{"id":91194,"date":"2018-04-19T10:15:20","date_gmt":"2018-04-19T10:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=7479cc53c4b60089515bccc8388fc777"},"modified":"2018-04-19T10:15:20","modified_gmt":"2018-04-19T10:15:20","slug":"speech-pms-words-at-opening-of-commonwealth-heads-of-government-meeting-on-19-april-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=91194","title":{"rendered":"Speech: PM’s words at opening of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on 19 April 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Your M\u200bajesty,
\nYour R\u200boyal Hi\u200bghnesses,
\nSecretary-General, Your Excellencies,
\nLadies and Gentlemen.
\n\u200b\u200b
\nI am extremely proud to be welcoming you all to London \u2013 the first full Heads of Government meeting here in almost forty years.<\/p>\n

I want to begin by expressing my gratitude to \u200bPrime Minister Muscat and his team: \u200bthank you for your incredible hard work. You represent a Commonwealth truth, that the size of a country does not limit its ambition and impact.<\/p>\n

I hope that over the coming days and \u200bmonths we can \u200bbuild on the work you have begun as we forge a future for our common good.<\/p>\n

Over many decades this organisation has brought together nations young and old, large and small, to celebrate our common bonds and to work to our mutual benefit.<\/p>\n

There have been difficulties, successes, controversies. But I believe wholeheartedly in the good that the Commonwealth can do.<\/p>\n

And this week as young people from our many nations gather and contribute their views, our responsibility as leaders is to ensure their voices are heard, and to build a Commonwealth that we can be proud to hand on to the next generation.<\/p>\n

For in the Commonwealth we have an incredible opportunity.<\/p>\n

An opportunity to show just what can be achieved through co-ordinated action and co-operation, to seize the possibilities open to us as member countries, and together, to take on some of the 21st century\u2019s biggest questions.<\/p>\n

How we support our most vulnerable member states as we tackle climate change and improve the health of our oceans, creating a more sustainable Commonwealth?<\/p>\n

How we develop through trade, pushing back against protectionism, for a more prosperous Commonwealth?<\/p>\n

How we respond to threats to the rules based international order and from cyber-attacks, creating a more secure Commonwealth?<\/p>\n

And how, in all this, we advance those common values which our organisation has always stood for \u2013 democracy, human rights, tolerance, and the rule of law \u2013 so that we establish a fairer Commonwealth?<\/p>\n

These are problems nations cannot solve alone. But by working together, we can make a real difference.<\/p>\n

Over the past three\u200b days, we have seen the power of the Commonwealth in action at the Forums for \u200bbusiness leaders, young people, women\u200b, and civil society.<\/p>\n

These discussions have demonstrated the vibrancy and creativity of our organisation \u2013 focusing on issues such as improving trade, youth unemployment, education and health \u2013 all of which have the potential to transform people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

And I am looking forward to taking these issues further with the heads of government over the next two days.<\/p>\n

Finally, on behalf of all of you assembled here in Buckingham Palace, I want to offer \u200bmy heartfelt thanks to\u200b Your Majesty,\u200b Head of the Commonwealth.<\/p>\n

T\u200bhis week you have opened your homes to us \u2013 here in London and in Windsor. Over many years you have been the Commonwealth\u2019s most steadfast and fervent champion.<\/p>\n

You have been true to the deepest values of the Commonwealth \u2013 that the voice of the smallest member country is worth precisely as much as that of the largest; that the wealthiest and the most vulnerable stand shoulder to shoulder\u200b.<\/p>\n

You have seen us through some of our most serious challenges.<\/p>\n

And we commit to sustaining this Commonwealth, which you have so carefully nurtured.<\/p>\n

For your service, for your dedication, for your constancy \u2013 we thank you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prime Minister Theresa May spoke at the formal opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Buckingham Palace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91194"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=91194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91194\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=91194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=91194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=91194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}