Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth, has said that for people to flourish lessons of community life hinges on helping each other.

Queen Elizabeth II, made this statement on the occasion of Commonwealth Day celebrations on March 12.

To achieve this, she added, there has to be a sense of “fairness, a real understanding of other’s needs and aspirations, and a willingness to contribute”.

Acknowledging that Commonwealth is home to nearly a third of the world’s population- two billion citizens from so many faiths, races, cultures and traditions- the Queen said one of the reasons for the success of the organisation is that it draws not only on certain shared values, but also from the principles and practices of everyday life, which can be observed day after day in the cities, towns and villages of our 53 member countries.

She added: “Over thousands of years, the very basis of community life has been the pooling together by individuals of their resources and skills. Rather than having to be good at everything, people were able to practise their own skills or craft. The lesson of community life is that to flourish we must help each other.”

“Despite its size and scale, the Commonwealth to me is still at heart a collection of villages. In close-knit communities like these, there are beliefs and values we share and cherish. We know that helping others will lead to greater security and prosperity for ourselves,” she added, noting that “because we fell this way, our governments and peoples aim to work even more together. And as individuals, we find that taking part in Commonwealth activities can be inspirational and personally rewarding”.

The Queen expressed the need for tolerance. She then elaborated: “In today’s difficult and sometimes divided world, I believe that it is more important than ever to keep trying to respect and understand each other better. Each and every one of us has hopes, needs and priorities. Each of us is an individual with ties of emotion and bonds of obligation - to culture, religion, community, country and beyond. I short, each of us is special.”

“The more we see others in this way, the more we can understand them and their points of view. In what we think and say and do, let us as individuals actively seek out the views of others, let us make the best use of what our beliefs and history teach us, let us have open minds and hearts, and let us live the Commonwealth, find our diversity a cause for celebration and a source of strength and unity,” she noted.

Queen Elizabeth II then delivered a reminder: “This is a thought worth bearing in mind, as we gather on Commonwealth Day we are thriving community, we value our past, we make the most of our present, and we are working together to build our future. By respecting difference and promoting understanding, that future will be a better one for us all.”

UK marks Commonwealth

Meanwhile, the British High Commission in Banjul, has also extended message by the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, on the occasion of the day.

Speaking on the Respecting Difference, Promoting Understanding, Prime Minsiter Blair, said Commonwealth societies face new realities and challenges in today’s global world. “Developments in communication, travel and international finance, mean that we are ever more closely interconnected and affected by events on the broader stage. Ensuring that we respect differences and deepen understanding between ourselves has never been more vital. That is why we support strongly the work being done by the Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding, which will deliver a report of its findings to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala (Uganda) later this year,” he said.

He then slammed the Trans-Atlantic slave as “one of the most inhuman enterprises in history. “Our thoughts this year are made more poignant by the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade. In this bicentenary year, we want to remember those who suffered and who campaigned for abolition, but also to raise awareness of the millions of people living in contemporary slavery today,” he noted.

According to him, the anniversary is a chance for “all of us to deepen our understanding of the heritage we share, celebrate the richness we share, as epitomised by our Commonwealth of Nations. Its 53 member countries represent all five continents, and have very different economic situations, and contain nearly 2 billion of the world’s population. It provides a bridge across many of the world’s divides. Its nations work together, voluntarily, governed by a set of core values and principles, to promote peace, democracy, development and international understanding. The United Kingdom is proud to be part of that work”.