The King’s Commonwealth Fellowship Programme (KCFP) was officially launched on October 24, 2024, with the presence of His Majesty, King Charles III, in Samoa, coinciding with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
This innovative initiative aims to make significant, long-lasting impacts across the Caribbean and Pacific regions by addressing various critical areas, including education, healthcare, and disaster resilience engineering. The program will be implemented in partnership with the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), with The University of the South Pacific and the University of the West Indies acting as regional hubs, alongside local and Commonwealth collaborators like the Commonwealth Local Government Forum.
The KCFP’s goal is to enhance capacity in essential sectors, equipping local authorities and civil service teams with practical expertise and tools to build sustained resilience against overlapping development challenges. Through the establishment of a prestigious network of “King’s Fellows,” the initiative aims to encourage collaboration, knowledge exchange, and joint problem-solving among Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Professor Pal Ahluwalia, Vice-Chancellor and President of USP, co-hosted the launch event with staff and around 50 students from USP’s member countries. He remarked that the KCFP represents a crucial advancement in capacity building and accessibility to education across SIDS.
“This initiative, led by His Majesty King Charles III, is both exciting and significant, and USP is proud to serve as a regional hub and key ally with ACU and the University of the West Indies in the execution of the KCFP,” stated Professor Ahluwalia. He further noted that the program holds the promise of developing a highly skilled workforce, necessary for fostering innovation, economic diversification, and sustainable development within SIDS.
Professor Ahluwalia also expressed appreciation to the ACU for making the KCFP a reality. The KCFP will be conducted under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, which has positively influenced the lives of over 38,000 individuals since its establishment by Commonwealth education ministers in 1959.
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