PUTRAJAYA - Malaysia, together with 53 other Commonwealth member countries today celebrate Commonwealth Day.
Celebrated annually on the second Monday of March, the Commonwealth Day commemorates the common bond, friendship and contributions of the Commonwealth to the creation of peace and harmony.
The celebration 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’.
CHOGM 2022 aspires to transform the whole of the Commonwealth into societies underpinned by common values such as democracy, multilateralism and sustainable development, a statement from the Foreign Ministry said.
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 - a landmark document for member countries to strengthen cooperation in tackling environmental issues.
In 1998, Malaysia was also the first Asian country to host the Commonwealth Games.
The statement said that Malaysia looks forward to the upcoming 26th CHOGM in Kigali, Republic of Rwanda in June 2022.
It added that during the Summit, Commonwealth Leaders were expected to discuss issues of mutual interest relating to economic recovery post-COVID- 19 pandemic, equitable access and distribution of vaccines, environmental issues and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. - BERNAMA