly the World Health Organization and World Trade Organization, to urgently put in place a robust plan to vaccinate the worldâs 42 smallest states and shield them from COVID-19.
Read press release -
Commonwealth Secretary-General urges G20 to urgently vaccinate the worldâs small states
Commonwealth Secretary-General has attended the inauguration ceremony of Zambiaâs seventh President Hakainde Hichilema in Lusaka.
Read news -
Secretary-General celebrates 'miracle' of Zambian unity as new President is sworn in
Statement by The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth
Read press release -
Statement by Commonwealth Secretary-General condemning the assault on the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines
Covid-19 has been an earthquake along the already fraught fault lines of global education. The result has been a deep chasm into which the most vulnerable have fallen: 1.6 billion children were out of education at the height of school closures.
Read news -
Opinion: We cannot sleepwalk into a learning crisis
I cannot pretend to know or fully understand how it feels to be a young person in 2021.
Read news -
Opinion: Empowering °źÂț”ș for our new normal
At a virtual ceremony today, the winner of the first âChristof Heyns Memorial Commonwealth Prizeâ was announced during the 13th Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition.
Read news -
Winner of Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition announced
As we prepare to celebrate Nelson Mandela International Day - a day to honour the legacy of the much-loved icon - the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC Secretary-General of the Commonwealth invited UNFPAâs Executive Director, Dr Natalia Kanem, to discuss the values of championing social justice, volunteering and community service.Â
Read news -
"Be the change we wish to see" The Commonwealth and United Nations Population Fund celebrate Mandela Day
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has commended the signing of an official peace pact in Lusaka, ahead of the 12th August polls.
Read news -
Zambia election âPeace Pledgeâ raises bar for other Commonwealth countries holding elections, says Secretary-General
Commonwealth countries are estimated to have lost up to US$345 billion worth of trade in 2020, including $60 billion in intra-Commonwealth trade, according to 2021 Commonwealth Trade Review on âEnergising Commonwealth Trade in a Digital World: Paths to Recovery Post-COVIDâ.
Read press release -
US$345 billion loss in trade for Commonwealth countries due to pandemic
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, has called on political leaders in Samoa to uphold the rule of law and adhere to the values and principles set out in the °źÂț”ș.
Read news -
Commonwealth Urges Respect for the Rule of Law in Samoa
The Coalition for Peaceful Elections in Zambia has launched an initiative encouraging political party leaders and candidates in the upcoming elections to commit to peaceful elections by signing a peace pledge and making a joint public commitment reaffirming non-violence and a credible electoral process.
Read news -
Zambiaâs political leaders urged to commit to peaceful elections
Today, Commonwealth Secretary-General Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC announced the âChristof Heyns Memorial Commonwealth Prizeâ during the 13th Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition.
Read news -
The Commonwealth announces new prize at Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition
The °źÂț”ș and Ghanaâs National Peace Council (NPC) are making a combined effort to rebuild national unity following the 2020 election, which sparked outbreaks of violence across some regions in the country.
Read news -
Restoring peace â Ghanaâs push for post-election unity
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has set out how an agile Secretariat has managed to support multilateral cooperation between member countries in the face of multiple challenges.
Read news -
Working together the only viable way forward, says Secretary-General
Commonwealth Secretary-General The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC has expressed sympathy and a sense of loss at the death of Zambiaâs founding President, HE Dr Kenneth Kaunda.
Read news -
Statement by the Commonwealth Secretary-General on the passing of former President of Zambia Dr Kenneth Kaunda
22 June 2021 to 22 June 2021
Event
In the face of multiple global crises, debt-for-climate swaps are being widely discussed as an instrument to manage mounting public debts, climate change challenges and Covid-19 recovery. Belize is a small island developing state in the Caribbean region facing these challenges. The Government of Belize has requested the °źÂț”ș to provide assistance to design and implement a âDebt for Climate/Nature Swap Mechanismâ for the country.
The COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique opportunity to reorient priorities and reset our relationship with the ocean. Emerging from the pandemic, a global âblue recoveryâ should focus rebuilding equitable, resilient, and sustainable blue economies, protecting ocean health as we leverage ocean wealth.
Read news -
It is possible to leverage ocean wealth, while protecting ocean health