Prime Minister Joseph Muscat kicked off the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting informally yesterday, announcing a new Centre of Excellence that would assist smaller member states.
The centre, he said, would be a joint initiative between Malta and the Commonwealth Secretariat, with Malta contributing €100,000 as “symbolic” seed capital.
Dr Muscat said the new centre would provide tailor-made programmes to assist smaller states through online resources and referral services.
Assistance would be given in areas such as national debt management, management of public finances, e-government projects, management of natural disasters, training of civil servants and diplomats, the promotion of women’s rights and trade promotion.
Malta, Dr Muscat said, was a thriving country and it wanted to interact and share its experiences with the other small Commonwealth states, particularly those still developing.
Kamalesh Sharma, the General Secretary for the Commonwealth, underlined the importance of the new centre.
It is a moment to show the whole world that outcomes in global discourse have to be equal for everyone
In the years to come this CHOGM, he said, would be remembered as a watershed moment in the service of small states. It was a moment to show the whole world that outcomes in global discourse had to be equal for everyone and equity should be at the heart of international relations.
The theme of the summit was Adding Global Value, and there would be particular focus on climate change ahead of the meeting, he said.
Mr Sharma said that the Commonwealth represented 53 states with a diversity of cultures and ideas, which made it a microcosm of the whole world.
Mr Sharma also praised the level of preparedness for CHOGM, saying Malta was “outstanding”.
CHOGM formally gets under way with an opening ceremony on Friday morning.
Queen Elizabeth II, head of the Commonwealth, arrives tomorrow afternoon.
Replying to questions, Dr Muscat said that as chairman, he would present the Commonwealth’s views at the Climate Change conference next week.
Dr Muscat said he also intends to attend the EU summit with Turkey on Sunday.
Tackling extremism
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting would focus on ways to tackle extremism and radicalism, Prime Minster Joseph Muscat said.
The summit will have leaders of different cultural and religious backgrounds sitting around a table to find ways to draw people away from the allure of radicalisation.
Dr Muscat said that the summit would try and offer employment and educational options instead.
He confirmed that French president Francois Hollande would attend the summit and said ways to tackle extremism and radicalism would be discussed with him, too.
He expected CHOGM to give a warm welcome to the French president following the tragic events in Paris.
Others issues to be discussed during the summit were climate change, the economy and migration.