London [UK], April 9 : Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey on Thursday highlighted India's pivotal role in the Commonwealth, describing the country as a "model of possibility and progress" and a key player in shaping the association's future.
Speaking to ANI, Botchwey emphasised India's longstanding commitment to the Commonwealth's core principles, calling out its strong advocacy for multilateralism and its extensive bilateral ties with member states, noting that India's contributions are central to achieving the resilience and shared prosperity the 56-member association seeks to build.
"India's role can never be overlooked. India is a committed partner of the Commonwealth. India is a key player in the international system, a strong advocate of multilateralism, and it has strong bilateral relations with many of the Commonwealth member states. And India is key to achieving resilience building and shared prosperity that we seek. And of course, we all know what India is, and what India is capable of doing. It's a model of possibility and progress," she said.
She noted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on the principle of service and India's tradition of helping others, adding that India brings to scale both diversity and experience, which are invaluable for the Commonwealth's collective agenda.
"And as Prime Minister Modi always says, he talks about the principle of service, and we know how India has a tradition of helping others. So it brings to scale; India really brings to scale diversity and experience," the Secretary-General added.
Botchwey also spoke on the Commonwealth's strategic priorities amid global uncertainties, pointing to the "age of insecurity" marked by conflicts, climate shocks, economic turmoil and declining public trust.
She said the organisation sees these challenges as an opportunity to leverage its platform to deliver tangible impact for all citizens of member states.
"It is the Age of insecurity, conflicts, climate shocks, economic turmoil, and declining public trust. And so for the Commonwealth, we see this as an opportunity, and we believe that we must use the platform to deliver for all our people," she said.
Outlining the Commonwealth's focus, Botchwey said building democratic resilience remains foundational, noting that strong democratic institutions are essential for predictable governance and stability.
In addition, she highlighted the importance of economic resilience across the 56 countries, particularly in the context of declining aid and the need to boost trade and investment within the bloc.
"And so for me, I come in at a momentous time, and I believe that it's important that our initiatives impact resilience building. We've chosen three areas only in the area of building democratic resilience, which is the foundation, because without democracy, you really can't achieve much. Where things are predictable, you have strong institutions, and you can predict what will happen in the next months or years in any country. And then the second one is looking at building economic resilience for our 56 countries. And this for us is extremely important because we know that there's a decline even in aid and in assistance. And so for us, 56 countries must work together in terms of increasing trade and investment," the Secretary-General added.
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