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Consolidating international partnerships to bridge divides

16 January 2008

The Munyonyo Statement at CHOGM 2007 recognised the potential for the Commonwealth to work alongside the UN’s Alliance of Civilisations programme

With a membership of 53 nations spanning the globe and a population of 2 billion people, the Commonwealth is one of the best placed international organisations that can make a meaningful contribution to the promotion of respect and understanding in societies.

This observation was made by Director and Head of the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Office, Amitav Banerji, at the First Alliance of Civilisations (AoC) Forum, held between 15 and 16 January 2008 in Madrid, Spain.

The Alliance of Civilisations initiative was co-sponsored by the Prime Ministers of Spain and Turkey, both of whom were present at the First Forum of the Alliance in Madrid, along with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the High Representative for the Alliance, former Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio. The Alliance seeks to promote dialogue, particularly between Western countries and the Islamic world. The Madrid Forum was attended by political leaders, representatives of international and regional bodies, donor agencies, civil society groups, foundations and representatives of the media. Those present explored ways of addressing the growing polarisation between nations and cultures worldwide, and developing partnerships to promote cross-cultural understanding.

Mr Banerji, who represented Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon at the Forum, highlighted the Commonwealth’s successful efforts in promoting diversity, such as helping member countries resolve actual and potential conflict situations.

The Commonwealth’s agreed fundamental values of democracy, human rights, gender equality, the rule of law, and a political culture that advocates transparency, accountability and sustainable economic development, provide a solid foundation upon which to build harmonious communities, Mr Banerji said.

These values were “uppermost in the thinking of Commonwealth leaders” when they asked Mr McKinnon at their biennial meeting in 2005 to “explore initiatives to promote mutual understanding and respect among all faiths and communities in the Commonwealth.”

Mr McKinnon consequently established a Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding. This commission, made up of 11 eminent persons and chaired by the Nobel laureate Professor Amartya Sen, produced the report ‘Civil Paths to Peace’.

Commonwealth leaders adopted their ‘Munyonyo Statement on Respect and Understanding’ on the basis of this report at their meeting in November 2007 in Uganda.

The Munyonyo Statement, which sets out priorities for the Commonwealth, “recognised the potential for this Commonwealth work to be complementary to activities undertaken under the UN’s Alliance of Civilisations programme.”

The Commonwealth Secretariat is set to focus, among other issues, on four priority areas – youth, education, gender and media – in its next four-year strategic plan, which Mr Banerji acknowledged presents valuable opportunities for collaboration with the AoC.

Mr Banerji explored ways in which the Commonwealth family and the AoC could work together. Formulating and implementing youth-led projects in member countries, helping to develop national strategies for promoting respect and understanding, and looking at better collaboration amongst faith-based groupings in addressing development and social issues were among the areas recognised in his presentation.

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