Latest content: Social development

The Commonwealth, in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Australia and Fiji to the UN, has conducted a side event on the relationship between parliaments and national human rights institutions (NHRIs).

The Commonwealth, in partnership with the Universal Rights Group (URG) and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), convened an open dialogue on the role played by parliaments and civil society in the global human rights agenda.

The Commonwealth has taken part in a two-day meeting to enhance women’s political participation and leadership in the English-speaking Caribbean.

The Commonwealth and the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management (CCEAM) have signed a new agreement to improve the leadership and management skills of educators and school leaders in member countries.

Cricket has the potential to unite communities and help countries towards their development goals, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has said.

The Commonwealth has launched a publication that emphasises the role of parliamentarians in implementing the human rights commitments that their countries have made.

Three years after adopting the 2030 development Agenda, countries are grappling with how to achieve its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A blog written by Loukinikini Vili, Director of Human Rights, Ombudsman and National Human Rights Institution, Samoa.

Challenges, good practices and how to improve the civil society space were the centre of discussions amongst delegates from Commonwealth countries and civil society organisations, during a gathering held in the margins of the 39th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Globally, the World Health Organisation estimates that one in three women experience either physical or sexual violence during their lifetime.

In a historic move, the Ombudsman of Samoa undertook a national inquiry into family violence – the first of its kind in the Pacific – that revealed extremely high levels of violence against women and girls in the country, while also exploring ways to tackle the scourge.

Experts from leading intergovernmental, civil society and sport organisations have agreed to work with the Commonwealth Secretariat to develop practical solutions to quantify and enhance the role sport can play in global efforts to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path.

Sport, one of the great shared traditions of the Commonwealth, can make a very valuable contribution to shared goals and aspirations of our member countries.

“This training has ignited our spark in bringing positive changes to our communities,” says Saraban Tahura Zaman.

The Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has pledged “all her support” for the Commonwealth’s “Peace at the Crease” initiative plus more collaboration to encourage Commonwealth trade.

Secretary-General Patricia Scotland underscored the importance of Commonwealth collaboration in delivering progress and bridging socioeconomic gaps to ensure common prosperity among the 53-member states, during her lecture at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

Youth perspectives are key to finding solutions to most of the big challenges facing countries of the Commonwealth – and the Commonwealth collaboration and innovation can accelerate global progress towards a fairer, safer and more inclusive world.

This year’s Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting (CHMM) provided a key platform for decision-makers to discuss priorities for citizens of the 53 member countries.

The Commonwealth has reinforced its commitment to get more women leading and participating in sport.

At the 30th Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting in Geneva, government representatives discussed a series of bold proposals

Tackling preventable diseases, funding universal healthcare and guaranteeing cervical cancer screening for girls are among the topics that will be addressed by Commonwealth ministers at a major health summit.

Twenty-eight young Bangladeshi leaders met in Dhaka to share their vision for building peace in their communities and to learn key skills at the third Faith in the Commonwealth Youth Training of Trainers workshop.

Campaigners from Africa have called for more action to end ‘harmful practices’, such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and child, early and forced marriage (CEFM), which they say remain ‘shamefully widespread’.