Head of the Commonwealth Queen Elizabeth II opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Port-of-Spain yesterday, advising that this country's motto–Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve–could assist member nations in their bid to achieve sustainable and equitable development. "There could be no better description of the Commonwealth's ethos and no better guideline to achieve this CHOGM-stated goal of a more equitable and sustainable future," she said, before formally opening the 20th CHOGM at the multi-million dollar National Academy for the Performing Arts, Queen's Park East, yesterday.
Among those in the audience were Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma, former chair of the Commonwealth Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, and new chair T&T's Prime Minister Patrick Manning. The Queen said the 60-year-old organisation must now "prove its relevance beyond its own borders and develop a truly global perspective." She said the Commonwealth could be proud of the fact that over the past 60 years it has shaped the international response to emerging global challenges.
But she insisted the body should not be complacent. She said on the eve of next month's UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Commonwealth had "an opportunity to lead once more." Admitting that the threat to the world's environment was not a new concern, the Queen said it had become "a global challenge which would continue to affect the security and stability of millions (of citizens) for years to come." She added that many of those affected were among the most vulnerable and many of the people least able to withstand the adverse effects of climate change lived in the Commonwealth. The Queen said another area of opportunity for the Commonwealth was nurturing its young people.
She said the future of the Commonwealth lies with the one billion (people) who were under 25 years of age. "The Commonwealth must show that it is relevant to, and supportive of our young people who need to be convinced that the Commonwealth can help them to realise their ambitions," she stressed. In expressing her pleasure to be back in the Caribbean state of T&T, The Queen said: "This region is dear to the Commonwealth." She said the past 12 months had been a stern test for member states and great resourcefulness had been shown in order to meet the challenges. She advised the Commonwealth that it must remain committed to building resilience among its smaller members.
