British High Commission Honiara celebrates Commonwealth Day
The British High Commission and Girl Guides celebrated Commonwealth Day at Dreamcast Theatre Solomon Islands on Sunday 10 March at a ‘Commonwealth Day Girl Guide Jamboree’.
The Girl Guides produced a performance about ‘COVID-19 before, during and after’. The Girl Guides’ ideas for their performance came from the themes for this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa in October.
Samoa has chosen “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth” to strengthen:
- resilient democratic institutions upholding human rights, democracy, and the rule of law
- a resilient environment to combat climate change
- resilient economies that support recovery and prosperity
- resilient societies to empower individuals for a peaceful and productive life
2024 marks 75 years since the London Declaration that started the modern Commonwealth. The Commonwealth Charter sets out our shared values which include democracy; protecting the environment; recognition of the needs of small states; tolerance, respect and understanding; good governance and the importance of young people.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific and home to one-third of the world’s population and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. It continues to grow; the latest members to join the Commonwealth family in 2022 were Gabon and Togo. The Commonwealth family is made up of 2.5 billion people of which more than 60% are young people under 29 years old.
Everyone had lots of fun at the Commonwealth Girl Guide Jamboree, as well as performing Girl Guides played games and quizzes on the Commonwealth.
The programme included remarks by Samantha Niunara from Dreamcast, Emma Davis, Deputy British High Commissioner, Maritza Nanau Commonwealth Scholar, an active member of the Solomon Islands Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni Association as well as Rosalind Keoro, Girl Guide Leader.