Commonwealth Secretary-General's end of year message

In 2010 – as in any year – the Commonwealth has known its triumphs and its tribulations. Meanwhile the wider world of which it is a part remains in the grip of the same global crises which beset it last year, and many of its deepest longer-term aspirations – not least the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals – remain unmet.

It is a fast-changing world in which the Commonwealth’s strongest foundation and bond is its shared values. 2010 has seen those values being strengthened, as we have examined ways not just of better scrutiny, but also of better promoting our democratic principle and practice. Values will always be notable for the fewer occasions in any Commonwealth country when they are flouted, than for the many occasions when they are routinely treasured, matured and observed. We will continue to work with our member governments and peoples to strengthen their ability to turn democratic words into results. The new Commonwealth network of national election management bodies, launched in 2010, is just one such way.

In 2011, the Commonwealth’s first task continues to be meeting its members’ needs, and particularly those of its smallest, its weakest and its most vulnerable. That is why it will continue to make such effective use of its voice both inside and outside the G20.

That is also why it has chosen ‘Women as Agents of Change’ as its Commonwealth theme for 2011. It refuses to accept that women should ever be on the margins of our societies. The status and the opportunities of women are the surest indicator of the health of a society. Where women prosper, societies prosper; and where women suffer, so too do the societies in which they live. The Commonwealth believes that by investing in women and girls, the world can accelerate real social, economic and political progress.

In October 2011, Commonwealth Heads of Government will meet again in Perth, Western Australia. They will look back over our communal achievements since they last met, and they will also look forward. In this, they will be prompted by the recommendations of a group of first class Commonwealth hearts and minds – 10 people: young and old, men and women, from every continent – convened with the task of reviewing how the Commonwealth can sharpen its impact, strengthen its networks, and raise its profile. Stronger networks and profile can help realise the greatest of these aims: stronger impact.

The Commonwealth is a vibrant and complex living organism, focused on bringing benefit to its peoples. Where the practical toil of its arms and legs can bring benefit, it does. Where its voice can raise concerns and say how things should be done, it does. Where its head conceives ideas for better ways of operating in the Commonwealth and in the world, it is exercising its wisdom function for the larger global community. And the motor for all this work is its heart, which must continue to beat strong to the rhythm of the values which we in the Commonwealth hold most dear.