Commonwealth nations mark day
Commonwealth nations across the world yesterday marked the day with a number of activities.
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The day falls on every second Monday of March every year.
This year’s celebration, which fell yesterday, March 9,was on the theme, “A Young Commonwealth”.
It was marked with activities in the 53 Commonwealth countries, including a multi-faith observance at the Westminster Abbey in London, attended by the Head of the Commonwealth, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
A joint statement signed and issued by Mr John Apea of the Royal Commonwealth Society and Ms Mina Mensah, Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, said across Africa, young people, schools, communities and civil society organisations also joined to celebrate the day.
The statement said this year’s theme: “A Young Commonwealth,” reflected the enormous power, might and potential of the youth in building economies and societies that were strong and sustainable.
This year’s theme is reiterated in the Commonwealth Day affirmation of Queen Elizabeth II, who wrote that a “Young Commonwealth is a globally diverse and inclusive community that opens up new possibilities for development through trust and encouragement”.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, stated that the diversity and youth of the Commonwealth opened up more opportunities, enabling citizens to learn from the experiences of others and to share new ideas developed in a wide range of contexts….youth and progress through innovation are at the heart of the Commonwealth”.
The statement added that in years past, there had been a perception of African youth as vestiges of despair rather than pillars of hope. The theme,however, puts an end to that thesis by recognising the youth to be ‘agents of change’ rather than ‘objects of change’.