Transforming development across the Commonwealth

It used to take 17 days to clear goods through the port of Mombasa in Kenya. It now takes 11. Progress has been made at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi where the clearance time of goods has significantly improved. These improvements were achieved through collaboration between Kenya’s key Trade and Port agencies and through technical advice provided by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC).

The CFTC is a voluntary fund, which Commonwealth member countries contribute to and benefit from on a demand led basis in recognition of the critical importance of country ownership and leadership for development to be effective. Its biennial report -- Transforming Societies: Capacity-Building and Skills Transfer -- will be circulated at the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Kampala, Uganda from 23-25 November.

The report focuses on the Commonwealth Secretariat’s development work funded by its development fund, the CFTC, across the developing members of the Commonwealth. The CFTC contributes to member countries' efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and targets which include: the development of a rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory trading and financial system; the special needs of the least developed countries and small island developing states; the sustainable management of debt; and making available the benefits of new technologies.

Also of particular relevance to the CFTC are the MDGs relating to universal primary education, eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education, reducing maternal and child mortality, and halting and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDs. Over the last two years, the CFTC has also been at the forefront of Commonwealth efforts to deepen democracy, strengthen governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

The CFTC has sought to strengthen the capacity of the public and private sectors so that it is able to effectively facilitate the attainment of the MDGs. It has done so by providing policy advice, strengthening institutions and building skills that are at the heart of successful development.

As highlighted by Ransford Smith, Deputy Secretary-General, in the Foreword to the report: “All sides of the development debate have noted that without sufficient country capacity, development efforts are unlikely to succeed, even if the enhanced funding commitments made by the G8 countries and others in recent years are realised. Capacity-building is a fundamental component of development, a vital underpinning of aid effectiveness and a key element in achieving the MDGs.”

Mr Smith notes that there are still a significant number of development challenges across the Commonwealth:

• Eight hundred million Commonwealth citizens live in poverty.
• Seventy-two million children are not enrolled in primary school; 30 million of these are in the Commonwealth.
• Forty million people are living with HIV/AIDS and 3 million die from it annually; 54 per cent of these people live in Commonwealth countries.
• Over a billion people have no access to clean water, and even more are without basic sanitation.

In all of this, women suffer disproportionately. “We have an obligation to this and future generations to halt and reverse these trends,” concludes Mr Smith.

Secretariat Links:

• Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation