The Queen's message and celebration for Commonwealth Day 2021 👑🎉📺 @BBCStudios - BBC

[Music] welcome to westminster abbey on the eve of commonwealth day now each year traditionally a vibrant service is held attended by the queen but this year is slightly different the dean has very kindly allowed us to invite some of the brightest and most talented performers in the uk into the abbey to celebrate the commonwealth we're also honored to have contributions from the royal family her majesty the queen will share her commonwealth day message and the prince of wales the duchess of cornwall the duke and duchess of cambridge and the countess of wessex will join us in marking this very special occasion now although they can't be here in person we'll also be hearing from inspiring commonwealth voices from across the globe as we celebrate the commonwealth in 2021 [Music] thank you dean of westminster for welcoming us to your abbey um it's wonderful to be in this magnificent building tell us about commonwealth day and its connection to this place uh we've been doing this for a long time it's been annual since 1972. it's a great occasion for us and we really enjoy the relationship with the royal commonwealth society all all the commonwealth countries have national days and on their national days the high commissioner and very often members of the high commission come to the abbey and will say prayers for them so i've been here just over a year now and when we were allowed i was getting into the rhythm of meeting these people for whom the abbey and the commonwealth and that association was really important we're steeped in it here and we kept those prayers going uh throughout this last year at the moment there's no international travel people are feeling very isolated around the country why is it so important do you think to reach out and celebrate our global community one of the things the commonwealth does is to remind us that actually distance doesn't stop friendship and commitment and of course we need to obey the rules at the moment but we also need to remember that our future is to be together living together in peace and friendship and this service is a great reminder of what people can achieve together and what is her majesty the queen's role in the commonwealth she's the head of the commonwealth uh and that's clearly critical but that doesn't quite tell you just uh just what her significance is uh over over many long years it's her manchester the queen who's told us what the commonwealth is all about that it's about loyalty and friendship and a commitment to peace and to freedom she is the person who over and over again has put it into words she also lives the commonwealth but her coronation her dress was covered in the flowers of the commonwealth for her it is a way of life and being by this coronation chair we just get reminded of the promises she made that's an oath and she's taking it seriously well thank you once again for inviting us in thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] yes [Applause] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Applause] over the coming week as we celebrate the friendship spirit of unity and achievements of the commonwealth we have an opportunity to reflect on a time like no other whilst experiences of the last year have been different across the commonwealth stirring examples of courage commitment and selfless dedication to duty have been demonstrated in every commonwealth nation and territory notably by those working on the front line who have been delivering health care and other public services in their communities we have also taken encouragement from remarkable advances in developing new vaccines and treatments the testing times experienced by so many have led to a deeper appreciation of the mutual support and spiritual sustenance we enjoy by being connected to others the need to maintain greater physical distance or to live and work largely in isolation has for many people across the commonwealth been an unusual experience in our everyday lives we have had to become more accustomed to connecting and communicating via innovative technology which has been new to some of us with conversations and communal gatherings including commonwealth meetings conducted online enabling people to stay in touch with friends family colleagues and counterparts who they have not been able to meet in person increasingly we have found ourselves able to enjoy such communication as it offers an immediacy that transcends boundaries or division helping any sense of distance to disappear we have all continued to appreciate the support breadth of experiences and knowledge that working together brings and i hope we shall maintain this renewed sense of closeness and community looking forward relationships with others across the commonwealth will remain important as we strive to deliver a common future that is sustainable and more secure so that the nations and neighborhoods in which we live wherever they are located become healthier and happier places for us all one [Music] one [Music] three little birds [Music] this is my message [Applause] is [Applause] is [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] is [Applause] let's get [Applause] and i will and i will feel the bob marley classics three little birds and one love performed by the acm gospel choir and the dole foundation and we're grateful to reese edward for carrying the commonwealth flag our next contribution comes from the prince of wales on commonwealth's day i am reminded once again that the essence of the commonwealth is its remarkable diversity a family of some 2.4 billion people from 54 nations across six continents whose traditions knowledge and talents offer an incomparable richness of ideas and perspectives on the world we share when we gathered here in westminster abbey on commonwealth day last year such a challenge was unfolding at a scale that few could have imagined 12 months on the coronavirus pandemic has affected every country of the commonwealth cruelly robbing countless people of their lives and livelihoods disrupting our societies and denying us the human connections which we so dearly cherish amidst such heartbreaking suffering however the extraordinary determination courage and creativity with which people have responded has been an inspiration to us all this pandemic has shown us the true nature of a global emergency we have learned that human health economic health and planetary health are fundamentally interconnected and that pandemics climate change and biodiversity loss are existential threats which know no borders nature it seems to me is at the heart of this she is central to all aspects of our existence from the air we breathe our nourishment and shelter to our spiritual cultural and recreational well-being universal principles rooted in the harmony of nature's patterns cycles and geometry can in fact be harnessed to inform sustainably aligned science technology design and engineering encouragingly it is increasingly our young people who make up sixty percent of the commonwealth citizens who instinctively understand how critical it is to protect and restore the natural world the commonwealth is on the front line of this endeavor over the years having visited almost every part of the commonwealth i i have seen for myself so many of the remarkable landscapes and marine environments and the precious biodiversity they hold i have also seen how the remarkable ingenuity and talent across the commonwealth can provide so many of the solutions be it renewable energy in india regenerative agriculture in south africa green hydrogen in australia sustainable shipping in barbados reforestation in rwanda the marine economy in fiji or nature-based solutions in canada the commonwealth is at the forefront of global innovation and action for my part i am determined to do what i can to support this vital effort which is why i recently launched my terra carter to serve as the basis of a recovery plan for nature people and planet the commonwealth has been a cornerstone of my life for as long as i can remember it is my dearest wish that it might also be the cornerstone of a sustainable future for us all as we recover from everything that we have endured and continue to enjoy through this pandemic we have an unprecedented opportunity to change course by harnessing the extraordinary potential of our commonwealth family we are uniquely placed to lead the way so let us be the boldest of the bold and let us offer an example to the world [Music] i was lucky to grow up in one of the most forested regions in kenya and i remember planting my first tree at the age of seven and even being able to see clean streams that i could directly drink from and i would say this connection made me develop a very strong love for nature i got to feel angry about seeing people cutting down trees and even passing by places and finding people maybe throwing trash out of car windows my name is elizabeth mathuti i'm an environmentalist and a climate activist and i'm working to create a livable world now and a safe future for all by inspiring the young generation we want everyone to understand that nature is a part of us and not apart from us [Music] nairobi river has of course been polluted as a result of different challenges and the contributors can be citizens and also big industries at the same time so every person is a part of this problem and so at one point in time i took children to see the state of the pollution and i remember that i could see the sadness in the eyes i could see that they were very much devastated and of course two questions that these children asked me and one of them was who did this and the other question they asked me was what can we do about this [Music] so i thought to myself why not create a generation of young people who are environmentally conscious and who can have that chance to also connect to nature at a young age and love nature at a young age and what happens when you love something are you going to destroy it no are you going to interfere with it if you love a tree so much are you going to cut it down no i decided to begin a campaign that i dabbed a doctor tree campaign whereby i would ensure that every child in every school in my country gets a chance to plant and adopt a tree each in the school compound it's not just about planting a tree it's about planting a tree watering it nurturing it and making sure that that tree grows up to maturity because just like we human beings need tenderness and we need love and we need all the care to survive the same thing we need to put when it comes to how we address nature much of what i do is about changing people's mindsets and perspectives about appreciating the natural world by working with young people in this way i feel so much hope because the young people are courageously stepping up and standing up to shape the kind of future that they want to see and this makes me feel hopeful about the future of this country and the future of the world [Music] keep moving keep changing keep flowing with the sun oceans rise rivers rise people rise [Music] if i could set with the sun if i could set with the sun tears falling rain falling leaves [Music] if if i were always alone if i were never to see you if i could sit with a son [Music] [Music] [Music] if were never to leave you if i were [Music] what always sunset says [Music] rivers rise people rise with the sun oceans rise rivers rise people rise [Music] well i won't be forgetting that in a hurry our thanks to nathan sawney for that beautiful performance now the duchess of cornwall has a strong interest in reading and literacy and has launched an online reading room she met with claire balding and global teacher prize winner ranjit singh disli from india in poet's corner here in westminster abbey sitting here in poet's corner with memorials to hundreds of wonderful writers it seems the perfect place to discuss the importance of children's literacy and it's a subject very dear to my heart as an author of children's books and i know your rawhide is something that you care about passionately i've always had a passion for books books have been part of my life for so long i started reading when i was very very young with a with a father who was a fervent bibliophile so from from the age of two or three he used to sit and read to us children take us on wonderful adventures sort of all over the world and i think i was bitten at that age and from then i've i just kept going and i've got um involved in a lot of literacy programs and patronages i i just feel very strongly that all children should be taught to read and getting access to books is is crucial for that and we're joined live on screen from india by ranjit who won the global teacher prize for for 2020. ranjit can i ask you how have you tackled those challenges and how also have you made education fun because that's something you really believe in ah it was not a easy task for the girls were sitting at home taking care of their little brothers and sisters but they were not caring about girls education so i invited the girls from nearby cities nearby villages who were studying well inviting them in this clues and study with them a role model before the parents now look at this girl if they can do it means your girl can do as well it's now your responsibility to empower your daughter and give her her birthright a quality education i've been doing some online reading ma'am with my with my niece who's 10. so she reads a bit of a book and i read a bit of a book so we have the shared experience and actually for all that you know it has separated us the the pandemic at least with the internet we can be connected and there's so much that becomes possible that i have to admit i have to put my hand up so before lockdown i wasn't a great lover of the internet in fact i i was always trying to reach these machines away from my grandchildren but since lockdown i'm afraid i have i have to admit i have become a little bit of an addict during the first lockdown i just thought it might be a good idea to to make a list of some of my favorite books online another asset of the internet so i launched a reading room which is a book club but it's it's my reading room it's fascinating how much it connects people all over the world but what it does as well is it creates a shared experience and i think that's what we've all been missing so much yes we've actually been able to have it through sport or theater or the usual outlet so actually lots of people reading the same book and then having you know quite an active conversation it is you could share it all you know and i said you we've all been breath of friends and a lot of people surrounding us so it's nice to have a way of chatting it is extraordinary actually how much more the internet has been able to to give children and adults access to books and and ranjit how has that impacted your students being able to read online and being taught online yeah their experience with the power of internet as well and reading online has actually improved them to expose themselves to new things it also helped my students and improve their imagination you know there is no limit to imagination what you can imagine limitless and also it improves to reduce stress can i ask ranjit one question um there's a wonderful writing competition that i'm part of called the queen's commonwealth essay competition where we get uh children from the commonwealth to submit an essay and i think it'd be lovely if you could get your girls to join in and and write an essay i'm definitely uh doing that thank you so much for giving me opportunity well thank you so much your highness and thank you to ranjid be far or be you near somehow for me you're always there i say a prayer and sing a song i always know it won't be long be i alone or not i know i never am you're ever close from city side to countryside to continent to country i take pride in knowing that i ever love the when below lifts me above together we in unity will be again in time to be but tired we are by lines of love across the world the tides are none to separate the thing we share that somehow always keeps us here i know my loved ones far and wide will soon again be by my side though much we learn in times of woe i know these days are soon to go so come what comes well come what may if you're with me i'll be okay although we've been apart some days here on the line i know you'll stay and one day soon i know we'll sing about the former harder things the troubles that we've all been through that time and strength will take us through to days of joy and light and mirth where you be upon the earth so when you celebrate and do know that we are here with you different parts of the commonwealth have had very different experiences of covert 19. in new zealand with low levels of transmission life has continued as normal in many parts of the nation this has allowed the new zealand youth choir to keep singing and keep sharing their music they recorded a special maori song of greeting for us a call of friendship despite the [Music] distance [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] my god [Music] oh [Music] [Music] oh oh [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign my [Applause] that was so joyful our thanks to the new zealand youth choir now the 8th of march not only marks commonwealth day it's also international women's day and the countess of wessex was joined by author and broadcaster june sarpong and two female activists virginia congooni from malawi and caitlin figueredo from australia hello everybody uh and welcome hi caitlin how are you i'm very good royal annas hi virginia how are you it's nice to see you again thank you so much i'm glad to be here brilliant now of course you're both uh part of the queen's young leaders and what would be lovely uh caitlyn is if you could begin to tell us some of the work that you've done yes so um i run an organization called jazeery australia so we are a youth lead organization operating in commonwealth countries so we're all about trying to change the face of leadership by providing young women with opportunities to be political leaders and policy change makers wonderful now ma'am i know for you gender equality is something that you're very passionate about why do you think it's important to have organizations like this working at the grassroots to really empower the next generation of female leaders there's no end of passion from young people and there's no end of desire to want to do something but often i think they find um what's my next step how do i get involved so for caitlyn to have created an organization to put them in front of people where they can start to feel that they're having an influence is astonishing so virginia can you tell us a bit about the work that you do yes i run an organization called girls arise for change which works to promote goals to health and education by ending social and cultural practices that undervalues women's potential here in malawi i actually got to visit um virginia's one of virginia's projects when i was in malawi um so i saw firsthand what they're actually doing with these young women and i think what's really important here is that she's helping them to create training and business models that actually are appropriate to where they are we need to train more women to become financially independent that is by not by giving them money to run businesses but by giving them the skill because when we give them a skill the skill is a life it's a lifetime asset for them than giving them money um often women's voices are not heard at the top and we don't have a seat at the table not in the numbers that we should um how do we ensure that that becomes the norm especially with everything that we see happening with kovid and the fact that actually we are regressing better policy and better outcomes are achieved when women are in the room when more than half the population are in the room and getting to make sure that all of their voices all of their issues are represented brilliant i love that and ma'am would you like to add to that uh that can become a bit of a fatigue when it comes to talking about women's rights women's issues and everything and so i'm quite keen to try and move the discussion into a place where it becomes a much more level playing field because it is a win-win it's not one against the other if we now can look at education particularly in in countries where virtual education isn't as easily available um what do we do to ensure that our young girls don't get left behind through this process where i am right now in malawi the majority of schools do not have online learning because many many students do not have laptops we can't even talk about internet so as we are going back to uh developing education uh through this coffee pandemic we really have a very big job because we've had a setback it is a real worry because there's obviously a lot of the commonwealth countries that have got we're still trying to get girls into education where are the gaps going to be there what is going to be happening to those girls right now young people in particular they have those innovation mindsets they they want to support and they want to connect i always say as women we need to learn that we are not competitors but we are supporters of each other's progress so as women we should be able to share each other's skills women should be those that are in higher positions should open up to give opportunities to those women that are coming those women that are inspiring and the commonwealth is a great force for good i think if we can keep coming together and and talking to each other and using the technology that's now at our fingertips that really has proven its worth during this last year let's use that as a force for good on that note thank you so much ma'am uh thank you caitlyn thank you virginia it's been a pleasure leading this conversation with you all and continue the fantastic work sports plays an important role in the commonwealth denise lewis shared her experiences i was born in west bromwich in the midlands to a jamaican mother although we were immersed in an english way of life there was always a tinge of jamaican flavour in the house whether it was music cooking or the patwa that would bellow out of my usually reserved mother's mouth when england played the west indies cricket team all these influences combined to give me a strong sense of my heritage and our commonwealth connection like many other athletes my first experience of a major international competition was the commonwealth games a games which are sometimes actually referred to as the friendly games but with a healthy balance of fierce competition it's a tournament unlike any other with a strong spirit of unity permeating through every element all of the competing countries share the bond of the commonwealth the national teams whose individual sports usually train apart all come together with disabled and non-disabled athletes uniting together to represent their countries in 1994 i went into the heptathon competition mentally unprepared to be crowned commonwealth champion and the games changed my life as they have done for many others before and since i had the pride of returning to the games four years later as favorite and retaining my title really was a dream come true and like so many people around the commonwealth i can't wait for the games to return next year for me it will be like coming home to the city where my aspiration was forged to the host city of birmingham this year all around the commonwealth the doors of gymnasiums were closed and the stadium lights were turned off but in the face of adversity giving up was never an option athletes have been demonstrating enormous resilience and resourcefulness finding new ways to train as all our lives have been impacted by the coveted pandemic they have shown unwavering grit and determination to keep pushing towards their goals i look forward to the enjoyment we will all share as our best athletes once again unite to display their exceptional talent and their years of hard work i wish all competitors the very best of luck as we all look forward to witnessing once more the power of the games to change lives as we celebrate the best of the commonwealth [Music] do [Music] do [Music] simply sublime our thanks to alexis french jim nast georgia may fenton and denise lewis and we all look forward to the commonwealth games in birmingham next year now the pandemic has been extremely hard for many of us but one positive that it has shown are the networks of care that our communities are founded on now many have been put under intense strain but people across the world have adapted and worked hard to do all they can to help the duke and duchess of cambridge have spoken to three inspirational voices from across the commonwealth hello my name is doctor zolais i am a medical doctor and a frontline health worker all the way from south africa advocating for the healthcare workers in the world today can you hear us oh hi yes hello maybe could you give us both just a little bit of a a brief picture what it's like in south africa at the moment with covid we're basically struggling and facing the branches that i think are the healthcare workers who are trying you know their best to be there and and do all the work and get all the work done but the problem is we are stressed as well we are burnt out as well we are burdened you know um and it's been like this for years we have been exposed to occupational illnesses i myself got multi-drug resistant tuberculosis as a medical student it's been tough because of the circumstances that we've had to practice under anyway and now the pandemic has put on a bit more a lot more pressure here in the uk there's been a massive sort of public recognition of the amazing work the frontline are doing and it it's sad almost that it's taken the pandemic for the public to really back and support all those working on the front line we actually know the problems we see the problems every day we walk into work they're the problems but the problem is our voices are not heard we are on the front lines and we are expected to lift humanity so my advice to everybody is to if you know a healthcare worker any healthcare worker you just love on them love on them love on them some more if their child needs looking after offer you know if they need a meal offer we you know catherine i've spoken to a lot of healthcare workers in the uk and around the world over the last year and we hear your worries and your concerns and thank you for your time chatting to us about it thank you you know for sharing for us and asking for help for us so thank you very much [Music] my name is faisal islam and i am the co-founder of safeway an affordable emergency medical service provider for the rural people of bangladesh faisal um we've been hearing a little bit about your safe wheel idea can you tell us a little bit about it so a couple of years ago my best friend uncle had a road accident and just because he couldn't manage an ambulance during that time he died because in our country there are very few ambulances for rural people so our solution is that we designed a low cost mini ambulance so now they can get an ambulance with very affordable costs unlike the regular ambulance and we have plan to reach as many villages as possible and help more people and how are your rickshaws kitted out uh what we have is basic healthcare equipment like an oxygen cylinder and some other source of necessary equipment that can save the patient during that emergency situation faisal very nice to meet you and you know it's a fantastic idea and we both wish it every success in the future thank you very much your [Music] highnesses [Music] my name is heidi kwajiklee and i'm the founding director of refuge for the refugees a non-profit organization that seeks to raise awareness regarding the plight of refugees in malaysia as well as provide education for refugee children maybe you could just give us a little bit of a picture as to why your organization refuge for the refugees even needs to exist what is it there's a situation like uh in malaysia that made you want to set this up when refugees are here in malaysia they don't have access to education health care job opportunities so they're often in limbo you know and not everyone gets resettled if even if they do the waiting process is anywhere between 10 to 15 years and these kids if they don't get access to education of sorts they get left behind for a very long time and heidi has the recent pandemic made it even more challenging not only for you to carry out the work but also for the refugee communities the lockdown has been difficult because the reality is for the refugee migrant community they don't have access to wi-fi or internet or devices that allows you know online engagement so i think that has been hard and hardy do you know how many refugees have benefited from your programs i guess in total we've reached about um close to 200 000 refugees wow yeah that's uh that's a sizeable amount of people you've reached and it's some it's fantastic what you're doing and just a huge congratulations from katherine and i i think in terms of what you're what you're managing and dealing with and especially now obviously with the extra challenges but really well donna you're obviously have a vital source and a vital support to to all those um refugee communities out there so keep up the hard work thank you thank you so much nice to see [Music] our little brother [Music] [Music] how i love you together [Music] together [Music] you stay [Music] without you would only mean heartbreak for me [Music] my darling believe me for me that is [Music] into my prayers [Music] together heartbreak for me [Music] our thanks to leanne lahavers for that very special performance and to all our contributors that have been part of this unique commonwealth celebration we now hear from commonwealth secretary general patricia scotland let us pledge ourselves afresh to uphold the values of the commonwealth that every person possesses unique worth and dignity that we should be good stewards of nature and of the whole earth that there should be justice for everyone and peace between nations that joining together as a worldwide family we build on shared inheritances that we cooperate with mutual respect and goodwill to deliver a common future for the good of all and through commonwealth's connection we learn from one another and innovate to transform our communities our nations and our world in this house of prayer year by year we celebrate our life as a commonwealth and as god's people in the midst of a challenge that we all share we ask for god's guidance and grace in looking for a better future that we can also share it is our prayer that we might be agents of a deeper peace and a greater justice so we ask for the gifts of an imagination that can hope abundantly and a courage to seize that hope confident in the richness and range of our commonwealth today we seek god's blessing that we might be a common people in a commonwealth of grace lord god hope of all the nations when we feel isolated and alone strengthen the bonds of our affection when we face illness and death renew our confidence in you when fear and mistrust infect our words renew us in the truth and when we have great challenges before us strengthen us bless we pray our queen the work of the royal commonwealth society and our shared witness that this commonwealth of nations may be a sign of the hope that is in us and a glimpse of the glory that you alone can give as our savior taught us so we pray our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory pravanable amen [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] is [Applause] [Music] is for the joy of your love [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] is [Applause] [Music] foreign is [Music] from the jewish community in canada may the almighty bless the commonwealth of [Music] god bless and protect the commonwealth of communities [Music] may god bless all the people of the commonwealth god grant to the living grace to the departed rest to the church the queen the commonwealth and all people peace and concord and to our sinners life everlasting and the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy spirit be amongst you and remain with you always amen you

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Id: -cqI8-iBkJ4

Length: 59min 37sec (3577 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 07 2021