Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Communiqué entitled Towards a Common Future published on 20 April 2018.

Alistair Burt, Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office: As Chair-in-Office, the UK is working with Commonwealth partners to ensure the delivery of commitments set out in the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) communique and to build a Commonwealth which is fairer and more prosperous, sustainable, and secure.

The Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Member States have already made good progress in the two months following CHOGM. For example:

· The Commonwealth Secretariat convened, and the UK chaired, the first Senior Trade Officials Meeting to agree the framework for implementation of the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda for Trade and Investment;

· Vanuatu, which co-Chairs the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance with the UK, became the first country in the world to enact a ban on the manufacture and sale of single use plastic bags, polystyrene takeaway boxes, and plastic drinking straws. Indian Prime Minister Modi has announced a ban of all single use plastics, which will come into effect in 2022;

· The UK and the International Trade Centre launched SheTrades Commonwealth in Kenya to enable the increased participation of women-owned businesses in international trade; and

· Thérèse Coffey MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Life Opportunities, hosted Commonwealth High Commissioners to discuss ambitions and expertise in tackling plastic pollution, and provide more detail of the UK support available to them to help them reduce plastic pollution in our Oceans under the Commonwealth Blue Charter.

Hansard

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