Any visitor arriving in Malta knows immediately that it is a Mediterranean and European country. Malta is also a model Commonwealth country and it will, once more, become chair of our family of nations in 2015. Combining the leadership of Malta and the convening power of the Commonwealth offers the opportunity to make practical changes with global impact.
Looking forward to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in November next year, we are especially aware of the fresh opportunities for the people of Malta and other small states through Commonwealth partnership.
Malta is recognised internationally for its commitment to advancing the unique concerns and needs of small states. So too is the Commonwealth. With 31 of our 53 members defined as small states, it is natural that we should give priority to finding ways of responding to their distinctive needs.
The Commonwealth Charter affirms our role as “a recognised intergovernmental champion of small states, advocating for their special needs; providing policy advice on political, economic and social development issues; and delivering technical assistance”.
Like Malta, 26 of our Commonwealth small states are also island states – some being classified as ‘middle income’ countries with limited access to debt and shock financing facilities. The Commonwealth has always spotlighted the distinctive characteristics of small states that render them particularly vulnerable to external economic shocks. And we have collectively urged the international community to adopt a more flexible approach to the requirements of these countries as well as special measures to assist them.
I have been discussing with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Foreign Minister George Vella the establishment of a Small States Centre of Excellence and a Trade Financing Facility to benefit small states, both of which the government of Malta has generously agreed to host. These are very concrete examples and will be real contributions to improving the lives of people worldwide who live in small states.
Our working partnership stretches back over many years. In 2004, the Commonwealth, in collaboration with the University of Malta, initiated a pioneering project that led to the development of a ‘resilience index’ and which helped define strategies that enable small states to overcome their vulnerabilities.
Commonwealth and Malta can be true pioneers in the frontier area of the Blue Economy
Lasting economic resilience is built on the foundations of good policy practice in a number of areas. These include developing resistance to external shocks, encouraging market efficiencies, embedding good governance, building social cohesion and pursuing sound environmental management. That resilience-building is now accepted as a guiding principle by the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank can, in many respects, be seen as a triumph for Commonwealth and Maltese thought-leadership.
In June this year, a partnership agreement was signed between Malta and the Commonwealth Secretariat to boost debt management capacity in small states. The Secretariat has a globally-acclaimed technical programme that is assisting 40 Commonwealth member states – and 30 other countries besides – to strengthen sovereign debt management. We are assisting Malta to put into place public debt management legislation that reflects sound governance arrangements that will reform the policy framework of government cash management and reshape the medium-term debt management strategy of this country.
Small island states are surrounded by oceans of challenge but also economic potential. It is no surprise that Malta is also committed to becoming a centre of maritime excellence.
The sustainable development and management of maritime potential is of growing importance to many Commonwealth countries. The Commonwealth Secretariat has a well-established reputation in this area and member states are able to draw on the wide practical experience of our team of experts in developing maritime policies and strategies for boosting the potential of small land but vast ocean states. The Commonwealth and Malta can be true pioneers in the frontier area of the Blue Economy.
Alongside such work, the Commonwealth has long worked with successive chairs and organs of the G20 to draw the attention of leaders of the world’s major economies to issues that affect Commonwealth developing countries in general and small states in particular. Ninety per cent of world GDP is represented at the G20 table but we argue that the voices of the 90 per cent of countries not at that G20 table must be heard. This has secured a respected place for the Commonwealth as a preferred partner at both political and technical level to address practically today’s challenges for developing and small economies.
It is to carry forward such vital work for the well-being and prosperity of all Commonwealth citizens that we are now preparing once again with high aspirations as befits the Commonwealth for the summit gathering of presidents and prime ministers in Malta next year. The fruits of that work, and of Malta’s generous hospitality, will again be seen across the Commonwealth.
In 2005, when it last hosted CHOGM, Malta made seminal contributions in the areas of trade and digital networking. Next year, Malta will once more deliver over and beyond its size with worldwide impact.
The Prime Minister has a clear vision and ambition for CHOGM 2015 to be a forward-facing and reforming Commonwealth summit. We look forward to achieving that in partnership.
Kamalesh Sharma is Commonwealth Secretary General.