Secreteary-General Kamalesh Sharma (left) with India's Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee
India and the Commonwealth: new levels of support from Delhi
6 February 2009
ICT, sport and training programmes to be given a boost
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma held talks with India’s Minister for External Affairs, Pranab Mukherjee, in New Delhi on 6 February 2009, and expressed his appreciation for India’s new commitments to invest in the Commonwealth in the fields of information and communication technology, sport, and training opportunities.
The Secretary-General also called on the Minister of State for External Affairs, Anand Sharma.
The discussions covered the role that India can play in providing support for information and communication technology (ICT) development in the Commonwealth to help narrow the gap between the ICT rich and poor. The Government of India is currently a major financier of the Commonwealth Connects programme, which promotes the development of ICT policies at national government level as well as the implementation of practical ICT projects for development.
The Government of India has agreed to enhance its assistance in the ICT area beyond the current contribution of 1 million euros to Commonwealth Connects in a number of ways. These include the provision of technical and other support for a new Commonwealth ‘Partnership Platform Portal’, which is aimed at strengthening connectivity and access to information and development opportunities. In addition, there will be assistance extended to explore and develop a potential pan-Commonwealth programme to promote access to the many communities of Commonwealth citizens living outside their home countries under a proposed new diaspora project.
“India has great strength in ICTs which can benefit the wider Commonwealth by expanding the sharing of knowledge and development capacity,” Mr Sharma said.
The 60th anniversary of the modern Commonwealth, for which India had played a pivotal role at its outset in 1949, also featured in the talks. Both Mr Sharma and Mr Mukherjee acknowledged the role India can play in sharing its experience in democracy, development and diversity to help Commonwealth countries advance and to strengthen the association further. The Secretary-General was informed that the Government of India would be announcing a number of new initiatives during 2009 to celebrate and mark in a sustainable way the 60th anniversary and the country’s ongoing commitment to the Commonwealth, including new training opportunities.
The Secretary-General also called on the Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr M S Gill, where they discussed the potential for socio-economic development that can be achieved through sport.
“Sport can be about competition and medals, but it is also about transforming lives by shaping the characters and lifestyles of young people in particular,” the Secretary-General observed.
Talks addressed the possibility of the Government of India providing technical assistance in this area for other Commonwealth countries in future, focusing on youth development in particular in view of the Commonwealth theme for this year: ‘thecommonwealth@60 - serving a new generation’. The Secretary-General and the Minister also discussed progress on preparations for the Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi in October 2010.
The Secretary-General held talks separately with President Anote Tong of Kiribati on the sidelines of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit in which they had both participated as panellists on the topics of international environmental governance and climate change. President Tong shared his concerns about the impact of rising sea levels on Kiribati and the challenges faced by his Pacific island state, including the projected need for the resettlement of its population.
Mr Sharma said it was most unfortunate that Kiribati, which is not one of the world’s significant polluter nations or significant contributors to global carbon emissions, is nonetheless a significant victim of climate change. He stressed in his remarks to the President and the Summit that the Commonwealth Secretariat would continue to pursue its mandate to support small and vulnerable island states in practical ways, and to encourage reform of international environmental governance on the basis of a globally inclusive approach and agreed baseline principles including good governance, accountability, transparency and effectiveness.
delicious
digg
reddit
facebook
stumbleupon