Excellencies,
Honourable Members of Parliament
Distinguished Guests, and Friends,
At the outset, I wish to convey my sincere condolences for the untimely demise of H.E Sir Shridath Sony Ramphal, the Second Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. Sir Ramphal was a distinguished citizen of the Commonwealth from Guyana, who served our organization with distinction and a profound sense of leadership and commitment to the values and principles of our cherished Commonwealth Family. May his soul rest in peace
It is an honour to bring you greetings from H.E. Mr. Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia, and the sovereign commonwealth citizens of The Gambia. My profound gratitude to the Gambian people, in the service of whom I have mustered the required skills and qualifications that made it possible for H.E, my boss the President of The Gambia to find comfort and trust in me and nominate me as the candidate of The Gambia, who is capable to lead the affairs of our commonwealth in discharging the values and principles that joined us as commonwealth of nations.
I wish to delightfully welcome you all to this very humbling reception organized in my honour by Her Excellency, Dr. Fatou Bensouda. I wish to also acknowledge other members of my campaign team, Ambassador Lamin Dibba, Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the UN in New York, Ambassador Prof. Muhamadou Kah, Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the UN in Geneva, and Ambassador Jainaba Jagne, Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the African Union in Addis Ababa and the rest of the campaign team present and those in absentia from Banjul, New York, Washington, Geneva, and Addis Ababa.
One very important commitment I must pledge as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth is one that my career as a diplomat has prepared me for and that is to strengthen efforts and build a strong and connected organization that prioritizes the needs and interests of its member nations.
The Commonwealth is a unique network of nations, people, and organizations that share a common heritage and values, and we must leverage this strength to create new opportunities for growth, development, and cooperation in an all-inclusive democratic and peaceful environment, where promoting and protecting human rights, maintaining peace and security and the progressive development of international law are our collective responsibility.
My vision for the Commonwealth is that of a dynamic organization where climate change mitigation, promotion and protection of human rights and maintenance of peace and security are seine-qua-non to sustainable trade and development, with a particular focus on small islands and developing states across the length and breadth of the organization. These constituencies face unique challenges in terms of education, economic development, climate change, and sustainable growth – and the Commonwealth must work together to address these issues and ensure a brighter future for all.
To achieve this vision, the Commonwealth must prioritize connectivity and unity. We must build on the achievements and efforts of the former distinguished Secretary-Generals including Her Excellency the Baroness Scotland of Asthal, for their remarkable leadership that brought member states together and created a sense of shared purpose. We must also work to drive the organization forward by developing innovative strategies and initiatives to transfer skills and technology through technical assistance to support member nations ease and resolve the collective overarching education, economic, trade and climate-change challenges.
Central to this effort will be a focus on the leveraging of modern technology to enhance opportunities for education trade and economic development for small and disadvantaged member nations. The Commonwealth has the potential to be a powerful force for growth and prosperity, and we must work to unlock this potential by fostering greater trade and investment between member nations. We will also work to support small businesses and entrepreneurs, who are the engines of economic growth and job creation in many of our member nations.
Climate change being one foremost pressing issue of concern for Small Island and Developing States requires concerted efforts and commitment to address its threat. The Commonwealth is uniquely positioned to take a leadership role in this area, given the diversity of our member nations and the wide range of challenges they face. We will work to promote sustainable development, reduce carbon emissions and support climate resilience in the most vulnerable countries.
As we remain committed to our founding principles of democracy, promotion and protection of human rights and the rule of law, the good-office of the Secretary-General must be strengthened to prevent conflict, undemocratic governance and abuse of human rights. With secured tenure of service for secretariat staff and excellent transparent relationship with the civil society organizations and other relevant actors, we will be committed to promoting democratic values, protect human rights and support the development of strong and transparent institutions across the Commonwealth.
Coming from a youthful population of 64 percent, aged 30 and below, I can relate to the needs and aspirations of the Commonwealth youth population. The welfare and economic security of our youths are core enablers or drivers of my plan, which is informed by the view to rebrand the Commonwealth from an institution that is perceived by some as a colonial institution.
The youth must, therefore, play a central role in rebranding the Commonwealth as a historical institution built to bridge differences and create opportunities to foster economic growth of states and citizens. Such values and objectives must not be limited to flowery statements designed to promise hope from generation to generation. My team of advisers will include the youth for youthful insights and youthful programs, which will be implemented to directly impact lives and livelihoods of youths across the Commonwealth.
In realizing the importance of young people as core pillars of efforts to sustain peace and development in the present day and future, we must also recognize the efforts to achieve gender equality and realize the rights of women and girls across the Commonwealth. It is my hope that when elected as Secretary General, I would place requisite affirmative measures that would lead efforts to ensure that decision- making spaces are inclusive for all. Here I condemn all forms of violence and bigotry against women.
I believe that the Commonwealth is at the precipice of historic possibilities with the recent geo-politics and the multi-polarity of our world, presenting a new set of challenges and opportunities such as the need for climate justice, financial crisis, threats of terrorism all leading to calls for strengthening global order and in this regard it is pertinent to look at the future positioning of the commonwealth and examine the type of reforms necessary to ensure that the commonwealth remains relevant and dynamic in our present world.
It is therefore a call for all heads of nations to look inward with a view to guide resilient reforms that will lead the commonwealth to greater strengths and unity to withstand the challenges of our time. As Secretary-General, my office will take considerable attentions to the ongoing reform proposals designed to strengthen functional organs of the commonwealth architecture that are the bedrock of the shared values of our organization.
