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• Opening Remarks at the meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Small States

Opening Remarks at the meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Small States

Date: 29 Nov 2003
Speaker: Secretary-General Don Mckinnon
Location: Abuja, Nigeria

"Redressing the balance"

Heads of Government, Ministers, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to this Sixth Meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Small States (MGSS).

Thank you to our hosts, the Government and people of Nigeria, for the generous hospitality we have received since our arrival and for the excellent arrangements for our meeting.

As you know, small states have an important role to play in the Commonwealth. They are a key part of the Commonwealth's identity, representing 32 out of 54 members.

They also contribute to the internal balance of the organisation and to its global reach: they allow the Commonwealth to play its part as a bridge between small and large nations, between rich and poor, powerful and vulnerable.

The Commonwealth was the first organisation which recognised the unique challenges small states are facing and raised awareness about these problems on the international stage.

The vulnerabilities of small states relate to a number of factors, such as size, remoteness and isolation, susceptibility to natural disasters, limited diversification, lack of access to external capital, poverty—the list goes on.

These factors are built-in and are there to stay. As I have said before, small states don't grow into big states.

But they can grow stronger and develop wealthier, healthier, better-educated communities, if we assist them.

Ten years ago, a detailed strategy - the Barbados Programme of Action - was developed to help small states address some of these problems.

As you are aware, while some progress has been made, there is a great deal more to be done.

Your meeting today will give you a real opportunity to assess what can be done to achieve the best possible outcomes from the International Meeting - where the Programme of Action will be reviewed - in Mauritius next year.

We recognise that small states are often sidelined when it comes to making decisions at a global level. They find it difficult to defend their interests in the face of the overwhelming influence of bigger players.

The work of the Commonwealth is aimed at giving small states the tools to stand their ground and help level the playing field. In other words, we try to help redress the balance in favour of small states.

When a small state government enters into negotiations with a large multinational about the exploitation of its natural resources, chances are it will lose out. The Commonwealth's role is to provide experts who will strengthen the hand of the government and ensure the country does not get a raw deal.

In the petroleum sector, for instance, we helped the Government of Namibia negotiate agreements with international oil companies for offshore exploration projects worth over US$100 million. This means the government now has more resources to dedicate to health and education, improving the lives of Namibian citizens.

When there is a dispute over maritime boundaries between a country the size of Dominica and a country the size of France, it's clear that the odds are stacked against the small Caribbean State. This is a case where the Commonwealth has provided the knowledge and expertise to prevent Dominica from becoming sea-locked.

And in the area of trade, the objective of the Commonwealth is also to make sure less powerful players don't end up on the sidelines.

When it costs a US farmer twice more to produce a bag of rice than it does, say, a farmer in Guyana, and yet the American farmer is able to sell his rice at a lower price, you know there is something wrong.

How can developing countries be expected to trade their way out of poverty when the largest economies - the US, the EU and Japan - dump commodities at a fraction of what they cost to grow?

How can they hope to compete globally when they are cut out from the industrialised world's markets?

We, in the Commonwealth, have been consistently putting pressure on developed countries to phase out agricultural subsidies.

We also provide trade advice to our small and developing member countries in order to ensure they are in a strong position to negotiate with larger players.

We have assisted our small states to develop the WTO work programme targeted at small economies, which was mandated in the Doha Declaration.

In addition, the Commonwealth recently received 17 million Euros from the European Commission to build the trade capacity of ACP countries and ensure they too can reap the rewards of global trade.

This collaboration illustrates the fact that if we want to increase our support to small states, we must continue to develop partnerships with other organisations, such as the World Bank, the IMF, the WTO and the UN.

The failure of the trade talks in Cancun is a matter of concern to everyone, particularly small states. There is now a real danger that the project of a rules-based multilateral trading system could flounder.

But the damage inflicted by the breakdown of talks in Cancun is not irreversible. A first step in pulling back from the brink would be a successful outcome at the meeting of senior trade officials in Geneva in the middle of December.

The Commonwealth can, in its own way, assist in that process. Because it embraces such a great diversity of states - countries which are at both ends of the development spectrum - the Commonwealth is strategically placed to generate an effective consensus on international trade. Such a consensus could then be used as a basis to build broader agreement across the WTO constituency.

A first step towards such a consensus was reached in Cancun when Commonwealth Trade Ministers met for the first time in 15 years and lent their joint support to the Doha Development Agenda as a means to achieve greater fairness in international trade.

This issue will also be discussed at CHOGM and I hope that, together, we can build a strong consensus on putting the Doha round of trade talks firmly back on track.

The first step to a strong CHOGM statement on trade will be your own small statement emanating from this meeting.

Attracting investment is also a major challenge for small states. This is compounded by the fact that small states often lack the capacity to develop and nurture core democratic institutions.

A country is more likely to achieve sustained development if it inspires confidence and it will only inspire confidence if it is founded on a strong democratic culture.

This includes a freely and fairly elected parliament, an independent judiciary, a transparent public accounts system, an independent human rights commission, an ombudsman and a police force that is answerable to the law.

These building blocks of democracy are outlined in the Commonwealth Expert Group Report on Development and Democracy, which was launched here yesterday.

The Report shows how these structures can strengthen a country's development prospects and how, in turn, development encourages citizens' participation in the political process and allows a truly democratic culture to take root.

These democratic institutions are often more costly to establish and maintain for small states. That is why the Commonwealth provides support in promoting good governance and assists in the process of civil service reform.

But ultimately, all our efforts will remain in vain if small states in the Commonwealth are not able to provide a good education and a reliable healthcare system to all their citizens.

Health and education are the backbones of any successful society. They are the most effective ways of ensuring the economic advancement of people.

That is why donor countries and the international community in general should commit themselves to helping small states deliver high quality education and healthcare.

But small states are often impeded in their efforts when nurses and teachers they have trained at great expense are recruited to work in developed countries.

Recognising this problem, the Commonwealth Secretariat has developed a code of practice for Commonwealth countries which our Health Ministers have adopted at their meeting in Geneva in May 2003.

Education Ministers, when they met in October this year, also addressed this issue and formed a working group to advise on solutions to this problem.


I would like to conclude by highlighting, once again, the unique connection between the Commonwealth and its small member states.

When I speak to journalists, I am often asked the question: "What is the relevance of the Commonwealth today? What purpose does it serve in today's world?"

My answer to them is: "If you're the leader of a small state, what other organisation will enable you to sit at the same table with leaders of the G8, talk to them as equals and exchange views about matters of common concern?"

What other organisations highlight and institutionalise small states issues, ensuring they have their voices heard on the international stage?

What other organisation has such a wide and rich network of civil society organisations that share a deep level of common understanding?

Whatever we do, we want to make sure that the endowed handicaps of small states do not make them even more vulnerable when it comes to negotiating trade agreements with global players.

We want to make sure, in other words, that we redress the balance in their favour, whenever we can.

But it's not only that small states are stronger thanks to the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth itself is made stronger by its small states membership.

Small states enrich the Commonwealth. They are an integral part of the Commonwealth's diversity. They extend its range of influence and allow the Commonwealth to play a crucial role as a consensus builder.

That is why the partnership between small states and the Commonwealth is at the heart of the organisation and is so crucial to its future.