By Hannah Dadzie
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has called for the need to redefine Commonwealth values that will provide a standard for good governance, peace and security, and social protection for Commonwealth citizens and for all generations.
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey, who has announced her candidacy for Commonwealth Secretary-General, said her vision is to unite Commonwealth nations, focusing on six critical areas, including trade and investment, mobility and labour markets, and climate change. She believes this will enable inclusive development and help transform the economies of the countries in the Commonwealth in the face of the changing world. Madam Ayorkor Botchwey was speaking at the Council of Foreign Affairs Ghana’s 5th Anniversary Lecture Series in Accra.
The public lecture was part of activities to mark the 5th Anniversary of the Council on Foreign Relations -Ghana, an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit institution specialising in Ghana’s foreign policy and international affairs. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, said the Commonwealth has provided an opportunity for its Member States and people to reshape a world fit for the times we live in. According to her, despite the remarkable achievements of the Commonwealth, more needs to be done to improve the lot of the 2.5 billion people within the organization. Speaking at the lecture on the topic “A vision for new Commonwealth in a fast-involving world” Madam Ayorkor Botchwey said that when given the nod as the next Commonwealth Secretary-General on October 22, 2024, she will support Commonwealth countries to find common agreement in responding to issues such as climate change and mobility of labour markets.
“Close to six areas for repositioning our Commonwealth to transform the economies of the countries in the Commonwealth, which will enable inclusive development and climate resilient and also respond to the expectations of the hundreds of millions across the Commonwealth were in good life. My ambition is to support Commonwealth countries to find common agreement in responding to climate change the expectations of small island. Developing states must be the barometer of our goal and the Commonwealth must continue to be a champion of the small island state,” Madam Ayorkor Botchwey said.
She said the Commonwealth is a powerful influence on the world’s transformation and urged countries to pledge themselves to its service for the future.
“The leadership of the Commonwealth is to be commended for their innovation and hard work with increasing the sectarian’s accumulation of a reliable body of knowledge, that has contributed to economic development and resilient building across all the member states of the Commonwealth. We need to acknowledge that the true value of our Commonwealth is our common health, our common well-being, and our common lives, building on our common values,” Foreign Affairs Minister.
The President of the Council on Foreign Relations -Ghana, Ambassador D.K Osei, said the world is facing a lot of tension and underscored the importance of the council’s engagement to stabilise the rising global tensions.
“If you look at event occurring in the world now, council feels even more called upon to engage in activities. For the simple reason that the world is facing a lot of horizon global tensions and if you look at the current global and complex geopolitical contestations facing us, we think as a council we need to devote even more attention to engaging our insights proposing solutions for more stable international environment,” Ambassador D.K. Osei said.
The Public Lecture was attended by Diplomats, Members of Parliament, academia and students, creating a platform for insightful discussions on shaping the future of the Commonwealth in a dynamically changing world.
