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Development without Damage

7 March 2008

Message from Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon on Commonwealth Day 2008

Don McKinnon has urged Commonwealth members to “sow the seeds of good environmental stewardship” by pursuing development without damaging the environment.

In his message to mark Commonwealth Day on 10 March 2008, the Commonwealth Secretary-General said member countries must do more to protect and preserve the environment for future generations.

“If we forget about future generations today, they will never be able to forget what we did to them, tomorrow. To bequeath a barren and polluted landscape is to disinherit,” Mr McKinnon said.

In his message, Mr McKinnon highlighted environmental concerns currently facing member countries, including shrinking forests due to unsustainable logging practices in Asia and the Pacific and dwindling fish stocks in the Atlantic and other oceans.

He also described the environmental challenges of the future, caused by rapid urbanisation and the growth of slums, which are now home to 300 million Commonwealth citizens.

“The bill for industrialisation in the developed countries is only now arriving, and it’s bigger than we could ever have expected. An even bigger bill will come if other countries follow, and so we must find alternative paths to prosperity,” Mr McKinnon warned.

He said member states can contribute to the greater protection of the environment by strengthening their laws and using developing programmes to create awareness and educate their citizens.

Mr McKinnon encouraged Commonwealth citizens to play a role by “reducing, repairing, re-using and recycling”. He added that business enterprises can contribute by improving energy conservation and efficiency in manufacturing, transport systems, buildings and homes.

“We can act collectively, and across borders, to protect forests, have clean water, and manage pollutants and other wastes,” he stated.

Mr McKinnon said the Commonwealth is determined to help member countries devise better and more sustainable ways of protecting the environment. In November 2007, Commonwealth Heads of Government endorsed a Commonwealth Action Plan on Climate Change at their biennial summit in Uganda. The plan highlights practical actions to tackle the impact of climate change.

The Commonwealth, Mr McKinnon said, is already actively assisting member countries in the Pacific region to manage their fish stocks, and is also supporting sustainable tourism in West Africa and the Caribbean.

He added that Commonwealth advisers are assisting in developing marine and coastal resources in Guyana, Mozambique and Papua New Guinea as well as providing technical expertise in meteorological data services in Botswana; and flood and coastal management plans in Seychelles.

Click here for the full text of this speech