Roberta Fedele Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The British Consulate hosted on Monday the first-ever celebrations in Jeddah of the Commonwealth Day, an annual festivity held on the second Monday of March every year by the 54 member states of the intergovernmental organization Commonwealth of Nations. Hosted by British Consul General Mohammed Shokat on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, the head of the Commonwealth, the event saw the participation of all the consuls general of member states accredited in Jeddah and the Head of Protocol Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mohammed Nabeel Bukhari. “I have the great honor and privilege of hosting today the first and hopefully not the last Commonwealth Day celebrations in Jeddah based on this year's theme ‘Opportunity through Enterprise'. Founder of the Royal Overseas League of Hong Kong Branch Paul Surtees was the first to have the idea of hosting this celebration in Jeddah. Now I wish that the commemoration will get every year larger and that consuls of member states will volunteer in turn to host it in the future,” said Shokat. Primarily composed by former members of the British Empire, explained Shokat, the Commonwealth is an association that transcends historical ties. It represents today two billion people in 54 countries with diverse social, political and economic backgrounds united around shared values of democracy, freedom, peace, rule of law, free trade and opportunity for all. Shokat brought the example of Mozambique, a country admitted in the organization in 2009 with Cameroon and Rwanda, although lacking historical and administrative links to the Commonwealth. The history of the Commonwealth, said Shokat, can be traced back to the 1870s but it was only in 1949 that Commonwealth prime ministers adopted the “London Declaration” agreeing that all member states would be freely and equally associated. Today, he added, the association represents an appealing worldwide network for any country willing to join forces in building a more equitable and inclusive future on the basis of shared values. In accordance with tradition, Queen Elizabeth II and the current Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma sent their annual official messages to Commonwealth countries that Shokat and Indian Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai read on their behalf. In line with this year's Commonwealth theme, Queen Elizabeth II highlighted the importance to have courage in believing in one's ideas and taking risks that can open new avenues of opportunities remembering at the same time the significance of striving together to create a better future. “Great achievements begin as a simple goal or idea in one person's mind. (…) We are all born with the desire to learn, to explore, to try new things. (…) Yet it still takes courage to launch into the unknown,” she said. “I am reminded of the adage, ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained'. As we reflect on how the Commonwealth theme applies to us individually, let us think about what can be gained with a bold heart, dedication and teamwork. And let us bear in mind the great opportunity that is offered by the Commonwealth – of joining with others, stronger together, for the common good,” she added. Sharma referred to the Commonwealth as a unique “enterprise” and family whose strength lies in the potency of individual drive, team spirit and the possibilities offered by a worldwide network. He also explained the Commonwealth approach based on extending to all the opportunities flowing from economic and social development and the organization's core values that are expressed in the new Commonwealth Charter signed on Monday by Queen Elizabeth II. The theme of this year's celebrations should be particularly addressed, in his opinion, to young people, future nation builders who need to be encouraged in grasping opportunities through personal creativity. Official speeches were followed by a cutting the cake ceremony and a delicious buffet comprising a variety of culinary specialties from Malaysia, Bangladesh, Singapore, South Africa, Pakistan, Nigeria, Gambia, Brunei, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, Sri Lanka and India provided by the consuls general of these countries.
