A call by the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Kamalesh Sharma for the Commonwealth to prove itself worthy and “to push forward again in pioneering ways.”

Speaking at the official opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2009 at the National Academy for the Performing Arts, Mr Sharma said, “I hope that we will raise our bar once more - in the standards we set for ourselves and in the ways in which we make them real.”

In a speech that dealt primarily with the relevance of the modern day Commonwealth, the Secretary General said as the organisation celebrates 60 years of its existence it is perhaps time to take a closer look at what  unites the members of the modern Commonwealth.

PRIME MINISTER TELLS YOUTH THEY’RE THE REAL PROSPECT AND PROMISE OF THE WORLD
Delegates attending the Commonwealth Youth Forum 7 have been assured that their potential, work and contribution are immeasurable. Speaking at a prize giving ceremony on Thursday, November 26 at the Princess Theatre on board the Caribbean Princess, Mr. Manning said young people have been instrumental in effecting change in this world.

“I am addressing you this afternoon from a very deep sense of appreciation of the value of our young men and women across the Commonwealth and the wider world, and from an awareness of the contribution you can and do make to the development of our nations and to human progress,” Mr. Manning said.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning has “categorically rejected” the per capita breakdown of greenhouse emissions. Mr. Manning made the comment at a news conference, one day before the start of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2009.

The conference was hosted by the Prime Minister along with Commonwealth Secretary General, H.E. Kamalesh Sharma, at the International Financial Centre in Port of Spain.

Manning added that while Trinidad and Tobago had a responsibility to reduce its own emissions and would do so on a voluntary basis, the per capita argument is “a convenient argument for countries with large populations.”