Shirley Botchwey is appointed the new Commonwealth Secretary-General by King Charles III.

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey was formally accepted at Windsor Castle by King Charles III, who served as the Head of the Commonwealth.
This comes after she was named the new Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.

Madam Botchwey, who succeeded Baroness Patricia Scotland as the 7th Secretary-General of the 56-nation Commonwealth, began her term with the courtesy call. She is the second African and the first Ghanaian to occupy the esteemed role.

At the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia, Samoa, the previous Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration was chosen by consensus.

The new Secretary-General underlined the vital role the Commonwealth plays in addressing global political and economic concerns in her speech on April 1 at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters in London.
She emphasised the effects of economic downturns, rising war spending, and weaker multilateralism on employment, poverty, and social protection, saying, “The world we live in today is unlike any we have seen before.”

She highlighted that in addressing these issues, the Commonwealth’s core principles—democracy, good governance, peace, human rights, and equal opportunity—remain essential.

Three main areas were highlighted by Madam Botchwey in her strategic vision for the Commonwealth: reviving trade and investment to promote inclusive growth, bolstering climate action to assist vulnerable member states, and providing women and youth with opportunities and necessary skills.