The Commonwealth Conversation

The largest-ever public consultation on the future of the Commonwealth concludes with a call for bold reform and greater investment if the 54-member association is to avoid being marginalised in an increasingly crowded marketplace. ‘An Uncommon Association, A Wealth of Potential’, the final report of the Commonwealth Conversation, is published today to coincide with annual Commonwealth Day celebrations around the world. Click here to download a summary of the final recommendations or the full report.

The Commonwealth is host of nations who claim good government, justice, and human rights as essential in the context of international relationships. As technology provides the means of easy international mobility like never before, who we are as global citizens, or at least, citizens of the commonwealth, needs to be considered with personal awareness along side of national claims and the place where we are in the world among all peoples.

As Commonwealth Election Observers prepare their final report on the Presidential Election held in Sri Lanka on 26th January 2010 there is a growing interest in what they will say, and what it will mean for the Commonwealth.

Lord David Howell, Deputy Conservative Leader in the House of Lords, stresses how everyone seems to be noticing the Commonwealth except in the UK. His article gives some ‘Royal Foreign Policy Advice’.

Derek Ingram, veteran Commonwealth journalist, muses on the Commonwealth’s finances:

One of the best outcomes of the recent Commonwealth summit in Trinidad was that at long last the leaders agreed to rationalise the organisation’s finances. Many people are under the impression that the Commonwealth costs a lot of money. Nothing could be further from the truth…

Activist Peter Tatchell tells the Commonwealth Conversation that the criminalisation of homosexuality is not consistent with the Commonwealth values of human rights and democracy.

In an interview conducted by the RCS as part of the Commonwealth Conversation, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, Zimbabwean Minister for Regional Integration and International Cooperation, emphasised how important the Commonwealth is to Zimbabwe, but warned that it must do more to sell itself to the Zimbabwean people.

A Canadian journalist, Doug Saunders, has written for the Globe and Mail about the Commonwealth’s relevance to Canada. He certainly doesn’t pull his punches.

UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, discusses the connection between the Commonwealth and climate change.

Is the Commonwealth a great experiment? A unique organisation? Any different from other international groupings?