Malta provides "A fine example of mutual cooperation among Commonwealth members"

The July issue of the Commonwealth Feature entitled Malta Provides "A fine Example of Mutual Cooperation Among Commonwealth Members", focuses on the growing ties of mutual cooperation between Malta and the Commonwealth, particularly in the field of technical assistance. The feature describes how through this interaction Malta has recently started to welcome candidates from Commonwealth developing countries to benefit from local expertise and knowledge thereby becoming a contributor as well as a recipient of technical assistance.

The write-up records positive feedback from Maltese officials who have successfully completed courses abroad. Ms Michelle Grech from the Management Efficiency Unit, Office of the Prime Minister, and Mr Anton Said, IT controller at METCO, are only two of a number of professionals who have received a scholarship from the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC). These candidates highlighted not only the newly-acquired skills which they would apply back home, but also their encounter with diverse cultures, as well as lasting human contacts.

Through a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Commonwealth Secretariat a number of training programmes are being made available in Malta to candidates from developing countries, under the so called Malta-Commonwealth Third-Country Programme. The Programme draws collaboration among others, from the University of Malta, the Mediterranean Academy for Diplomatic Studies, the Mediterranean Insurance Training Centre and the Commonwealth Network of Information and Technology (COMNET-IT). The latter institution based in Malta, which has recently organised workshops on information communication technologies (ICTs) in international trade and investment and in education, is described by Dr Mohan Kaul, Director of the Management and Training Services Division, as their "flagship programme". With its capacity to foster links through computer networks COMNET-IT has filled a gap in an area of increasing importance.

The Multilateral Affairs Department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Environment is the locus of all Commonwealth activity. Its close collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat and its coordination with Government Departments and Corporations at national level has resulted in an increased and more focused assistance in areas of development, not only for the benefit of Malta, but also for other members of the Commonwealth.