The Commonwealth: In Pursuit of the Millbrook Action Plan The Report of the Commonwealth Secretary-General 1997
9 October 1997
In addition to the growing role of the Commonwealth as a force for democracy and good governance, more and more member countries recognise that there are significant economic and commercial advantages to be gained from Commonwealth links, Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku said in his Introduction to his biennial Report to Heads of Government, who meet at their summit in Edinburgh from 24-27 October. The Report was released today. He added that the total trade of Commonwealth countries now constituted 20 per cent of global trade, and was growing, as was the volume of investment. "All this is making member countries reassess the value of their Commonwealth links in a more positive way...and it is worth exploring how these links might be activated and built upon to the mutual benefit of all members," he said.The Secretary-General also urged that governments consider the special measures required to assist those countries who needed help in adjusting to the new global environment and in addressing particular problems of development. "We know that for several [countries], development remains a serious challenge," he said.
Commonwealth recognition of the benefits arising from these links is expressed in the theme of the Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM), Trade, Investment and Development: The Road to Commonwealth Prosperity. That same theme will be considered by the Commonwealth Business Forum, which will be held in London before CHOGM on 22-23 October, and which will bring together business leaders and senior government representatives. The Secretary-General said: "I am confident that the discussions at CHOGM and elsewhere will result in identification of practical measures for boosting intra-Commonwealth trade and investment and for enhancing Commonwealth co-operation in development, and also contribute to the development of Commonwealth positions in wider international fora."
The emphasis on economic growth and sustainable development from trade and other links is one of the strands of the Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme on the Harare Declaration, which Heads of Government adopted during their 1995 summit in New Zealand. Through this Action Programme, Commonwealth leaders sought to carry their commitment to the 1991 Harare principles from the realm of declaration into that of action. "For not only did the Action Programme...set out measures which the Commonwealth would take to reinforce democratic processes and institutions, it went further to lay down the steps that would be taken in cases of serious or persistent violations of the Harare principles," the Secretary-General said. " It also identified specific steps the Commonwealth would adopt in pursuance of sustainable development and consensus-building in the international community."
He added: "Harare and Millbrook have demonstrated that the Commonwealth not only stands for its principles, but has placed respect for them high on its agenda."
The Secretary-General said that at the Edinburgh CHOGM, Heads of Government would no doubt wish to consider further steps they may want to take in promoting adherence to the Commonwealth values reflected in the Harare principles. They would also wish to decide on the application of a number of countries for membership. Above all, Edinburgh would provide an opportunity for Heads of Government to reinforce the continuing emergence of the association as an instrument for promoting and sustaining democracy and good governance within its diverse membership.
Promoting Commonwealth Fundamental Political Values
The establishment of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) of Foreign Ministers under the Millbrook Action Programme was an important landmark for the Commonwealth, the Secretary-General said. Set up to deal with serious or persistent violations of the Harare principles, it focused initially on three countries - The Gambia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Since its first meeting in December 1995, it has met eight times and will report its recommendations to the Edinburgh CHOGM. CMAG's eight members, from Britain, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe, have "contributed towards enhancing the capacity of the Commonwealth to pursue more effectively its members commitment to the association's fundamental political principles," the Secretary-General said.
Also in support of democracy, the Commonwealth observed six elections since 1995 and has been progressively concentrating on strengthening institutions that promote and sustain democracy, human rights, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in member countries. In February 1997, the Secretary-General convened in Botswana a Roundtable of Heads of Government of Commonwealth Africa on Democracy and Good Governance in Africa to provide participating Heads of Government as well as the political opposition in their countries with an opportunity to review collectively the progress of democracy in their respective countries and exchange views on how they might meet present and future challenges. "For a number of the countries it was the first time that opposition and government party leaders had the opportunity to meet and share experiences on the application of democratic values," Chief Anyaoku said.
The Commonwealth's capacity for conflict prevention and resolution, especially through the Secretary-General's good offices and at the request of member governments concerned, has been increasingly recognised in the past two years, with the Secretary-General asked by the member countries concerned to get involved in developments in Lesotho and Papua New Guinea. The Commonwealth Secretariat had also collaborated with the United Nations and Organisation of African Unity in talks between rebels and the government of Sierra Leone.
Promoting Sustainable Development
The Secretary-General said that although increased economic opportunities had increased the prospect of an improved standard of living in many countries, many others risked further marginalisation because of heavy debt burdens, or inadequate physical or human resources. "This has placed an even higher premium on the Commonwealth's capacity to provide practical help through the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation - its developmental arm - at the national and regional levels, and its consensus-building role on international economic and social issues," he said.
As part of this help, Commonwealth Finance Ministers first discussed an initiative on multilateral debt relief which has now been the subject of agreement at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on relief for the Highly Indebted Poor Countries. Another measure to help member countries attract vital capital flows from abroad was the Commonwealth Private Investment Initiative (CPII), under whose umbrella, the first regional fund, the Africa Fund, was launched in July 1996 to channel commercial investments to Commonwealth Africa.
The development of human resources was also critical to the promotion of sustainable development and the Commonwealth Secretariat provided integrated management and training support to individual countries as well as at the regional level. In particular, since 1995, its work in the area of public service reform was aimed at helping governments provide "an efficient, accountable, and responsive public service" which would help "guarantee good governance and strengthen democratic culture." Through the CFTC, in the two years since 1995, the Secretariat also trained some 9,000 middle- and top-level managers and officials in the public and private sectors, and placed about 650 short- and long-term experts and advisers in essential positions where qualified personnel were not available in developing member countries.
It was also evident, the Secretary-General said, that the Commonwealth's Plan of Action on Gender and Development was living up to its objective of charting a course of practical steps for member countries implementing commitments for gender equality. In introducing the concept of Gender Management Systems, he added, "the Commonwealth has taken the lead in developing flexible methods and systems that will enable member governments to translate these commitments into practical actions relevant to their own country circumstances."
Facilitating Consensus-building
In 1995, Heads of Government recognised the global reach of the Commonwealth by highlighting consensus-building as one of the three legs of the Millbrook Action Programme. The Secretary-General said that since then, the Secretariat had consciously used this global reach as the principal means through which the organisation could assist the wider international community in building bridges.
The Secretariat
The Secretary-General said the Secretariat itself had undergone a series of reviews in order to focus its work in those areas in which it could "make a distinctive contribution in the most cost-effective manner". It had also continued to fine tune the structures resulting from its major reorganisation in 1993. The effect was that "the Secretariat is now streamlined and better equipped to serve its member countries." However, he said, although a number of countries had increased their contributions to the CFTC to boost funding for the Secretariat's developmental work, demands on resources continued to exceed what was available and it had yet to reach the real resource level of five years previously.
The Secretary-General said: "If the Commonwealth is to fulfil the expectations of its member countries adequately, it would need to be provided with additional resources, as envisaged at Millbrook."
Issued by the Information and Public Affairs Division,
Commonwealth Secretariat,
Marlborough House,
Pall Mall,
London SW1Y 5HX,
Britain.
Tel: 0207-839 3411;
Fax: 0207-839 9081;
Telex: 27678
97/53 09 October 1997
delicious
digg
reddit
facebook
stumbleupon
News feedsLatest Speech
- Commonwealth Tourism Ministers MeetingCommonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma
Useful Resources
Subscribe to our weekly email news bulletin and quarterly ezine - click here