As Chairperson of the Commonwealth I would like to ask you to join me in encouraging the peoples of the Commonwealth to celebrate Commonwealth Day on 13th March 2000.
The Head of the Commonwealth, Her Majesty The Queen, will issue the first Commonwealth Day message of the new millennium based on the theme "The Communications Challenge".
Commonwealth Day serves not only as an occasion to reflect on the many achievements of the association, it also provides an invaluable opportunity to increase public awareness of the modern Commonwealth.
Commonwealth Day is a fitting occasion for young people to learn about the association and its value systems, which are based on democracy and good governance. It is thus pleasing to note that the Commonwealth Secretariat has a website specially designed for young people and that a Commonwealth Day poster has been sent to the Ministries of Education for distribution to schools throughout the Commonwealth.
I know that you may already mark Commonwealth Day through public broadcasts, statements or resolutions in Parliament, and that many of you attend religious or multifaith ceremonies. However, I think that we can do even more to raise the profile of the Commonwealth, especially in the context of our decision to embark upon a High Level Review of the relevance of the Commonwealth in the 21st Century.
At Fancourt we committed ourselves to ending the structural inequalities in the global economy and to placing people at the centre of our economic development strategies. I am sure you will agree that Commonwealth Day provides an excellent opportunity to convey the vision of Fancourt to the peoples of the Commonwealth.
TM MBEKI
CHAIR PERSON-IN-OFFICE OF THE COMMONWEALTH
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
P/BAG X152
Pretoria
0001
13 MARCH 2000