Foreign ministers from across the Commonwealth met today in their first-ever virtual meeting.
The 20th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM) would usually take place alongside the United Nations General Assembly but was held virtually this year due to the limitations of the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the meeting, Ministers discussed Commonwealth responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and mutual aid and support in dealing with its impact.
In a broad-ranging discussion, they took the opportunity to discuss joint priorities in areas including the response to the global Covid-19 pandemic and its health, social and economic impacts. They also addressed climate change and preparations for next year’s COP26 meeting to be held in Glasgow, UK, and looked forward to further address these issues at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Kigali, Rwanda in June 2021.
Speaking at the meeting Commonwealth Secretary-General The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC said:
“As a Commonwealth family, we are at a defining moment, witnessing unprecedented disruptions affecting all of our member states. We are seeing health, social, environmental, and financial fragility in the unfolding coronavirus pandemic.
“We have an opportunity as a Commonwealth family, to tackle the ongoing linked crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, and to ensure that global economic recovery is environmentally sustainable across the Commonwealth.
“There is also a strong call for a new fiscal architecture, bearing in mind that small states are worried about their very existence, with a call from many of our member states for an overhaul of access to financial support to help small states facing the perfect storm of Covid-19, climate change and a dramatic fall in tourism.
“This crisis calls on us all to lend a helping hand to those in need. Ministers, we all agree that we shall overcome if we are bold, practical, and focused in our multilateral approach to Commonwealth action.”
Commonwealth Ministers also took time to express their solidarity against racism and discrimination in all its forms and approved a joint Commonwealth statement on this seminal issue.