The Commonwealth is unique with 53 member states linked by common goals. All members are equal and none have veto powers. It has no equivalent of the United Nations Security Council. The aim is friendly cooperation based on common values, which is also reflected in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, held every two years.

CHOGM this year was hosted by Malta from November 27 to 29, and focused on the need for a new, innovation dimension to respond to the challenges of the current world. The theme, "Adding Global Value", is a serious step to make the Commonwealth more relevant in the 21st century.

The earlier 2011 CHOGM in Perth, Australia, was a critical meeting. An Eminent Persons Group (EPG) had been commissioned to prepare a report and recommendations on the challenges of reaching consensus from diversity and making such consensus more effective in support of democracy and socio-economic growth. Unfortunately, the summit was unable to reach an agreement regarding this report. When Britain, Australia and Canada requested that the report be published, they were opposed by India, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Namibia.

The report had recommended a mechanism to 'censure' member countries when a serious violation of human rights had occurred. In all, the EPG made 106 recommendations to make the Commonwealth more relevant and effective. The former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdulla Badawi, who was also the Chair of the EPG, cautioned that if the reforms were not implemented then the Perth CHOGM would be remembered ''not as a triumph but as a disaster".  

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, a member of the EPG, termed the summit's lack of consensus on the report a 'disgrace'. He stated that the Commonwealth faced a significant problem. It was not of hostility or antagonism, but more a problem of indifference. Its purpose and relevance was being questioned and part of the reason behind this was that its commitment to enforce the values for which it stands was becoming ambiguous in the eyes of many member states. "The Commonwealth", he stated, "was not a private club of the governments or the secretariat. It belongs to the people of the Commonwealth".

Furthermore, the Secretariat no longer has the reputation it enjoyed in the 1980s as a strong voice on human rights and against apartheid in South Africa, when, according to The Times, it "led the world struggle" to achieve democracy and rule of law. Consequently, the current CHOGM attempted to rectify these weaknesses. It had to reinforce shared values above personal preferences, self interests and hidden agendas.

At the 2015 CHOGM, Baroness Patricia Scotland, a former British cabinet minister, was nominated for Commonwealth Secretary General, becoming the first woman to hold the post. Though the 2015 meeting was significant for the Commonwealth, it was attended by only 31 heads of state out of 53 member countries. The rest of the countries were represented by foreign ministers. The Queen, as Head of the Commonwealth, however, attended with the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales.

Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi was absent as his government had opposed the proposal that India should decrease the use of coal fired electrical generation and other green house gases. India was represented by his External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, while Bangladesh was represented by its Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali.

The meeting's importance was heightened by the presence of the President of France, Francois Hollande and the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon.

The CHOGM, held immediately before the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, had a strong distinctive voice. It organised an important session on climate change and global sustainability while Hollande addressed a special session on climate change.

At the meeting, it was unanimously agreed that climate change is an "existential threat" to all states. Leaders present there hoped that the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 21) would produce "an ambitious, equitable, rule based desirable results… including legally binding outcomes." The leaders also requested developed nations to spend US$100 billion annually by 2020, to assist developing countries to counter the adverse effect of climate change.  

Small nation states face threats of rising sea levels and it was proposed to write off their debts for undertaking measures to safeguard the environment. Comprehensive strategies and financial assistance were proposed for all developing states suffering from climate change. 

To this end, Canada pledged $2.66 billion over five years, the UK committed GBP 21 million for disaster management and GBP 5.5 million for ocean based economy, while Australia promised Aus $1 million for a new Commonwealth institution – the Climate Finance Access Hub. India pledged $2.5 million to assist initiatives towards countering climate change and the Prince of Wales proposed GBP 1 billion for the Commonwealth Green Finance Facility to support environmental projects among developing countries. 

Since the Summit was being held in the aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks and escalating conflicts, counter –terrorism, peace and security were priority issues. The Commonwealth urged its members to fully implement the UN Security Council Resolution 2178 on terrorism and extremism, including quality education. Leaders agreed to a British proposal to create a new unit comprising experts to counter extremism. It would be run by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Australia committed $2.6 million to this unit, in addition to GBP 5 million by Britain.

To promote sustainable development, the members adopted the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development". It called for all states to eradicate poverty in all its dimensions and to ensure that "no one is left behind". It agreed to assist member states on long-term debt sustainability through technical assistance and debt strategy formulation.

The importance of women's empowerment was given an added impetus and the very first Women's Forum with the theme "Women Ahead: Be All That You Can Be" was held prior to the CHOGM. It reinforced, among other things, to "leave no women behind, including women with disabilities and women with different choices".     

Thus, the CHOGM underscored the priorities of climate change, terrorism, migration, peaceful co-existence of people with liberal and diverse religions, efficient management of initiatives with measurement of political, economic and social success, promotion of democratic norms and respect for human rights.

The CHOGM 2015, as a new beginning, raised "distinctiveness" in all its priority areas. But to successfully achieve its goal, it requires adequate resources and every member state needs to make a contribution equal to that of its current economic strength.

In reinventing the Commonwealth, there are challenges in implementing the decisions of Malta CHOGM 2015 to "revitalise an organisation that has tremendous unexploited potential". It remains to be seen how committed all the members are in forging strong relationships with each other and the Secretariat through the Charter and Malta Communique in making the Commonwealth one of the most vibrant and useful multi-lateral organisations of the world.

The writer is former High Commissioner of the Maldives and former Dean of a Private University and Head of Education and Human Resource Development Initiative, Commonwealth Secretariat, London, UK.