A call by the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Kamalesh Sharma for the Commonwealth to prove itself worthy and “to push forward again in pioneering ways.”

Speaking at the official opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2009 at the National Academy for the Performing Arts, Mr Sharma said, “I hope that we will raise our bar once more - in the standards we set for ourselves and in the ways in which we make them real.”

In a speech that dealt primarily with the relevance of the modern day Commonwealth, the Secretary General said as the organisation celebrates 60 years of its existence it is perhaps time to take a closer look at what  unites the members of the modern Commonwealth.

“The Commonwealth is the place where we can fulfil a deep-set desire to be – at one and the same time – citizens of our local communities, of our countries ... and of the world. This is my briefest, most impressionistic, of sketches of an extraordinary association in its sixtieth year, and younger than ever,” Mr. Sharma said.

He listed a number of achievements of the Commonwealth, but he said despite this, in 2009 and beyond the organisation must again show itself to be relevant and equal to the times.

In his words, “Amidst the wreckage created by a series of global crises, the looming existential catastrophe of climate change, the pernicious poison of poverty and disease, the strangling of so much entitlement and opportunity ... the Commonwealth has to prove itself worthy.”

Like the host of CHOGM who is hoping for consensus on the issue of climate change, the Secretary General said he has his own wish list for this meeting. It consists of: 

•    A restatement of our (Commonwealth) values and principles, with practical commitments to match.
•    A restatement of our (Commonwealth) shared responsibilities towards the preservation of our planet.
•    The delivering of practical commitments to our young people, in whose eyes we see our future.
•    A response to the call of this meeting for partnership in pursuit of equity and sustainability.
Mr. Sharma believes these goals can be achieved since the Commonwealth is already a network of partnerships and is that organisation which comes nearest to a shared vision of “a truly international community”.