We are very happy to have hosted the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Shirley Botchwey, to the UK Parliament this week (Monday 27 October).

We worked with the Commonwealth All-Party Parliamentary Group to arrange her visit.

After addressing our Executive Committee in the CPA UK Room, the Secretary-General moved to a Committee Room in the House of Commons to speak to MPs and Peers.

In her briefing to parliamentarians she listed the threats to the world. She identified “geopolitical divisions and tension, economic fragility, democratic strain, and accelerating climate impacts”. She went on to address a number of areas such as how the UK works with the Commonwealth, the importance of trade, renewable energy and AI.

Afterwards, she answered questions from MPs and Peers touching on education, youth engagement and the identity of the Commonwealth. Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica was also referred to and a visiting parliamentarian from Montserrat reminded the audience of how much help the island will need.

Here is an extract of the Secretary-General's speech:  

“Commonwealth countries already trade 21% more with each other, at 19% lower cost. That is the “Commonwealth Advantage,” and it is growing.

With the right policy alignment — in digital trade, green investment, and skills mobility and eliminating trade barriers — the UK can remain at the forefront of these expanding opportunities.

Equally, in an era when the multilateral system is under strain, the Commonwealth offers the UK an extraordinary diplomatic network: fifty-six bridges of friendship and influence, cutting across regions and political blocs.

It is a space where the UK can engage, listen, and lead — not through hard power, but through partnership.

And this is where you, as Parliamentarians, are indispensable.

You shape the debates that sustain public understanding of the Commonwealth.

You hold government to account for its commitments.

You can ensure that our shared association remains visible in foreign policy, in trade strategy, and in development cooperation.

You can also connect the global to the local — ensuring that the Commonwealth’s values of democracy, rule of law, and respect for diversity are lived realities in communities across these islands.

I ask you today to keep the Commonwealth on the agenda — in your committees, in the House, and in your conversations with government.

Because the stronger the political and parliamentary commitment here in Westminster, the stronger our Commonwealth will be across the world.

Honourable Members, the Commonwealth’s founders imagined a family of nations able to move beyond empire to shared purpose and strong economic partnership.

That vision is more urgent today than ever.

Our Strategic Plan charts a path for renewal — through delivery, partnership, and reform.

But success depends on all of us: governments, parliaments, and people alike.

The United Kingdom has always been central to that story.

And I am confident that, with your continued support, it will remain a driving force in the Commonwealth’s next chapter — helping this family of nations thrive together in an increasingly fractured world.

Let us stand together — for cooperation when others retreat, for unity when others divide, and for resilience in the face of uncertainty.

Because when the Commonwealth works, the world works better for our people.”

Commonwealth Secretary-General, Shirley Botchwey, with Lord Kamall and Andrew Rosindell MP