Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has said that the Commonwealth needs to evolve and change. Indeed, his mantra for this, the second time that Malta is hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, is "giving added value".

But what is the Commonwealth? The Commonwealth of Nations is an intergovernmental organisation of 53 member states that are former territories of the former British Empire. It dates back to the mid 20th century with the decolonisation of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories. It was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which established the member states as "free and equal".

Member states have no legal obligation to one another. Instead, they are united by language, history, culture and their shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. The Commonwealth covers more than 29,958,050 km², almost a quarter of the world land area and spans all the continents. With an estimated population of 2.328 billion, near a third of the world population, the Commonwealth in 2014 produced a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of €10 trillion, representing 17% of the gross world product when measured in purchasing power parity (PPP) and 14% of the gross world product when measured nominally.

The Commonwealth's current highest-priority aims are on the promotion of democracy and development, as outlined in the 2003 Aso Rock Declaration, which built on those in Singapore and Harare and clarified their terms of reference, stating, "We are committed to democracy, good governance, human rights, gender equality, and a more equitable sharing of the benefits of globalisation." The Commonwealth website lists its areas of work as: Democracy, Economics, Education, Gender, Governance, Human Rights, Law, Small States, Sport, Sustainability, and Youth.

Although there are a great deal of forums: the Youth Forum, the Women's Forum, Climate Change and others, the emphasis seems to always turn to the Business Forum. As mentioned, the Commonwealth makes up 14% of the gross world product in nominal terms. The potential for doing business and securing fair trade between member nations - especially the developing ones - is huge.

Malta should capitalise on this. The country's business community(and the government) has been trying to facilitate more trade deals with non traditional partners, outside the European sphere.

But the Commonwealth represents more than that. Through a shared language, Maltese businesses can capitalise on the huge opportunities that present themselves in developing nations.

But all this must be done sustainably, and that is where the Commonwealth's commitment to tackling climate change, sustainable development and the environment come in.

It is somewhat a bit of a contradiction in terms. At the height of its power, the British Empire was ultimate consumerist society, as nations were stripped of their resources and produce, in order to be traded all over the world. That has, of course, changed. Great Britain has recognised that while it made huge commitments in terms of global policing in the 19^th and early 20^th Centuries, it owes a debt to those nations. And this is what it has tried to give back. So yes, the Commonwealth is talking shop. But it is also an effective platform for nations to tap into business and trade opportunities in a sustainable manner. Although the Commonwealth is non-executive, it is to be hoped that progress in all areas discussed will be registered.