A message from Alden McLaughlin, Minister of Education, Training, Employment, Youth, Sports and Culture
Each year on Commonwealth day, we are reminded of a spirit of co-operation that holds within its core a sharing of fundamental, commonly held principles for socio-economic development and global diplomacy.
I am pleased to avail myself of this opportunity to reaffirm Government’s commitment to the Commonwealth, and our desire to uphold and strengthen the bonds of friendship and unity that exist within our collective family of nations.
This year’s theme ‘Respecting Difference, Promoting Understanding’ calls to mind the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic worldwide community of 1.8 billion people, to which we belong. As with any family, the differences between us may be many, yet it is this very diversity which forms the bedrock of our shared visions and goals.
In the Cayman Islands, we are fortunate to reside in an environment where people from other cultures, faiths and backgrounds are able to live, work and worship together, side-by-side in harmony. Strengthened by the freedom to maintain individual identities, we flourish in an atmosphere of mutual respect and appreciation.
In learning from one another, we have come to understand that the differences between us provide a source of creativity, innovation and comparative advantage, greatly enhancing our communities and quality of life.
With technology and travel making the world smaller and more interconnected, the need to embrace diversity – with acceptance, understanding and inclusiveness – is perhaps more important today than ever before.
As a single nation that stands proudly among many, let those of us in the Cayman Islands continue to be respectful of the differences in others, whilst working together on the basis of equity. So doing will bring us closer to achieving our collective commonwealth goal of attaining regional and international peace and prosperity.
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