British politician, Baroness Patricia Scotland has been elected the sixth Commonwealth Secretary General. She replaces outgoing Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma whose mandate expires in March 2016 after two terms. Scotland, born in the Caribbean nation of Dominica and a member of the British House of Lords, now becomes the first woman Commonwealth Secretary General after the Commonwealth Heads of Government endorsed her election.

About Patricia Scotland

• Patricia Scotland is prominent lawyer and for first time she became a member of House of Lords (Upper House) of the British parliament in 1997.
• Earlier, she had served as Attorney General (AG) for England and Wales and Northern Ireland from 2007 to 2010.
• She was UK Minister of State (Home Office) from 2003-2007 and UK Parliamentary Secretary (Lord Chancellor’s Department) form 2001-2003.
• She also had served as UK Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1999 to 2001.

About Commonwealth Secretary-General

• The Commonwealth Secretary-General is the head of the Commonwealth Secretariat which is the central body that has served the Commonwealth of Nations.
• Secretary-General can now serve a maximum of two four-year terms and its duties involve representing the organisation globally and also promote its values and principles maily democratic standards and development.
• Commonwealth Secretariat was established in 1965 and responsible for representing the Commonwealth publicly. Its headquarter is at Marlborough House in London.