Commonwealth Day Celebrations on Monday 13 March 2006
10 March 2006
Fifty-three member nations celebrate Commonwealth Day on Monday, 13 March 2006, and with it the shared beliefs - in freedom, in democracy and development, and in supporting the poorer, the weaker, and the smaller - which bind them together as partners and equals. The day will be celebrated across the Commonwealth with speeches, receptions, prayers and other events, many of which are based on this year's theme, 'Health and Vitality: the Commonwealth Challenge'.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth, and Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon will attend a Commonwealth Day Observance at St Andrews Cathedral, Sydney, Australia. This will be followed by a Reception at the Governor-General's Residence, Admiralty House, Sydney. The Secretary-General will then depart for the Australian city of Melbourne where he will attend the opening of the 18th Commonwealth Games on Wednesday 15 March.
"In a year in which our finest athletes, at the peak of their physical abilities, will be competing at the 18th Commonwealth Games, it is appropriate that we should devote attention to good health for all," said Mr McKinnon in his Commonwealth Day Statement, the full text of which is presented below.
A special message by The Queen, also based on the theme, will be read out at a Multi-Faith Observance at Westminster Abbey in London on Commonwealth Day. The Observance will be attended by HRH the Prince of Wales and HRH the Duchess of Cornwall; the Prime Minister of Malta, Hon Dr Lawrence Gonzi, who is currently Chairperson of the Commonwealth; Baroness Amos, Leader of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom; and the two Commonwealth Deputy Secretaries-General, Winston Cox and Florence Mugasha.
The Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, Dr Gonzi and other dignitaries will attend an evening reception hosted by the Commonwealth Deputy Secretaries-General at Marlborough House, the Commonwealth Secretariat's London headquarters.
In keeping with the Health and Vitality theme for the day, a special display is being organised which will feature aspects of the Secretariat's Health Programme, volunteer doctors who went to Maldives and Pakistan in the wake of the Indian Ocean tsunami and the earthquake in Pakistan, and the Commonwealth's Young Ambassadors for Positive Living programme, which enables young men and women living with HIV and AIDS to exchange personal experiences with their peers and raise public awareness of the pandemic. Schools throughout the Commonwealth have received colourful posters on the theme, produced by the Secretariat. These are used as classroom tools and in celebrating the Commonwealth and its work.
Among many other activities around the Commonwealth are the following:
In Vancouver, Canada, a Commonwealth Day Reception and Exhibition will be held at the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology, sponsored by the Museum, the Royal Commonwealth Society and the Commonwealth of Learning, which has its international headquarters in Vancouver. On Sunday, 12 March, a multi-faith observance and festivity of Caribbean music, sights, sounds and colours will take place in Vancouver, with support from members of the Caribbean Cultural Association of British Columbia.
In Fiji Islands, there will be a formal Afternoon Tea Party at Government House in Suva, with HM The Queen's Speech being read by HE The President of Fiji. The Royal Fiji Military Forces will Beat the Retreat at sunset.
In Singapore, the Asia Centre of the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP), based in Chandigarh, India, will initiate a three-day series of events for young people in the Asia region. Organised in collaboration with the National Youth Council of Singapore, the programme will include study visits on the themes of health and sports, and a cultural performance and exhibition on Wednesday 15 March.
In Scotland ( United Kingdom), the Royal Over-Seas League is organising a week-long series of festivities starting on 13 March with a Commonwealth Day Lunch attended by David Cairns MP, Under Secretary of State for Scotland. On Thursday, March 16, there will be a Commonwealth Debate in the Scottish Parliament followed by a wine-tasting at Over-Seas House. On Monday March 20, there will be a Commonwealth Parliamentary Evening at the Scottish Parliament, sponsored by Dr Jean Turner MSP.
In Zambia, the Minister for Sport, Youth and Child Development will officially mark the commemorations at a Commonwealth Youth Forum on Youth Parliaments. With participants from Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia, the Forum is organised by the CYP's Africa Centre, which is based in Lusaka, in collaboration with the National Youth Constitutional Assembly, a local youth-led NGO. The CYP Africa Centre will also host a Health and Vitality Symposium to be attended by Commonwealth Heads of Missions based in Zambia, United Nation agencies, development partners and participants in the Forum.
Elsewhere in Africa, the CYP's Regional Youth Caucus (RYC) representatives will take a lead role in organising celebrations in their respective countries. Activities will include sensitisation on CYP initiatives in Ghana and Cameroon, a debate in partnership with the Youth Employment Network in Malawi, the launching of Commonwealth Youth Clubs in The Gambia, and addressing the HIV and AIDS pandemic among young people in Mauritius and Seychelles, with emphasis on changing behaviour.
Note to editors:
Internet web sites with information on this and related topics include:
- www.thecommonwealth.org, the main website of the Commonwealth Secretariat;
- www.youngcommonwealth.org, a Commonwealth Secretariat website containing quizzes and other material aimed at young people;
- www.commonwealthday.com, a special website of the Royal Commonwealth Society.
10 March 2006
'Health and Vitality: the Commonwealth Challenge'
Commonwealth Day 2006 Statement by Secretary-General Don McKinnon
Monday 13 March is Commonwealth Day - a day once a year in which we celebrate being members of a unique global family and organisation.
The essence of the Commonwealth is in its fundamental values of mutual respect, tolerance and equality. It brings us together as individuals, groups, organisations, and governments.
Building on that foundation, we are driven by a determination to help each other create strong democracies that encourage respect for human rights - political, economic, social, cultural, and others. Together, the Commonwealth aspire to just and honest government, supported by the rule of law. And we aim to create prosperity and economic opportunity for all.
To belong to the Commonwealth means to engage with the international community with one voice. Fifty-three nations speaking in unison can send a powerful message to the rest of the world.
Last year, the Commonwealth's Heads of Government met in Malta to set out the direction and priorities for our organisation over the next few years. We agreed to continue to channel our work to promote democracy and development and to give priority to assisting those who are most vulnerable - those in developing countries and in small states. This year, global trade liberalisation will be one of our greatest challenges. We recognise that trade is one of the most potent ways of generating prosperity and eradicating poverty. We will also help bridge the digital divide that is holding back progress by promoting new technology.
Also in Malta, were over 200 different organisations and over 500 people representing doctors, dentists, businessmen and women, lawyers and others, all of whom believe in the value of the Commonwealth. Confidence in the Commonwealth is running high as the number of civil society organisations grows and the Commonwealth Youth Programme continues to expand.
This year the Commonwealth Day theme is, 'Health and Vitality: the Commonwealth Challenge'. In a year in which our finest athletes, at the peak of their physical abilities, will be competing at the 18th Commonwealth Games, it is appropriate that we should devote attention to good health for all.
Commonwealth interests are our shared interests. Every step forward that member countries take to make a difference is an advance for us all. That is good grounds for celebration.
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