2015 commonwealth of nations summit
The 24th Commonwealth of Nations Summit has ended at Malta with far-reaching decisions taken on regional and global issues.
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It began on November 27, 2015 with 52 of the 53 member states, including Ghana, represented by heads of government and ended on November 29. President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana was present at the summit.
Matters deliberated upon included the following: climate change and global sustainability, extremism, terrorism and security, refugee crisis, economic issues, election of a new secretary-general, discrimination against homosexuality and corruption.
The theme of the 2015 summit was, “The Commonwealth: Adding Global Values.”
At the end of the summit, the Commonwealth leaders prepared and signed a special “Statement on Climate Action.”
The statement described climate change as an “existential threat” and requested the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris to produce an ambitious, equitable, inclusive, rule-based and durable outcome… that includes a legally binding agreement aimed at reducing greenhouse emissions and control climate.
A $1 billion dollar Commonwealth Green Finance Facility was set up at the summit to support environment projects in poor countries of the Commonwealth.
A proposal to write off debts of small island Commonwealth countries threatened by rising sea levels in exchange for those countries taking measures to protect their environment was approved.
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On extremism and terrorism, a communique issued at the end of the summit said: “Radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism in all its forms and ramifications are a serious threat to the whole world”.
The communique asked Commonwealth member states to implement fully the UN Resolution 2178 of 2014 on terrorism and also implement “national strategies to counter radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism.”
A proposal by Britain on the creation of a new unit of experts to counter extremism was also approved by the summit.
On trade in conventional weapons, including small arms, the communique said the Commonwealth leaders agreed to fully implement the Arms Trade Treaty of 2014 to curtail illicit trade in arms.
On sustainable development, the communique stated that the leaders agreed to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with the hope that it would “lead to eradication of poverty in all its dimensions and ensure that no one is left behind.”
For that purpose, the leaders decided to “provide continued assistance to member states in attaining long-term debt sustainability by means of technical advice on institutional strengthening, debt financing, debt strategy formulation and debt restructuring.”
On discrimination against homosexuals in Commonwealth countries, it appears that there was no consensus among the Commonwealth heads of government because of the controversial nature of the subject.
The 2015 Commonwealth meeting was obviously divided on the issue – with one side for the legalisation of same-sex marriage and the other, most of them from developing countries including those of Africa, against it.
The newly elected Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Baroness Patricia Scotland, however, promised to use the first two years of her term of office to work on discrimination against homosexuals in Commonwealth countries.
Baroness Scotland is the sixth Commonwealth-Secretary General. She replaces Mr Kamalesh Sharma whose second term of office ended in April, 2015.
She defeated two other candidates for the office. The other contestants were Mr Masire Mwamba, favoured by African countries and Sir Ronald Sanders who was supported by the Caribbean countries.
The Commonwealth of Nations was founded in 1949. It replaced the erstwhile British Empire. The British Empire was a group of nations comprising the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and all other countries then under British colonisation.
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It changed its name to the Commonwealth of Nations in 1949 when colonial countries began to attain independence status.
Email: therson.cofie@yahoo.com