The Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda (CCA) reinforced its commitment to advancing trade digitalisation and facilitating the digital transformation of its member states in the Caribbean at the Caribbean Telecommunications Union’s (CTU) ICT Week 2024, held in St Kitts and Nevis from 30 September to 4 October 2024.
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Commonwealth promotes legal reform and digital trade transformation at CTU ICT Week 2024
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Promoting the move to paperless trade, the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda together with officials from Commonwealth member countries and international organisations held a side event during the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific’s (UNESCAP) Paperless Trade Week in Bangkok, Thailand from 3-7 June.
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Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda champions paperless trade at UNESCAP Paperless Trade Week
The Commonwealth Secretariat and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their partnership in promoting inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
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Commonwealth Secretariat and UNIDO forge new partnership for sustainable industrial development
Today, on the sidelines of the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4), delegates joined the side event, "Harnessing the Digital Economy in Asia and the Pacific."
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Commonwealth partners with UNESCAP to shine spotlight on digital economy in Asia and the Pacific at SIDS4
Data could be the conduit for boosting intra-Commonwealth trade and investment as enshrined in the ‘Declaration on the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda for Trade and Investment’. The sharing of data according to the Open Data Institute (ODI), can create social and economic value for people, organisations, and the wider economy. Ensuring data sovereignty including maintaining a secure, trusted data environment, governments have an important role to play in laying the foundations for a flourishing data-driven economy by pursuing policies that improve the flow of data and ensuring that companies who want to innovate have appropriate access to high-quality and well-maintained data.
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National Agriculture Data Infrastructure: Malawi
Ghana is well positioned to tap into the potential of digitalisation across its agriculture sector. A multi-stakeholder dialogue with representatives from the sector, including digital agricultural services providers, confirmed that numerous organisations were already engaged in agricultural data management. Participants identified and shared experiences of several well-established systems and platforms for data management already operational in the country. However, they also described fragmented databases, an unwillingness to share data, operational inefficiencies, data collection fatigue, unsuited policies based on unreliable data and a data power imbalance.
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National Agricultural Data Infrastructure: Ghana
28 May 2024 to 28 May 2024
(Antigua and Barbuda (GMT-4))
Event
The fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States dubbed ‘SIDS4’ will be held on 27 – 30 May 2024 in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda. The Commonwealth Secretariat in partnership with United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and The Pacific Community (SPC) are hosting a side event at SIDS4 in Antigua and Barbuda.
The 3rd Biennial Pan-Commonwealth Meeting for Heads of Public Service concluded with a resounding call for more investment in Smart technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance planning and decision-making for more efficient and effective public service delivery and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) across the Commonwealth.
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Commonwealth public service heads advocate for smart tech investment
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, is supporting the growth of digital technology, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence (AI). The Secretariat is doing its part to accelerate progress with citizens in its 56 member states.
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‘We must leave no one behind’ – the Commonwealth Secretary-General urges greater adoption of digital technology
This March, Commonwealth Law Ministers were encouraged to enable the move to paperless trade by undertaking legal reform allowing digital trade documents to have the same force in law as paper-based documents.
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Commonwealth Law Ministers encouraged to enable move to paperless trade
Recognising the importance of manufacturing to development, economic growth and job creation, the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda (CCA) advanced its digital industrial policy support through a series of capacity-building workshops in Mauritius in December 2023.
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Manufacturers and policymakers in Mauritius benefit from training in advanced manufacturing
The Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda has launched an initiative to support member countries to develop a coordinated national infrastructure for climate data to enable more resilient food systems.
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Coordinated climate data needed for resilient food systems
The Commonwealth Secretariat and AGRA today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will leverage digital innovations to help transform smallholder agriculture across Africa.
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Commonwealth Secretariat and AGRA join forces to drive digital transformation in African agriculture
Blog by Benjamin Kwasi Addom, Adviser, Agriculture & Fisheries Trade Policy, Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda
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Blog: Harnessing Climate Data Infrastructure to Attract Private Sector Investments in Commonwealth Food Systems
The Commonwealth Secretariat, in collaboration with the Government of Ghana, this week convened a multi-stakeholder dialogue to explore the development of a national approach to agricultural data infrastructure in Ghana.
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Ghana's Path to Digital Agriculture: Commonwealth Secretariat Facilitates Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Data Infrastructure
Peer-to-peer learning and exchange can be a potent tool to bolster cross-regional trade and investment across the Commonwealth. It can be a conduit to share best practices, innovative strategies, diverse insights and perspectives on increasing trade and investment.
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Apply Now: Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda Cross-Regional Connectivity Grants Program
A 3-day regional workshop in Suva, Fiji, focusing on 'Effective Legal Frameworks for Building the Digital Economy,' came to a successful conclusion today, reinforcing the Commonwealth’s commitment to fostering resilient digital economies across the Pacific.
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Commonwealth Secretariat advances Pacific's digital economy with e-commerce initiative
In a stride towards advancing the digital economy and e-commerce in the Pacific region, the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda (CCA), the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) have joined forces to organise a three-day workshop on 'Effective Legal Frameworks for Building the Digital Economy'.
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Commonwealth works to forge sustainable and resilient digital economies within the Pacific
A state-of-the-art software developed by the Commonwealth Secretariat has been rolled out in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to transform how the country manages its public debt portfolio of US $2.2 billion.
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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to manage public debt using Commonwealth software
18 October 2023 to 20 October 2023
(BST)
Training
The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in conjunction with The Commonwealth Secretariat and Asian Development Bank (ADB) and The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will be hosting a Workshop on Effective Legal Frameworks for Building the Digital Economy on 18-20 October 2023, at the Pacific Islands Forum Headquarters in Suva, Fiji.
The Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda’s Cross-Regional Connectivity Grants programme supports Commonwealth member states in undertaking cross-regional peer-to-peer learning activities aimed at enhancing their knowledge, building their capacity and growing their expertise to facilitate greater trade and investment.
The 2023 Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting (CTMM) opened today at Marlborough House in London. The meeting, being held on the 5th and 6th of June, brings together trade ministers from across the Commonwealth to discuss and deliberate on key issues related to trade and investment.
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Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meet to Foster Cooperation for Resilient, Inclusive, Green and Digital Economies
Artisanal fisheries[1] are an important food source with fish constituting an important source of protein and income by providing employment to millions of people in countries where food security is an issue.
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What is “digital” about fish? A Policy Guide for the Commonwealth
2 May 2023 to 4 May 2023
Event
The Commonwealth Secretariat will be hosting its 4th Commonwealth Connectivity Cluster Week Meeting from 2-4 May, 2023.
Today the CARICOM Competition Commission (CCC) launches its online consumer protection course for consumer protection officials in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
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CARICOM Competition Commission and Commonwealth launch a new course for Consumer Protection Authorities in the Caribbean