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It's all in the numbers: the Commonwealth is made up of 54 countries, 2.2 billion people or 1/3 of the world's population. The Commonwealth GDP is accelerating, with a predicted growth of 7.3% each year between 2012 and 2017. That's four times more than the Eurozone is expected to increase. It's in the words too: during the recent Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the diversity, unity and connectivity of the Commonwealth resonated in speeches across the world.

The fact that the Commonwealth GDP is expected to increase significantly more than Europe is not surprising: Countries such as Australia and Canada have remained relatively stable during the economic crisis, which has affected much of Europe and the US. The Commonwealth is also home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world, such as India and many African countries.

Speaking about Europe's economic recovery recently, Cecilia Malmström, EU commissioner for Home Affairs, said: "Migration and mobility are crucial for growth." This may not wholly explain why the Commonwealth thrives as a network, but consider that over 45 million people within the Commonwealth live in a country other than the one they were born in  - and that figure is expected to rise. Migration and mobility will continue to increase in the Commonwealth as reasons for migration - economic, environmental and conflict displacement - encourage individuals and families from their homelands and pull them towards opportunities across borders. Of course, migration is nothing new in the Commonwealth. What has evolved, however, is the enhanced social, economic, technological and political impact of diaspora on their birth countries. Over the next six months, in the build up to CSCLeaders, we will explore some of the diaspora members and groups who are harnessing these networks to make a difference in the world. We will ask: Who are the bridge-makers in the Commonwealth and what can we learn from them? Why do we need bridge-makers? And, most importantly, how can more people become bridge-makers?

The Commonwealth's time may be now. And it can only grow in relevance. But it's how the leaders of the Commonwealth respond to world challenges, which will reveal the real power of this network. To achieve this, the leaders of businesses, governments and NGOs today and tomorrow need to be equipped with practical leadership skills. They must be culturally flexible, with the ability to sustain their broad horizons, to build relationships across the world and know how to harness those relationships. As Sir Shridath Ramphal said when he was Secretary General of the Commonwealth, "the Commonwealth cannot negotiate for the world, but it can help the world to negotiate."