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Patricia Scotland appointed as secretary-general of Commonwealth

Xinhua, November 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

Patricia Scotland was appointed as new secretary-general of Commonwealth at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta on Friday.

Born in Dominica, an Caribbean island country, the 60-year-old politician will be the first woman to occupy the post.

She will officially take office in April next year. According to the commonwealth rules, a secretary-general can serve a maximum of two four-year terms.

As the secretary-general, her main responsibilities will be promoting and protecting the Commonwealth's values, representing the Commonwealth publicly and the management of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

"The 53 countries have within them the ability and capacity to create something the world desperately needs," she said at the press conference.

Themed "Commonwealth -- Adding Global Value", the leaders of Commonwealth countries are gathering in Valletta, the capital city of Malta to address shared challenges and set new priorities.

The outgoing Secretary-General of Commonwealth Kamalesh Sharma came from India. He became Secretary-General on April 1, 2008 having been appointed in Uganda in November 2007.

The Commonwealth is made up of 53 independent countries with a combined population of 2.2 billion. The association was established in 1949, after the decolonisation of the British Empire. Symbolically headed by Queen Elizabeth II, the Commonwealth includes 18 African countries, eight Asian countries, 13 countries located in Caribbean and Americas, 11 Pacific countries and three European countries. Endit