Moves to make Commonwealth more visible

Britain is moving to position the Commonwealth as a viable, visible player on the international stage It is a follow-up from last year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London at which the British government committed over £500 million to projects and programmes over a two-year period for the 53 member states of the Commonwealth.

Speaking to the media at the British High Commission on Wednesday, envoy to the Commonwealth, Philip Parham, said: “We are trying to increase the voice of the Commonwealth in the international community . . . to have it heard more clearly, more loudly, more distinctively in more different arenas . . . particularly as an advocate for the rule-based international system, which is under some challenge at the moment.”

He said the Commonwealth was a “big priority” for Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May, who was working with Commonwealth partners to achieve the goals set during last year’s CHOGM, during the two-year period that the UK is Commonwealth chair-in-office.

From Barbados, Parham goes to St Lucia for that country’s independence celebrations today. ( GC)

United Kingdom envoy to the Commonwealth, Philip Parham

( left), speaking with British High Commissioner Janet Douglas at the British High Commission on Wednesday.

(Picture by Gercine Carter.)