Heads of Commonwealth Commend COL

The heads of 53 Commonwealth countries have commended the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and other organisations in the Commonwealth family for their continued contribution to Commonwealth objectives.

The heads of government recently converged on London for the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

In their Communique, the heads of government noted the continuing action by Member States and Commonwealth institutions to prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage as one of the barriers to the development and full utilisation of girls’ and women’s human rights to sustainable growth and development.

They committed to promoting gender equality and inclusion, as well as the empowerment of all women and girls in social, economic and political life.

Guided by the principle to leave no one behind, the leaders agreed to support and provide quality education for marginalised groups, especially disadvantaged girls, through appropriate policies, advocacy and strategic partnerships.

The leaders highlighted the role of technology and innovation in promoting inclusion, sustainable development and in reducing the digital divide.

COL delegation, led by Board Chair, Dr Linda Sissons, participated in several forums of the CHOGM, including the People’s Forum, Women’s Forum, Youth Forum and the Foreign Ministers Roundtable. COL’s President and CEO, Professor Asha Kanwar, made five presentations in the forums and to the foreign ministers, highlighting COL’s work in the past 30 years.

The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) is an intergovernmental organisation created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to promote the development and sharing of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources and technologies.

Hosted by the Government of Canada and headquartered in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, COL is the world’s only intergovernmental organisation solely concerned with the promotion and development of distance education and open learning.

COL empowers people through learning that leads to economic empowerment, social inclusion and environmental conservation.