I enjoyed your warm hospitality last time I visited and I look forward to my next visit.
This is an opportunity to thank you for your commitment to the Commonwealth and its values. The Commonwealth is, first and foremost, a network of people who share their knowledge and experience for their mutual benefit. And the people of Botswana play an important role in this partnership.
Botswana contributes to the rich diversity of our organisation and adds weight to the Commonwealth internationally. It has also benefited from its membership in many tangible ways: through development programmes as well as through the support we give to good governance. The Commonwealth connection also helps Botswana broaden its relationships internationally and spread its influence beyond the African continent.
As you know, the Commonwealth is, in many ways, a unique organisation. It is a partnership of nations in which all members sit at the same table as equals.
Commonwealth Day is our opportunity to renew our commitment to this special partnership and to the values we all share as Commonwealth citizens.
COMMONWEALTH FACTS
Botswana joined the Commonwealth in 1966.
The modern Commonwealth comprises 53 independent member states across the globe. Thirty-two of these are small states.
The 1.8 billion citizens of the Commonwealth make up almost a third of the world’s population.
Don McKinnon of New Zealand is the Commonwealth Secretary-General. He took office in 2000.
Commonwealth countries all share a commitment to fundamental values such as development, democracy, good governance and human rights.
The Commonwealth works to build global consensus on debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; fairer trade rules for poorer nations; and the special needs and vulnerabilities of small states.
Commonwealth countries celebrate diversity through their shared heritage of language, history, and administrative and legal frameworks, making it easier to work together for peace, progress and prosperity.
The Commonwealth promotes dialogue among its citizens and with the international community, and employs diplomacy in conflict prevention and resolution.
The Commonwealth provides training for thousands of people and places hundreds of experts on assignment in member countries each year under the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC).
Commonwealth Day is commemorated on the second Monday in March.
WHAT IS
COMMONWEALTH DAY?
Commonwealth Day is celebrated on the second Monday in March every year. The purpose of commemorating Commonwealth Day is to promote understanding on global issues, international co-operation and the work of the Commonwealth to improve the lives of its 1.8 billion citizens.
The modern Commonwealth, which has its origins in the former British Empire, today comprises 53 independent member states. Thirty-two members are republics, 16 have constitutional monarchies which recognise HM Queen Elizabeth II as their Head of State, and five have national monarchies (Brunei Darussalam, Lesotho, Malaysia, Swaziland and Tonga).
