Malaysia joins member countries to celebrate Commonwealth Day

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia joins 53 other Commonwealth member countries to celebrate the Commonwealth Day on 14 March 2022. The Commonwealth Day is celebrated on the second Monday of March each year to commemorate the common bond, friendship and contributions of the Commonwealth to the creation of peace and harmony.

The theme for this year’s Commonwealth Day is centred on the theme for the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2022 – ‘Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming’. It aspires to transform the whole of the Commonwealth into societies underpinned by common values such as democracy, multilateralism and sustainable development.

The Commonwealth was established in 1949 and Malaysia became a member in 1957. As a member of the Commonwealth, Malaysia hosted the 11th CHOGM in 1989. During the Summit, the Leaders endorsed the Langkawi Declaration on the Environment. This is a landmark document for member countries to strengthen cooperation in tackling environmental issues. In 1998, Malaysia was privileged to be the first Asian country to host the Commonwealth Games.

Malaysia looks forward to the upcoming 26th CHOGM in Kigali, Republic of Rwanda in June 2022. During the Summit,Commonwealth Leaders are expected to discuss issues of mutual interest relating to economic recovery post-COVID19 pandemic, equitable access and distribution of vaccines, environmental issues and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.