During a meeting with the Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland, Minister Evarist Bartolo remarked on Malta’s natural vocation as a champion for small states.
This, he said, was evident by the number of initiatives geared at developing capacity in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), such as the setting up of the two Malta-based hubs; the Small States Centre of Excellence (SSCoE) as well as Commonwealth Centre for Connected Learning (3CL).
Minister Bartolo highlighted the nexus between governance and rule of law and the need to ensure strong structures to address the complex global challenges, especially for small states.
Baroness Scotland commended Malta’s efforts in strengthening good governance and the rule of law in Malta. The importance of sound financial governance in relation to anti-money laundering (AML), as well as cooperation in response to transnational criminal activity were also raised during this meeting.
In this context, Minister Bartolo highlighted the need and importance of capacity-building initiatives as key enablers that contribute towards the sustainable development of Small Island Developing States across the Commonwealth. Baroness Scotland remarked on the positive contribution that Malta could offer, through its institutions, in this sense.
It is worth noting that Malta hosts the Small States Centre of Excellence, which emanated from the 2015 Valletta Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. It is worth noting also that 32 of the world’s 39 small states are all members within the Commonwealth.
Photo: MFEA
