Strengthening regional cooperation

Pramod de Silva

Sri Lanka is a proud and active member of several regional and geopolitical blocs which have a major say in world affairs. Sri Lanka last week played an active role in the Non Aligned Summit in Tehran.

It is one of the key members of SAARC, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. This week, Sri Lanka is hosting one of the most important events in the world geopolitical calendar – the meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). This will be a precursor to the Commonwealth Heads of State Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo next year.

As Head of the Commonwealth, the Queen opened CHOGM 2011.

There are critics and detractors of the Commonwealth who say the very concept of the organization is outdated and does not fit in with the modern world political order.

True, the Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth was born out of the British Empire. But today, it is an intergovernmental organisation of 54 independent member states. (All members except Mozambique and Rwanda were part of the British Empire though some of the original members later quit).

This is where the theme of this year’s CPA parley assumes great significance. “Ensuring a relevant Commonwealth for the future” is an apt theme considering the challenges faced by the Commonwealth as an entity and as individual nations in a highly globalised world. What matters is that the very issues and values that formed the basis of Commonwealth ideals are still relevant in the contemporary world.

The member states cooperate within a framework of common values and goals. These include the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism, world peace and of course, sport (the Commonwealth Games is one of the world’s biggest sporting events). All these are values cherished by Commonwealth countries.

Thus the Commonwealth is not a strictly a political union, but an intergovernmental organisation in which countries with diverse social, political and economic backgrounds are regarded as equal in status and work for the common good of the entire organisation and indeed, the world itself.

The Commonwealth is perhaps unique in that it brings together some of the richest (UK, Canada, Australia etc) and poorest countries (Gambia, Ghana, Botswana etc) from all continents on a common mission.

While some other bodies are just rich nations’ clubs (like the G8), the Commonwealth paints on a much larger canvas. It focuses on a wider range of issues that affect Commonwealth citizens from Antigua to Zambia.

The Commonwealth is striving to be relevant to the modern world and our day to day lives. In researching for this article, I visited the website of the Commonwealth Secretariat and discovered that it is active on a number of fronts in all 54 countries.

One example is the recently concluded Commonwealth Education Ministers Conference held in Mauritius. Education is vital for a brighter future and it is indeed heartening to note that the Commonwealth acts as one on this issue through its Commonwealth of Learning initiative.

In his welcome address at the conference, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said the conference was taking place at a critical time of change.

“Globally, rapid advances in technology, economic transformation, and the cusp of change in the agenda for development and education, combine with a tide in the overall reform of our Commonwealth that is already well underway to make this a watershed Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers,” said the Secretary-General.

As indicated in his speech, the Commonwealth should be alive to the changes taking place in our world. It cannot ignore issues such as globalization, economic shocks and transformation and technological advances.

The very nature of the Commonwealth union can act as an instrument of change. Since there are both developed and developing countries in this union, there are many opportunities for enhanced trade, technology transfer/sharing, legal migration and cooperation in a variety of other fields.

The Commonwealth should recognize and reward countries that find innovative solutions to their problems and if possible, share such successes with other countries. One recent example is from Rwanda, where a community-based project to ensure equitable access to nine years of basic, quality education and skills has won the 2012 Commonwealth Education Good Practice Awards. Such innovation in all fields is the key to the Commonwealth’s future.

The Commonwealth is, and should be, a forum which works for the good of its two billion citizens. Although bound together by traditions such as the English language and common political and legal systems, the Commonwealth still has a long way to go in terms of people-to-people contact.

In this respect, this year’s Commonwealth Day (it falls in March) theme is highly appropriate: Connecting Cultures. The Commonwealth is home to a very large variety of cultures, languages and traditions. There is very little awareness about these aspects among the peoples of the Commonwealth.

To stay relevant, the Commonwealth has to look into wider connectivity and connections among its peoples. It can perhaps consider more travel options among the Commonwealth and initiate a television cultural programme exchange project to showcase each country’s cultural legacy. The people, especially the youth, must be considered as the cornerstone of all Commonwealth policies and programmes.

Fortunately, the Commonwealth has taken cognizance of the power of youth for change. Young Commonwealth and Your Commonwealth are two initiatives where the youth can contribute to the success of the Commonwealth around the world. They should feel they are Commonwealth Citizens - then the future of the Commonwealth will be secure.

An active Commonwealth will be an asset to the whole world. The Commonwealth will be even more relevant if it can voice its opinion on more issues facing the world such as the food crisis and the energy crisis.

Action on such issues is sorely needed at this hour. Regardless of its roots, the Commonwealth has evolved to become a leading voice in the world, whose collective opinion is treated with respect.

Events such as the CPA conference held in Colombo will enable it to evolve new strategies to stay relevant and focused.