Picture Stories


Building hope in northern Uganda
Building hope in northern UgandaThe Northern Uganda Youth Development Centre (NUYDC) is a Commonwealth supported project dedicated to helping young people readjust after more than two decades of civil war in the region

Young delegates learn about Malaysia's rich culture
Young delegates learn about Malaysia's rich cultureThey will spend three days with a local family, learning how to prepare traditional food, participate in traditional Malaysian games, and observe local craftspeople at work

Commonwealth marks 60th anniversary with colour
Commonwealth marks 60th anniversary with colourMarlborough House brings together Commonwealth citizens for commemorative ceremony

Comic strip educates young about misuse of drugs in sport
Comic strip educates young about misuse of drugs in sportAnti-doping advisers believe comics will generate discussion between teachers, students, athletes and officials on the negative effects of drug taking

Commonwealth Secretary- General visits Ghana and Nigeria
Commonwealth Secretary- General visits Ghana and NigeriaCommonwealth Secretary- General visits Ghana and Nigeria meeting Nigeria President Umaru Yar'Adua and President John Evans Atta Mills of Ghana

Training for the Commonwealth Women’s Antarctic Expedition
Training for the Commonwealth Women’s Antarctic ExpeditionThe Commonwealth Women’s Antarctic Expedition will see eight women ski to the South Pole, setting off in December this year to represent their countries and the Commonwealth

Large and peaceful turnout in Bangladesh elections
Large and peaceful turnout in Bangladesh electionsElections pave the way for restoration of parliamentary democracy

Countdown to elections in Bangladesh
Countdown to elections in BangladeshThe Commonwealth Observer Group has been deployed across the country in preparation for polling on 29 December.

Kamalesh Sharma visits Exotica Flavours, a small micro business in St Lucia
Kamalesh Sharma visits Exotica Flavours, a small micro business in St LuciaKamalesh Sharma visits some projects which have benefited from the technical assistance the Commonwealth gives to St Lucia

Tennis academy grooms tomorrow’s champions
Tennis academy grooms tomorrow’s championsStudents from across Asia are sponsored by the Commonwealth Youth Programme to attend five-year training programme

Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting
Commonwealth Law Ministers MeetingOver 200 delegates to the Commonwealth Law Ministers meeting held in Edinburgh, Scotland between 7-10 July 2008.

‘Street plays’ boost young people’s knowledge of HIV and AIDS
‘Street plays’ boost young people’s knowledge of HIV and AIDSCommonwealth Youth Ambassadors - who are trained to communicate facts about HIV and AIDS with their peers – perform ‘street plays’ at a college campus in Chandigarh, northern India.

Mobile van offers computer training to youth
Mobile van offers computer training to youthThe Commonwealth Youth Programme provides computer training for disadvantaged young people living in remote areas who do not have access to computers. This project teaches basic skills in order to improve their chances of gaining employment.

Commonwealth Day 2008
Commonwealth Day 2008Images from Commonwealth Day events that took place in London on Monday 10 March 2008

Participants speak about their experiences at the Commonwealth Malaysia conference
Participants speak about their experiences at the Commonwealth Malaysia conferenceThe Pan-Commonwealth Conference on Trade in Professional Services opened on 19 February 2008 in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur

Boosting skills and services
Boosting skills and servicesThe Pan-Commonwealth Conference on Trade in Professional Services opened on 19 February 2008 in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, with a call for Commonwealth member countries to take advantage of opportunities presented by exporting skills and services.

Commonwealth Day in the archives
Commonwealth Day in the archivesDuring the 1975 CHOGM in Kingston Canada proposed that a “simultaneously observed Commonwealth Day would focus attention upon the association and its contribution to a harmonious global environment”

Commonwealth mediation in Kenya crisis….a photo essay
Commonwealth mediation in Kenya crisis….a photo essayIn the days that followed the announcement of the Presidential results, violence erupted in several parts of the country leading to loss of lives and property. The Chairperson of the COG, former Sierra Leone President Dr Ahmad Tejan Kabbah accepted the request from leaders to assist in trying to facilitate efforts aimed at finding a solution to the crisis.

Commonwealth ‘People’s Space’
Commonwealth ‘People’s Space’The first Commonwealth ‘People’s Space’ is a great opportunity for interaction between ordinary people everywhere, Secretary-General Don McKinnon said after touring the outdoor cultural site with his wife Clare and their nine-year-old son James on 21 November 2007

Launch of Commonwealth Connects project in Uganda
Launch of Commonwealth Connects project in UgandaHole-in-the-Wall Computer Learning Station at the Kiswa Community Centre in the Nakawa Division of Uganda’s capital, Kampala, launched on 19 November 2007.

Sierra Leone Elections 2007
Sierra Leone Elections 2007A Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) was present for the Sierra Leone presidential and parliamentary elections on 18 August 2007

Ugandan entrepreneur David Ssegawa visits London
Ugandan entrepreneur David Ssegawa visits LondonDavid Ssegawa flew in from Uganda, having recently won the Faidika Na BBC (‘Prosper with the BBC’) competition for his business plan to set up his own local candle manufacturing company

PoA for Youth Empowerment launched at CYP Asia Regional Advisory Board Meeting
PoA for Youth Empowerment launched at CYP Asia Regional Advisory Board MeetingThe Commonwealth Youth Programme’s Asia Regional Advisory Board (RAB) and Regional Youth Caucus (RYC) Meetings took place in Islamabad from 3 - 8 November

Emeka Anyaoku in pictures
Emeka Anyaoku in picturesChief Emeka Anyaoku served as Commonwealth Secretary-General from 1990 to 2000

Shridath Ramphal in pictures
Shridath Ramphal in picturesSir Shridath 'Sonny' Ramphal QC served as Commonwealth Secretary-General for 15 years from 1975 to 1990.

Arnold Smith in pictures
Arnold Smith in picturesCanadian diplomat Arnold Cantwell Smith served as the first Commonwealth Secretary-General from 1965 to 1975.