Secretary-General appoints Commission on Respect and Understanding
28 November 2006
Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon has appointed a Commission on Respect and Understanding led by Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen. The group will focus on the root causes of conflict, the break down of understanding within and between communities, and the implications for policy makers.
The Commission’s inaugural meeting will be held on 1 December at Marlborough House, London. It was constituted in response to a request by Commonwealth Heads of Government, at their 2005 meeting, for the Secretary-General “to explore initiatives to promote mutual understanding and respect among all faiths and communities in the Commonwealth.”
Speaking ahead of the event, Mr McKinnon said, "The Commission’s role is to look at the communities that work well in the Commonwealth – those that really manage ‘respect and understanding’. We have experience in the Commonwealth of successfully bringing diverse cultures and communities together in positive ways, and we want to replicate these successes across our 53 member states and beyond."
The Group’s report will be presented to Heads of Governments for consideration at their next meeting in Kampala in November next year.
The Commission comprises the following members:
*Professor Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate, and author of the recent publication “Identity and Violence” (India - Chairperson)
*Lord John Alderdice, member of the UK House of Lords and facilitator in the Northern Ireland Peace Process
*Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor-General of Canada
*Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (Singapore)
*Dr Kamal Hossain, former Foreign Minister who chaired his country’s constitution drafting committee (Bangladesh)
*Elaine Howard, South Pacific Regional Representative of the Commonwealth Youth Caucus (Tonga)
*Professor Wangari Maathai, Nobel Laureate and founder of the Green Belt Movement (Kenya)
*Professor Rex Nettleford, former Vice Chancellor of the University of West Indies (Jamaica)
*Dr Mamphele Ramphele, former Managing Director of the World Bank (South Africa)
*Lucy Turnbull, former Lord Mayor of Sydney (Australia)
Note to editors
For media enquiries please contact Minelle Fernandez on +44 (0)207747 6383.
Mr McKinnon spoke on the Commonwealth Day 2007 theme of ‘Respecting difference and promoting understanding’ at an event at Marlborough House, London, last week. His speech is available at http://www.thecommonwealth.org/
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