Danny Sriskandarajah, Director of the RCS, blogged on this meeting:
I’ve just come out of a fascinating Commonwealth Conversation on climate change. We had some of the world’s leading experts on climate change around the table to discuss how the Commonwealth could add value in the global efforts to promote sustainability. The discussion was held under the Chatham House Rule so I cannot say who said what but I did want to flag up a few key things that emerged.
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete gives his thoughts on the future of the Commonwealth.
This year, our Commonwealth marks its 60th anniversary. The choice of the theme for the anniversary - Commonwealth at 60, serving a new generation – is not accidental nor is it without significance. As we mark this milestone, the relevance of the Commonwealth, now and in the future, is a matter that deserves serious consideration.
How can we strengthen the Commonwealth? How do we make it a more effective organisation in the face of the current global challenges? More importantly, how can we make the Commonwealth a voice for the young people who constitute the majority of the citizenry in our countries? These are pertinent questions which deserve pertinent answers?
With member countries like Bangladesh, Tuvalu and the Maldives on the front-line against rising sea-levels, the Commonwealth should be a loud and respected activist on environmental issues.
The organisation is unique in that it gives small and vulnerable countries an equal voice in international discussions. By projecting the fears of these countries onto the world stage, it has the potential to be the pre-eminent global advocacy group against deforestation and for action to tackle CO2 emissions.
This year’s speaker at the Commonwealth Foundation’s Commonwealth Lecture, Terry Waite, a humanitarian and former hostage, talks to the RCS about climate change, education and the Commonwealth’s relevance.
President Nasheed of the Maldives thinks the Commonwealth should be procatively encouraging democracy and redefining international relations in respect to climate change. Continue reading…
The post is written by Carl Wright, Secretary-General, Commonwealth Local Government Forum.
The Commonwealth should take a more active role in supporting and promoting local government. As an organisation it should return to what it does best: fostering partnerships and positive links. It is on a local level that the future success of the Commonwealth will be seen.
Local government is often viewed as the poor relation to its glamorous national associates, but it is through us that thriving, safer communities are developed, and the Millennium Development Goals will be delivered. It is best placed to provide basic services such as water, sanitation and primary health care for its people. It is closest to them and knows their needs and concerns. It is where involvement and consultation can be focused and effective channels for the engagement of local people and other stakeholders in the wider work the Commonwealth does can be built.
Why then is this crucial element of modern democracy all too often ignored by heads of Government in important international discussions?
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I’ve just come out of a fascinating Commonwealth Conversation on climate change. We had some of the world’s leading experts on climate change around the table to discuss how the Commonwealth could add value in the global efforts to promote sustainability. The discussion was held under the Chatham House Rule so I cannot say who said what but I did want to flag up a few key things that emerged.
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete gives his thoughts on the future of the Commonwealth.
