What the Modern Commonwealth Does

The Commonwealth is a dynamic association active in a broad range of areas, from observing elections to providing models for good health practices for women, advising member countries on debt management and helping small states negotiate better trade arrangements.

As around one-third of Commonwealth members are developing nations, much of CHOGM business rests with development and education programs to benefit all member states. Small states tend to have problems making themselves heard. Their collective voice, however, is able to be heard due to clear messages from the Commonwealth on their behalf.

Commonwealth countries collaborate to implement programmes which reflect the priorities set out by Commonwealth leaders in their various communiques and declarations. Some key priorities are listed below.

• Advancing fundamental political values - ie. promoting fundamental political values through conflict prevention and resolution, strengthening democratic values and electoral processes, help with constitutions, the rule of law and human rights, and consultations and consensus building.

• Promoting sustainable development - ie. advancing economic development through consultations and policy development on national, regional and international issue, advice on economic management, and promoting trade, industry and agriculture.

• Advancing human development - ie. supporting the development of health services, education and training programmes and human resource strategies.

• Commonwealth Youth Programme - A fund which empowers young people to develop their potential as productive and dynamic members of society. It supports, among other things, regional centres in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and South Pacific.

Here are several examples of Commonwealth programmes and other initiatives in action. For more information and examples see Fact sheets.

Example: Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) on the Harare Declaration was established to implement measures set out in the Millbrook Action Programme adopted at CHOGM 1995.

The Group's mandate is "to deal with serious or persistent violations" of the principles contained in the Harare Declaration by assessing the nature of the infringement and recommending measures for collective Commonwealth action.

At its first meeting in 1995, the Group agreed its initial focus would be on three Commonwealth countries then under military rule - The Gambia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. While CMAG continues to monitor developments in Sierra Leone and The Gambia, Pakistan and Fiji have now come under its scrutiny. Nigeria is no longer on CMAG's agenda following the end of its suspension from the Commonwealth in 1999.

The Group currently comprises the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Botswana, Canada, Malaysia, Nigeria and the United Kingdom. No country is represented on CMAG for more than two consecutive two-year terms.

Example: Observing elections in St Vincent and the Grenadines

A Commonwealth Secretariat team observed the general election in St Vincent and the Grenadines, held on 28 March 2001.

The Secretariat team arrived in the country on 24 March and held wide consultations with political parties and representatives of civil society. On election day, the team visited 10 of the 15 constituencies and more than 30 of the 202 polling stations, before observing the counting of ballots at the end of voting.

Elections were last held in the country in June 1998. The next election was due to be called before June 2004. However, following public demonstrations and opposition protests at the last elections, a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) brokered agreement was reached to hold the elections no later than 31 March 2001.

The United Labour Party, headed by Dr Gonsalves, swept the elections by winning 12 of the 15 constituency seats, while the National Democratic Party, led by former Prime Minister Arnhim Eustace, won the remaining three seats.

The Commonwealth Secretariat's Director of the Political Affairs Division, Jon Sheppard, publicly praised the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines for their commitment to the democratic process, reflected in the voter turnout and efficient and transparent manner in which the elections were conducted.

Example: Diplomacy training in Sierra Leone

The second phase of a Commonwealth programme to retrain Foreign Service personnel in Sierra Leone began in March 2001. The training covered such skills as drafting diplomatic correspondence, parliamentary and legal procedures, public speaking and protocol and diplomatic procedures.

The training was sponsored by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation, in response to the Sierra Leone Government's request for diplomatic retraining.

Members of the Sierra Leone Diplomatic Corps benefited from Commonwealth regional diplomatic training held between 1990 and 1995. However, the Sierra Leone Government said rapid staff turnover, due to the country's civil war, had depleted the number of trained and experienced staff. Furthermore, those available had limited time to be exposed to the practical work of diplomacy and protocol.

Example: Ambassadors of Positive Living

Helping young people with HIV/AIDS and raising awareness about prevention is a key activity of the Commonwealth Youth Programme's Africa Centre. In the Ambassadors of Positive Living initiative, young men and women meet with their peers in schools, youth groups and churches in countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region as well as Uganda. The SADC consists of 12 Commonwealth countries plus Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

These 'ambassadors of positive living', themselves HIV-positive, provide training on the dangers of HIV, and offer support and counselling to those already carrying the virus. Through its pan-Commonwealth office in London and the Africa Centre, the Commonwealth Youth Programme is strengthening the initiative through user-friendly information kits and training materials.

Example: Workshop to advance gender equality in Asia

More than 50 participants from Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, The Maldives and Sri Lanka have attended a workshop on gender mainstreaming organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Bangladesh Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs.

The workshop took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in March 2001. Participants were from women's groups, Women's Affairs Ministries, public service training institutions, universities, and regional and international development agencies, including the United Nations Development Programme and the Asian-Pacific Development Centre.

The concept of gender mainstreaming is to bring a gender perspective into the mainstream of policy-making, law-making and social, economic and political programmes at all levels of society. The workshop sought to facilitate discussion with interested parties, with a view to having gender equality incorporated into policies and programmes in all sectors across the Asia region.

Country reports showed that governments and other social partners in the region have been moving ahead with policy changes resulting in the progress achieved by women in various sectors of society. In Malaysia, a Commonwealth member, the literacy rate for women has increased from 64 percent in 1980 to 96 percent in 1996.

The workshop also focussed on building partnerships with policy-making bodies and training and research institutions in an effort to develop effective national policies.