At a meeting held at the Commonwealth Secretariat's headquarters on 24 January 2008, Don McKinnon said that civil society organisations have not only grown in numbers, but also in capacity, scope, public profile and influence.
McKinnon calls on civil society organisations to continue promoting democracy
29 January 2008
“Perhaps the main challenges for global civil society lie in the need to stay close to its roots” – Commonwealth Secretary-General
Commonwealth civil society organisations (CSOs) have been urged by Secretary-General Don McKinnon to work towards promoting democracy, while remaining true to their identity, standards and values.
Mr McKinnon was speaking at the opening of a consultation meeting between Commonwealth CSOs and the Commonwealth Foundation held on 24 January 2008, in Marlborough House, London.
The consultation was convened for CSOs to evaluate their experiences and participation in the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which took place in Kampala, Uganda. It also gave CSOs an opportunity to contribute to the development of the Secretariat’s and the Commonwealth Foundation’s new strategic plans, which are four-year frameworks that set out the main goals and programmes for the organisations.
Mr McKinnon, making his final remarks to CSOs before he steps down from his role as Commonwealth Secretary-General at the end of March 2008, observed that CSOs have not only grown in numbers, but also in capacity, scope, public profile and influence. He noted that they were not only involved in partnering with the state in situations of crisis and conflict, but were also increasingly active with regard to policy.
He commended CSOs for their active participation at the recent CHOGM and applauded their contribution to a number of critical areas, such as their input towards the report from the Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding, ‘Civil Paths to Peace’. This report is the result of a mandate from Commonwealth leaders to look into the causes of conflict, violence and extremism in Commonwealth countries.
The Secretary-General encouraged CSOs to continue collaborating with the Secretariat and the Foundation, and to increase engagement with member governments in order to bring their concerns to the fore.
Commonwealth Foundation Director Mark Collins, opened the consultation commending the improved links between civil society and governments during the Commonwealth People's Forum and CHOGM. He observed, however, that the time allocated to CSOs to present their report to Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers should be increased to allow greater discussion and interaction.
"There is a sense of imbalance to the time available to civil society compared to other reports," he observed. "The planning of the 2009 Commonwealth People's Forum and CHOGM should explore ways of allocating more time to CSOs to facilitate greater interaction."
These CSO consultations take place two or three times a year and normally involve representatives from Commonwealth associations based in London as well as other CSOs from developing countries in the Commonwealth.
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