This week, a global public consultation is coming to Zambia. The ‘Commonwealth Conversation’ is gathering the opinions of thousands of people around the world on the future of the Commonwealth. Rising from the ashes of Empire in 1949, this voluntary association of independent and equal members once seemed to point towards a brave new world order. Today, it looks increasingly tired and ineffective. As the Commonwealth turns 60, is it ready for retirement?

When Zambia first joined the Commonwealth as an independent nation in 1964, the association stood, arguably, on the cusp of its greatest period in history. Over the course of the next twenty years, it played a pivotal role in supporting decolonisation, promoting democracy and ending apartheid in South Africa. It was seen as a brave and powerful player on the international stage.

But this, it seems, is not the Commonwealth we know today. Today, its profile has slipped and many people are no longer convinced of its value or purpose. Polls conducted in seven member countries earlier this year tested people’s knowledge, awareness and opinion of the Commonwealth. Their results displayed a worrying mix of indifference and ignorance.

Globally, only a third of people polled could name any activity carried out by the association and the vast majority of those could cite only the Commonwealth Games. Whilst support was higher in developing member states, in countries such as the UK, Australia and Canada less than one third of people would be sorry if their country withdrew.

An insidious malaise of indifference seems to have permeated an association that once stood at the forefront of international affairs and questions of reform and relevance are beginning to look increasingly urgent.

This challenge is nowhere clearer than in the field of democracy and good governance. It is exactly 18 years since Commonwealth leaders attempted to break new ground when they issued the Harare Declaration. This statement of core principles and values committed the association to promote democracy, defend human rights and work for sustainable development. It was a document that redefined exactly what the Commonwealth stood for. In particular, it mandated the Commonwealth to concern itself with the internal affairs of its member countries.

Yet, today, the Declaration stands less as a courageous statement of principles and more as a set of empty promises. It is an inventory of what could have been. Above the terrible screams of suffering that emanated from Sri Lanka earlier this year, the Commonwealth’s silence was deafening. Its Ministerial Action Group, the supposed custodian of Commonwealth principles, is yet to issue so much as a statement and Sri Lanka is no isolated example. This is an association that has lost its nerve.

The Commonwealth is ideally placed to be the collective voice of moral authority that is missing from today’s world stage; it is the perfect vehicle for dialogue and cooperation between governments and between peoples; and it is buttressed by a civil society network that is unrivalled in its field. Yet a reluctance to speak out, a fear of causing offence and a hesitance to take bold action all conspire to stifle these potentially potent assets.

If the Commonwealth is to carve out an effective role for itself in the 21st century; if it is to show how it can add real value in a jostling arena of international organisations, it must take stock and address the issues in its own backyard. It must decide exactly what it is and what it is for. Then it must publicly re-articulate this raison d’etre.

In its sixtieth year, the Commonwealth stands at a critical crossroad. Down one route lies a quiet retirement; down the other lies the wellspring of reform; a chance for the Commonwealth to strike out afresh, emboldened and re-energised by a brave new agenda and a purpose imbued with a new sense of clarity and cause.

The dialogue between influential Zambians and the public, as well as the collection of points of view from the Zambian people over the next month, will play a part in steering the Commonwealth down either one of these routes. But they are not alone at the wheel. Thousands of citizens, sharing their views and concerns as part of the Commonwealth Conversation, also have a crucial role to play.

In less than one month’s time, the world’s leaders will meet in Trinidad and Tobago for the Commonwealth Summit. Intensive negotiations are already underway. Let us hope that officials look up from their desks in time to notice the danger signs ahead.

Written by
Dr Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah,  Director of the Royal Commonwealth Society.

Notes for Editors

The Commonwealth turns 60 in 2009. This landmark year offers the perfect opportunity to reflect upon the past and to consider what the future may hold for the association.

With this in mind, the RCS is facilitating the largest, global dialogue ever undertaken between the peoples of the Commonwealth about their association. This is the Commonwealth Conversation.

In November 2009, the world’s leaders will gather at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Trinidad & Tobago. There, the RCS will present a set of recommendations based on their findings from the Conversation. For further information visit the Commonwealth Conversation website.

 

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