The group Ladysmith Black Mambazo represents the traditional culture of South Africa. In a short interview conducted with the RCS as part of the Commonwealth Conversation, Albert Mazibuko told us what the Commonwealth means to him.

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This article was written by Brendan Barber, Trades Union Congress General Secretary.

The Commonwealth is a special institution for the trade union movement: 30 million trade unionists in 51 of the 53 Commonwealth countries share common traditions, common experience of solidarity and even common employment law traditions. Many trade unions around the Commonwealth started by looking at the TUC as an example. And we all learn from each other as we deal with common problems like HIV/AIDS, global trade, climate change and informalisation of the labour market.

In November there will be a trade union delegation at the Commonwealth People’s Forum in Port of Spain with participants from countries like Barbados, Canada, Swaziland and the UK. We will be releasing a report detailing abuses of workers’ rights around the Commonwealth, and we will be handing a formal submission to every Commonwealth government on 26 October – a month before CHOGM opens.

Our submission calls for action by the Commonwealth to live up to common values in the field of jobs, global poverty and climate change. In particular, I want the Commonwealth I’m a member of to:

1) endorse the ILO Global Jobs Pact, to put decent work and social protection at the heart of economic recovery efforts, establish a target for all Commonwealth governments to ratify all eight core ILO conventions, with biennial reviews of progress, and establish an annual forum of Commonwealth Labour Ministers;

2)publish a biennial stock-taking of progress towards attaining the MDGs for each developing country in the Commonwealth and to encourage all industrialised countries in the Commonwealth to adopt binding timetables to meet the UN aid target, reviewing progress biennially; and

3) take steps towards a fair and ambitious agreement in Copenhagen that will limit global temperature rise to no more than 2°C, based on ‘just transition’ – protecting the most vulnerable from climate change risks and from the consequences of adaptation or mitigation measures – and with green jobs at its heart.

I want the Commonwealth to recognise the experience of trade unions in fighting for democracy and freedom in countries like Nigeria and South Africa, and take up the call for democracy in Fiji, the Gambia and Swaziland.

As part of the Commonwealth Conversation, the RCS has interviewed Vince Cable. Dr Cable is a popular British MP and former Special Advisor on Economic Affairs to Sir Sonny Ramphal at the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The RCS have interviewed a Nigerian anti-corruption campaign group called Enough is Enough. They think the Commonwealth should stand up to corrupt countries in its membership. Do you agree?

RCS: Who are you and what are you here for today?

We are a non-partisan and non-political group called Enough is Enough. It?s a campaign group that came together to say Nigerians should take action, not against our government, but with our own people to say Enough is Enough.

When 4 or 5 Nigerians get together they always talk about the problems in our country. ‘But we feel it’s time to come together and say in one voice we have had enough. It’s time for us to take positive action.

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For a group of nations that share a remarkable number of attributes such as language, legal architecture, and a myriad of other bilateral and multilateral relations it has always seemed remarkable that the topic of Commonwealth free trade has not taken a more prominent place in our public debate.

A study commissioned for the CHOGM in 1997 found that Commonwealth economies experienced an average of ten to fifteen percent lower costs in doing business with another Commonwealth nation than with a non-member state. The various shared attributes created what the study’s authors named the ‘Commonwealth Effect.’

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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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Lord Howell, former chairman of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs in the UK Parliament discusses the continued relevance of the Commonwealth to British Foreign Policy.

What do you think are the Commonwealth’s core strengths?

In a word the Commonwealth is a network. We live in an age of global information networks of a fantastic kind. The world is no longer organised in empires and blocs. And we are part of this network  and so are the other 53 Commonwealth members.

It is multi-faith and trans-continental, unlike many other blocs. It embraces rich and poor in an equal relationship and of course there is a fantastic cement of common culture and common understanding and values. All of these things make the Commonwealth the ideal model for the 21st century.

How would you like to see the Commonwealth evolve in the 21st century?

It has to grow wings. It’s under funded. It’s underappreciated by many of its members, including the UK. It has got to be a much bolder organisation that recognises its innate strengths. When I say grow wings I don’t see why it shouldn’t have a more vigorous foreign policy aspect, the EU after all has a foreign minister, and an active foreign policy. The Commonwealth could have a similar kind of involvement. The Commonwealth could take a far stronger role in the whole development pattern of the globe. The Commonwealth is basically ready to take off  it’s just not being supported the way it should at present. It’s got to raise its game.

I think it could have associate members as well as new ordinary members. Some of the giants of the world are waiting on the sidelines, not to join, I am thinking of Japan for instance (14% of the World’s GNP) but they would be very happy to be observers and associate with the Commonwealth. It’s an enormous opportunity which we have to exploit.

What role do you think the commonwealth should play in British foreign policy?

A much more central role. The British foreign policy system has been paralysed for the last 30 or 40 years by the belief that somehow we are being squeezed out of Europe the wonderful continentals are doing things and we have to get in on their game?. This is a complete misunderstanding of the way the world is working. Power has shifted to Asia, to the booming Asian economies and may soon shift to Africa as well. That is where our commonwealth links take us and therefore while we remain very active members of the European union we should strengthen our foreign policy links with the Commonwealth because together we can do great things- not only economically but in terms of peace and stability, peacekeeping, and international global stability.

Dr. Mohan Kaul, Director-General of the Commonwealth Business Council, says the Commonwealth is a vastly underexploited network that can be a force for good in supporting global stability. Continue reading…