India's Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has assured Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma of his support of initiatives to enhance the role of the Commonwealth and to increase its impact on the world stage.

In a meeting in New Delhi on 20 October 2008 when Mr Sharma called on Dr Singh at Parliament, the latter said that the Commonwealth must make its presence felt on the issue of reform of international financial institutions, in the context of the initiative taken by US President George W Bush to convene an international conference of key players.

Mr Sharma said the Commonwealth advocates greater inclusiveness and participation in the discussions on reform. He recalled that the Commonwealth was the first international organisation to advocate this in the Marlborough House Statement adopted by 11 leaders in London in June this year, which had subsequently been supported by a summit meeting of Commonwealth leaders in New York. He also apprised the Prime Minister on the decisions by Commonwealth finance ministers, at their recent annual meeting in St Lucia earlier this month, to follow up on the leaders' decisions.

The Secretary-General briefed the Prime Minister on other proposed Commonwealth initiatives in the fields of democracy and development, including a mechanism to facilitate networking among election management bodies to raise standards and enhance public confidence in the credibility of elections, and the sharing of knowledge and good practice in a range of areas through a special portal. He further highlighted the Commonwealth Connects programme, which aims to bridge the digital divide in the Commonwealth, to which India is a major contributor. Mr Sharma highlighted the Commonwealth role in fostering greater harmony among its diverse population, through the promotion of respect, tolerance and understanding, as advocated in the report Civil Paths to Peace, produced by a Commonwealth Commission chaired by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen.

The discussions also touched on the upcoming 60th anniversary celebrations of the modern Commonwealth in 2009 and how India could mark this milestone, bearing in mind the country's seminal decision to retain membership of the Commonwealth when it decided to become a republic, following its independence from Great Britain; the new Commonwealth came into being with the London Declaration of 1949.

The Secretary-General, who is on an official visit to India, also held talks with Vice-President Mohammed Hamid Ansari and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament), Somnath Chatterjee.

The Secretary-General met the Minister of State for Youth and Sports, Dr M S Gill, on 21 October and they discussed the role of sport in consolidating societies and promoting development. Mr Sharma was briefed on preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. The minister indicated that preparations were on track and that areas in which more work was needed were receiving attention.

Mr Sharma also met the Leader of the Opposition, L K Advani, at Parliament House where they exchanged views on the importance of democracy and good governance in a country's development and the role of Parliament being at the heart of the democratic experience.

The Secretary-General also addressed some 100 guests at an event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi on 20 October. Click here for full story

On 22 October Mr Sharma briefed India’s Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, on the position taken by Commonwealth Heads of Government in support of an inclusive and participatory process of reform of the Bretton Woods institutions (World Bank and International Monetary Fund) including the possibility of working towards an international conference on the shaping of a new global financial architecture.

At their meeting the Finance Minister acknowledged the Commonwealth position and the initiatives taken more recently by others, including President Bush. He said that India’s approach to a new global financial order would be informed by the principles that any new dispensation must be universal in scope and include agreed common minimum regulatory standards.

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