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In a historic move, the Ombudsman of Samoa undertook a national inquiry into family violence – the first of its kind in the Pacific – that revealed extremely high levels of violence against women and girls in the country, while also exploring ways to tackle the scourge.

Experts from leading intergovernmental, civil society and sport organisations have agreed to work with the ������ to develop practical solutions to quantify and enhance the role sport can play in global efforts to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path.

Sport, one of the great shared traditions of the Commonwealth, can make a very valuable contribution to shared goals and aspirations of our member countries.

“This training has ignited our spark in bringing positive changes to our communities,” says Saraban Tahura Zaman.

The Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has pledged “all her support” for the Commonwealth’s “Peace at the Crease” initiative plus more collaboration to encourage Commonwealth trade.

Secretary-General Patricia Scotland underscored the importance of Commonwealth collaboration in delivering progress and bridging socioeconomic gaps to ensure common prosperity among the 53-member states, during her lecture at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

Youth perspectives are key to finding solutions to most of the big challenges facing countries of the Commonwealth – and the Commonwealth collaboration and innovation can accelerate global progress towards a fairer, safer and more inclusive world.

This year’s Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting (CHMM) provided a key platform for decision-makers to discuss priorities for citizens of the 53 member countries.

The Commonwealth has reinforced its commitment to get more women leading and participating in sport.

At the 30th Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting in Geneva, government representatives discussed a series of bold proposals

Tackling preventable diseases, funding universal healthcare and guaranteeing cervical cancer screening for girls are among the topics that will be addressed by Commonwealth ministers at a major health summit.

Twenty-eight young Bangladeshi leaders met in Dhaka to share their vision for building peace in their communities and to learn key skills at the third Faith in the Commonwealth Youth Training of Trainers workshop.

Campaigners from Africa have called for more action to end ‘harmful practices’, such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and child, early and forced marriage (CEFM), which they say remain ‘shamefully widespread’.

Last month’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was a major opportunity for leaders to discuss some of the pressing health challenges facing member states.

A centre to tackle violent extremism in Cameroon has been welcomed by the ������.

The success of the Gold Coast Games that ended last week, and the four-year journey to the next, in Birmingham in 2022, were celebrated at a sports breakfast in London this morning. Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland also met with guests over breakfast before travelling to Windsor for the Commonwealth Summit Leaders’ Retreat.

The Second Commonwealth Women’s Forum begins in London on Monday with a call for women’s rights to be firmly on the agenda of leaders when they meet later in the week.

Young leadership, gender empowerment and the future of women in the Commonwealth. Just three of the varied topics discussed at the Women of the World Festival (WOW) in Brisbane, Australia, where Commonwealth Secretary-General was a key speaker.

The debate is the ������’s signature annual event and the first to be held outside London. The inaugural event in 2016 was a tie. It focused on whether government investment should be focused on health outcomes or broader human and social development results.

Trinidad and Tobago has hosted the second Faith in the Commonwealth Youth Training of Trainers workshop, uniting passionate young leaders across the Caribbean in the pursuit of building more cohesive communities.

Ministers say the measurement and evaluation of the contribution of sport, and making it mainstream to national development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) need to be strengthened. 

Sport helps education, health, gender equality, breaks down barriers and ensures social and economic empowerment. 

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has met the Bangladesh Youth and Sports Minister Dr Biren Sikder on the margins of the 9th Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting at the Gold Coast in Australia.