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Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Kamalesh Sharma IDRC Photos: Tecklesphoto.com

Listen to Kamalesh Sharma’s entire lecture (29:59)

Listen to a clip from Sharma's talk (1:46)

The world is changing at an unprecedented pace, and institutions must evolve quickly to remain relevant, said Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat Kamalesh Sharma at a public lecture at IDRC on June 9.

“In today’s world, every institution now has to justify its role, if not its existence in terms of what is relevant and what is appropriate for the times,” said Sharma to the audience, which included many foreign policy experts and resident high commissioners.

“The times are moving just too swiftly and the global menu of expectations is so diverse and different now that institutions have to be explaining to the people that they are doing things differently and moving with the times.”

Sharma outlined the many milestones generated by Commonwealth members, including the creation of an international community and the delineation of maritime boundaries for small states. He stressed that even it is not immune to the challenges faced by institutions today.

“It has always been an organization that has moved with the times and made historic contributions to the times,” said Sharma. “Now I feel that the Commonwealth is challenged in being relevant and appropriate in respect of all of these changes.”

During this inaugural visit to Canada Sharma also met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Governor-General Michaëlle Jean, and Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon. He was also the keynote speaker at the Conférence de Montréal on June 8.

2009-06

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