British Queen Elizabeth II on Friday called on leaders of the Commonwealth to increase support for the development of the youth as the growth rededicates itself to the security of its most vulnerable.
She expressed concern about the future of the more than one billion people under 25 years in Commonwealth nations, and called on the leaders to support the youth to help them realise their ambitions.
Opening this year's Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) at Port of Spain, the capital of the island of Trinidad and Tobago, the Queen who is also the Head of the Commonwealth, implored members to remain dedicated to building resilience among members, and commit themselves to providing a stable and secured future for the youth, who would constitute the leaders in the next diamond (60) years of the Commonwealth.
President Professor John Evans Atta Mills, championing investment in people, with emphasis on the youth way back at home is attending the three-day meeting of the 53-member nation body, on the theme "Partnering for a More Sustainable Future."
President on the sidelines of the Meeting would hold bilateral talks, and interact with the Queen.
Dwelling on the cherished common goals and values of freedom, democracy and development, the British Queen praised the Commonwealth for shaping international response to global issues such as food security, the Queen underlined togetherness and oneness in the pursuit of the aspirations of the people of the Commonwealth.
With close to two billion people in 53 nations, there are still challenges of poverty, persistence of disease and ignorance, challenges of human security and properly entrenching democracy, food crisis, climate change, financial and fuel crisis.
Queen Elizabeth challenged the leaders of Commonwealth nations to look beyond achievements as they reflected over the past 60 years, and aspire without complacency to reach the core values freedom, democracy and development.
Host Prime Minister Patrick Manning said developing nations could no longer be left behind in the global pace for development, stressing effective collaboration and partnership to support small and vulnerable groups.
He called for the partnership to be extended to the fight against communicable diseases and urged members support a call for a summit on those diseases.
Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma observed that the current series of global crisis had created wreakage, which demanded co-ordinated efforts and shared responsibilities.
Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, who handed over the chair of the Meeting, said the Commonwealth nations needed understanding and support, better share of world trade, and not "instructions" and "obstructions" from developed nations.
He said unclean methods of production threatened the environment and that a new form of aggression that must stop, in the face of disastrous effects of climate change, which would be an issue at the meeting and a prelude to the UN Climate Change Summit scheduled for Denmark next month.
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