Transforming Commonwealth developing countries into developed nations

The theme of the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) this year – ‘Transforming Commonwealth Societies to Achieve Political, Economic and Human Development’ is focused on the goal of transforming developing countries into developed nations, said Uganda’s Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa.

Addressing the media at a news conference in Kampala on the eve of the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Meeting on 20 November 2007, Mr Kutesa said: “The aim is to see the examples of those countries which were Third World countries yesterday but are now First World countries – what have they done, what experiences can we share with them and how can we make it beneficial for the whole of the Commonwealth.”

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon added that Commonwealth countries were keen on learning from the development experience of South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. He said Foreign Ministers at their two-day meeting from 21-22 November will consider four key issues to be put to CHOGM Leaders: Commonwealth membership criteria, Commonwealth Connects programme to bridge the digital divide, strengthening economic linkages among Commonwealth countries, and the importance of respect and understanding to avoid conflict within and among communities.

The other issues in focus are ways to enhance national and international responses to natural disasters, mitigating the effects of climate change, addressing the vulnerabilities of the 32 small states in the Commonwealth, strengthening democracy and enhancing international trade.

Responding to a question from the media on the issue of addressing poverty eradication and reliance on aid, Mr McKinnon stressed that a successful conclusion to the World Trade Organisation’s Doha Development Agenda would lift millions of people out of poverty and produce a tremendous change in Africa. The key, he said, was in the elimination of all agricultural barriers into Europe and the United States.

“There is a real resistance there – these are big domestic political issues in Europe and the US, but you just can’t accept that as a permanent feature, so we must continue to pursue that.”

The Secretary-General pointed out that relying on aid was not a sustainable solution to alleviate poverty.

“Aid is always just going to be just a band aid. The amount of aid is not actually that significant as aid is only one-third of what is paid for agricultural subsidies.”

Mr Kutesa emphasised that trade and market access are critical to the development of a country and is the solution to poverty.

Related Websites:

• CHOGM 2007