Dear Colleagues,

It brings me and the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA) great pleasure to observe Commonwealth Pharmacists Day 2025. Each year, on 16th June, we reflect upon the progress our Association has made over the past 55 years and celebrate the achievements of our members. The date marks the anniversary of the first ever CPA conference, which took place in 1969, and coincides with the birthday of our founder and the inaugural holder of the CPA Presidency, Albert Howells.

CPA has evolved significantly to become the organisation it is in 2025 – a proud Accredited Organisation of the Commonwealth, in official relations with the World Health Organisation. In the last decade alone, we undertook the challenging step to become an independent charity, and my esteemed colleague, Victoria Rutter, was appointed as CPA’s first Chief Executive Officer.

Victoria now concurrently holds the post of Chair of the Commonwealth Health Professions and Partners Alliance, positioning CPA as a core component of a network of millions of multidisciplinary healthcare professionals across the globe. One thing that has remained constant throughout is our mission: to empower pharmacists to improve health and well-being throughout the Commonwealth.

This ties in to the theme of Commonwealth Pharmacists Day: ‘6 Continents, 1 Profession: Together, We Thrive’. For over five decades, CPA has brought together pharmacy professionals from all six inhabited continents in pursuit of our collective vision: to advance equitable access to safe and effective medicines and pharmacy services for a healthier world. Furthermore, this theme aligns with the theme of Commonwealth Day 2025 – ‘Together, We Thrive’ – cementing our commitment to a strong Commonwealth bound by our shared values. In this rapidly changing global health landscape, the Commonwealth must come together; pharmacy is no exception.

Our commitment to this theme is demonstrated through the work of our programmes and Workforce Capability Building teams. That is why today we are delighted to announce the coming of the CPA Academy: a game-changing learning and leadership hub for pharmacists across the Commonwealth, bringing together our existing Continuing Professional Development offer, leadership fellowships, mentoring pilots and workforce insights under one roof. Furthermore, CPA’s suite of programmes (including the multi-award-winning Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship-CwPAMS) all emphasise partnership, international collaboration and bidirectional learning as they seek to advance the pharmacy profession and strengthen health systems at large.

As I pen this message in my capacity as the youngest-ever President of the CPA, I do so with profound enthusiasm for encouraging meaningful connectivity and uptake of our programs for both the  younger and senior generations of pharmacists. It is clear to me that – although we will not and should not ever stop aiming to progress further – the achievements of our organisation and the global community that make up our membership are deserving of recognition. Please, therefore, join us in celebrating Commonwealth Pharmacists Day 2025, and thank you for all of your continued efforts and support!

Your President,

Annagrace Malamsha