In May 2024, the Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with a2i and other partners convened a multi-stakeholder national dialogue in Dhaka that made recommendations on how to put in place an enabling environment for collaborative interventions among institutions engaged in agricultural data management, so they can design, establish and start to implement a National Agricultural Data Infrastructure (NAgDI) in Bangladesh.
The Commonwealth Peace Prize was launched on the International Day of Peace 2024 and aims to recognise distinguished peacebuilders with a strong track record of faith-inspired engagement in conflict resolution and creating sustainable peace in the Commonwealth.
The prize is a part of the Faith in the Commonwealth Initiative, a partnership launched in 2017 with the Khalili Foundation to amplify the efforts of young people - in collaboration with older people - to promote peace and sustain harmony across the Commonwealth's diverse cultural, indigenous, and religious groups.
Announcing the extension at a briefing of High Commissioners and Commonwealth Accredited Organisations in London on 6 December 2024, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, underscored the role of peace in achieving fair, just and peaceful societies. She said:
The prize, which will be awarded every three years, is part of a series of initiatives to reward long-serving peacebuilders who have harnessed the power of faith to engage in positive dialogue, resolve conflicts, and serve as role models for young people.
The Founder and Chairman of the Khalili Foundation, Sir David Khalili, encouraged all to see faith as more than a religious concept saying:
COP26 also provides a platform to highlight key initiatives of the Secretariat such as:
At COP26, the Commonwealth Secretariat will be engaging stakeholders at strategic and technical levels, with the following aims:
Advocacy priorities for the Commonwealth Secretariat include:
We recognise the necessity of access to affordable health care, education, clean drinking water, sanitation and housing for all citizens and emphasise the importance of promoting health and well-being in combating communicable and non-communicable diseases.
We recognise the right of everyone to have access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food, consistent with the progressive realisation of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security.
The Commonwealth Cyber Declaration was signed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in 2018.
The Cyber Declaration sets out the commitments made by Heads of Government to support a cyberspace that promotes economic and social development, and rights online.
These commitments aim to build the foundations of an effective national cybersecurity response and to promote stability in cyberspace through international cooperation.
With the financial support of the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Commonwealth Secretariat has worked on 4 distinct projects in order to implement the commitments of the Cyber Declaration across the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth Secretariat partnered with a number of regional and international organisations in the delivery of the programme, including UNODC, CARICOM IMPACS, and the Council of Europe.
The African Cyber Resilience project has focused in particular on the experiences of The Gambia, Kenya and Namibia and on reviewing and reforming their existing cyber legislation.
This has included drafting new cyber legislation for those countries which did not previously have a cyber-framework in place.
The Electronic Evidence Training in the Caribbean project provided the essential training for judges, prosecutors and cybercrime investigators throughout the Caribbean region. A further activity to train trainers included tutors from law schools in the Caribbean.
Feedback from these workshops suggests the implementation of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s training in local institutions’ curriculums would be beneficial so that participants can develop their knowledge more widely within their own organisations.
The International Co-operation project focused on the importance of cross-border co-operation in order to identify and fight cybercrimes or cybersecurity breaches.
This project resulted in:
The Election Cybersecurity project involved regional workshops held in Johannesburg, Sydney, and Trinidad and Tobago, reaching over 35 countries in total from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Asia-Pacific regions.
This project also involved the development and launch of the Commonwealth Best Practice Guide on Cybersecurity for Elections.
The Guide includes evaluations and recommendations from expert consultants on best practice across the Commonwealth.
Prior to the Commonwealth Cyber Declaration, the Commonwealth Secretariat undertook work on cybercrime and cybersecurity under the Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative.
Achievements include:
In May 2024, the Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with a2i and other partners convened a multi-stakeholder national dialogue in Dhaka that made recommendations on how to put in place an enabling environment for collaborative interventions among institutions engaged in agricultural data management, so they can design, establish and start to implement a National Agricultural Data Infrastructure (NAgDI) in Bangladesh.
In May 2024, the Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with a2i and other partners convened a multi-stakeholder national dialogue in Dhaka that made recommendations on how to put in place an enabling environment for collaborative interventions among institutions engaged in agricultural data management, so they can design, establish and start to implement a National Agricultural Data Infrastructure (NAgDI) in Bangladesh.
Recognising trailblazing peacebuilders
The prize, which will be awarded every three years, is part of a series of initiatives to reward long-serving peacebuilders who have harnessed the power of faith to engage in positive dialogue, resolve conflicts, and serve as role models for young people.
The Founder and Chairman of the Khalili Foundation, Sir David Khalili, encouraged all to see faith as more than a religious concept saying:
| Brunch | Dinner | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Toast and coffee | Jollof Rice with Chicken |
| Tuesday | Scones with jam | Moin moin and Ogi |
| Wednesday | Chicken Salad | |
| Thursday | Chips and Fish |
The prize, which will be awarded every three years, is part of a series of initiatives to reward long-serving peacebuilders who have harnessed the power of faith to engage in positive dialogue, resolve conflicts, and serve as role models for young people.
The Founder and Chairman of the Khalili Foundation, Sir David Khalili, encouraged all to see faith as more than a religious concept saying:
The prize, which will be awarded every three years, is part of a series of initiatives to reward long-serving peacebuilders who have harnessed the power of faith to engage in positive dialogue, resolve conflicts, and serve as role models for young people.
The Founder and Chairman of the Khalili Foundation, Sir David Khalili, encouraged all to see faith as more than a religious concept saying:
The prize, which will be awarded every three years, is part of a series of initiatives to reward long-serving peacebuilders who have harnessed the power of faith to engage in positive dialogue, resolve conflicts, and serve as role models for young people.
The Founder and Chairman of the Khalili Foundation, Sir David Khalili, encouraged all to see faith as more than a religious concept saying:
The prize, which will be awarded every three years, is part of a series of initiatives to reward long-serving peacebuilders who have harnessed the power of faith to engage in positive dialogue, resolve conflicts, and serve as role models for young people.
The Founder and Chairman of the Khalili Foundation, Sir David Khalili, encouraged all to see faith as more than a religious concept saying:
The Secretary-General and the Commonwealth delegation also visited Damarpalli Lake, where officials exhibited water conversation efforts to support climate mitigation efforts.
The conference is organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Bahamas Public Disclosure Commission as well as the Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies in the Commonwealth Caribbean.
Convening under the theme, ‘Best Practices in implementing Integrity and Anti-Corruption Laws in the Caribbean in the age of Artificial Intelligence’, heads of integrity commissions and anti-corruption agencies, senior government officials, relevant international organisations and policymakers will review national and regional anti-corruption efforts, share knowledge and good practices, and discuss the impacts of corruption on sustainable development.
Over the course of the three days, there will be a combination of presentations by experts in various anti-corruption fields, panel discussions on sub-themes, and country reports by the jurisdictions that comprise the association.
Since 2015, the heads of integrity commissions and anti-corruption bodies in the Commonwealth Caribbean have met annually to promote collaboration and strengthen regional anti-corruption efforts.
The Chair-in-Office represents the Commonwealth at high-level international meetings and reinforces the Good Offices role of the Commonwealth Secretary-General. The term ‘Good Offices’ refers to the Commonwealth's conflict prevention and resolution work.
The Chair-in-Office is the leader of the Commonwealth country that hosts a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The two-year role comes into effect at the start of the CHOGM. The next CHOGM will be hosted by Antigua and Barbuda in 2026.
Outcomes of the roundtable centred on holistic approaches for national food systems and, in some cases, continental challenges like infrastructure and technologies, breaking away from piecemeal solutions and instead, strengthening value chains.
The prize, which will be awarded every three years, is part of a series of initiatives to reward long-serving peacebuilders who have harnessed the power of faith to engage in positive dialogue, resolve conflicts, and serve as role models for young people.
The Founder and Chairman of the Khalili Foundation, Sir David Khalili, encouraged all to see faith as more than a religious concept saying:
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Obi Nwajei , QA Analyst
The prize, which will be awarded every three years, is part of a series of initiatives to reward long-serving peacebuilders who have harnessed the power of faith to engage in positive dialogue, resolve conflicts, and serve as role models for young people.
The Founder and Chairman of the Khalili Foundation, Sir David Khalili, encouraged all to see faith as more than a religious concept saying:
