The first-ever Commonwealth Women's Forum, which will be part of the Commonwealth heads of state and government meeting (CHOGM) that will take place in Malta next November, was launched this afternoon.

The forum is to be chaired by lawyer Claire Cassar, and its theme is "Women ahead: be all you can be."

Speaking during the launch, President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca observed that the forum showed the Commonwealth's commitment to the estimated 1 billion women living within it, and said that it would give recognition to the role of women in society today and the reality of their everyday lives.

She said that the participation of women made a huge difference in all sphere of life, but noted that women's potential was still largely untapped. She emphasised that the empowerment of women needed to be facilitated by all those in authority to do so.

Ms Coleiro Preca also stressed that the forum needed to bring to the fore the suffering of women across the globe, noting that women and girls were still experiencing harsh realities in much of the world, including within the Commonwealth itself.