Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013 - Outcomes

Political Values

• Democracy
  • New composition of Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group for next two years
• Human Rights
  • Freedom of Expression
    • Review of Commonwealth Media Development Fund to examine how it can be renewed in its purpose to build the capacity of a free and responsible media
  • Women and Girl Child
    • Commonwealth will continue to address issue of child, early and forced marriage - giving due consideration to the domestic legislation of member states and relevant international law
  • Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict
    • Commonwealth Secretariat to support conflict affected states to strengthen their capacity to prevent and respond to sexual violence in armed conflict

Economic development

• Post-2015 Development Agenda
  • Before agreement on Agenda – Commonwealth Heads of Government Working Group to work constructively to deliver an ambitious and balanced agreement in 2015
  • After agreement on framework – collective Commonwealth collaboration to support member states in advancing practical implementation
• G20
  • Finance Ministers to develop proposals to deepen Commonwealth engagement with G20

Trade

• Trade finance facility for those countries currently unable to access such financial resources – to be worked on by a coalition of member states

Environment

• Recommendations of the Commonwealth Expert Group on Climate Finance to be advanced in order to simplify access to existing climate finance by small island developing states and least developed countries
• A Climate Finance Skills Hub to be developed as on online facility in order to provide expertise and knowledge as well as technical assistance for countries seeking to gain access to climate finance

Commonwealth Collaboration

• ‘ComPartnership’
  • Contemporary platform to unlock potential for bilateral country-to-country cooperation and creation of collaboration between member states – with online resource hosted on Commonwealth Secretariat’s web-based platform ‘Commonwealth Connects’
• Commonwealth Citizens Working Group
  • Two-year remit to develop detailed proposals for easier cross-border movement of Commonwealth citizens for bona fide travel
• Commonwealth Plan for Broadband Inclusion
  • A multi-stakeholder partnership to promote universal digital access – Commonwealth Secretariat to work with Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• ‘Commonwealth Connects’ hubs for health and education
  • Creation of ‘Common Health’ and ‘Common Knowledge’ as online health and education hubs for collaboration and networking to advance social development and components of the ‘Commonwealth Connects’ web platform
• Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust
  • Announcement of major Commonwealth programmes over five years towards eliminating avoidable blindness and advancement of the prospects of the youth of the Commonwealth

Small States

• Agreement to carry forward work building on Commonwealth High-Level Mission proposals to overcome unsustainable debt and financing challenges of Small States
• Establishment of an Open-Ended Ministerial Group to progress practical proposals that address priority development concerns 

Youth

• Commonwealth Youth Council – constitution approved and inaugural Executive Committee and office holders elected

Individual Member States’ Commonwealth Contributions and Initiatives

• Sri Lanka – first provider and host of a rotating secretariat for the new Commonwealth Youth Council
• Pakistan – financial support for a Commonwealth youth-led development project
• Malta – Small States Centre of Excellence
• Mauritius – Climate Finance Capacity Hub for Small States and Vulnerable States
• India – financial support for ‘Commonwealth Connects’ (the cloud-based platform enabling accredited Commonwealth organisations and partners to collaborate securely online), and for ‘ComPartnership’ (the digitalised Commonwealth network and exchange for country-to-country needs and resources)

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings

• Invitation in person from Dr Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister of Malta, inviting Heads of Government to Malta for CHOGM 2015 – an offer received with acclamation.
• Heads also welcomed the offers of Vanuatu and Malaysia to host the 2017 and 2019 CHOGMs respectively.