Queen Elizabeth II: Diversity in a world of challenge

From the sovereign's Commonwealth Day message

Among my cherished memories of my Jubilee celebrations last year were those connected with the Commonwealth – in particular the visits to Jamaica, New Zealand and Canada.

There was also the undoubted success of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester – both as a great sporting and Commonwealth occasion, and as a tremendous expression of the host city's community spirit. A few days before, I had opened the 2002 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Coolum, Australia. That summit charted a new course for the Commonwealth, confident of the important contribution the association can play as a force for good in the world.

We are reminded daily that we live in an interdependent world. And yet there exist great global inequalities, with millions living lives of deep poverty and deprivation, which present a great challenge to the notion of the Commonwealth. Under these conditions, peace is often more difficult to sustain while precious natural resources and the environment are threatened, economic growth and activity may be impeded as well as the benefits of modern technology denied to many.

In all this, the Commonwealth has much to offer. It is a unique global grouping, spanning every region of the world and including in its membership countries of all sizes and stages of development. It is an association of peoples as well as governments and it is a body which values the richness of its diversity. 2002 was for me a special year – and it was also an opportunity to recall those elements of my life, notably the Commonwealth, which have been of enduring importance.

Appreciating just how far the Commonwealth has developed in the last 50 years is surely a cause for great hope in the future.