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The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding, Prof Amartya Sen (second from left) speaks at the launch of the Commission's report, Civil Paths to Peace, at Marlborough House, London, 9 November 2007. On his right is Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon, while on his left are some of the members of the Commission, Lord John Alderdice, and Joan Rwabyomere

Civil Paths to Peace

9 November 2007

“Group violence through systematic instigation is not only – perhaps not even primarily – a military challenge. It is fostered in our divisive world through capturing people's minds and loyalties, and through exploiting the allegiance of those who are wholly or partly persuaded” -- Amartya Sen

‘Civil Paths to Peace’, the report of the Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding, chaired by the Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, was launched on 9 November 2007, at Marlborough House in London.

Professor Sen and fellow Commissioners Lord John Alderdice and Joan Rwabyomere presented the report to Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon, who thanked the Commission for its work on this important and timely subject.

The Secretary-General said: “I am delighted to receive this report and I hope that each of the Heads of Government receiving it at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala will return home with their practical responses to it at the top of their priorities.”

‘Civil Paths to Peace’ is the result of a mandate from Commonwealth leaders to look into the causes of conflict, violence and extremism in Commonwealth countries.

It focuses on the problem of group-based violence and its impact on communities, advocating solutions based on individuals’ multiple identities.

Professor Sen said: “The well-meaning but excessively narrow approach of concentrating single-mindedly on expanding the dialogue between religious groups – much championed right now – can seriously undermine other civil engagements, linked with language, literature, cultural functions, social interactions and political commitments that help to resist the exploitation of religious differences which begins by downplaying – or dismissing – all other affiliations.

“The battle for people's minds cannot be won on the basis of a seriously incomplete understanding of the wealth of social differences that make individual human beings richly diverse in distinct ways.”

He added: “This report is a modest attempt to present a Commonwealth-based understanding of the civil demands for world peace.”

‘Civil Paths to Peace’ argues that the solution to conflicts within the Commonwealth should be rooted in the association’s agreed principles of human rights, democracy, gender equality, the rule of law and a transparent and accountable political culture.

The report recommends new forms of political participation, an emphasis on non-sectarian non-parochial education that expands rather than reduces the reach of understanding, and greater support to young people, who represent over half of the Commonwealth’s 2 billion citizens.

The report, which will be presented to Heads of Government at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting later this month, calls on the Secretary-General to develop an action plan in consultation with member governments.