The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental organisation that was established by the Commonwealth Heads of Government in 1965, the same year as its sister organisation, the Commonwealth Secretariat The Commonwealth Secretariat is the main intergovernmental agency and central institution of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is responsible for facilitating cooperation between members; organising meetings, including the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings ; assisting and advising on policy development; and providing assistance to countries. The Foundation is located at Marlborough House in London London is a leading global city being the world's largest financial centre alongside New York City, and has the largest city GDP in Europe. Central London is home to the headquarters of most of the UK's top 100 listed companies and more than 100 of Europe's 500 largest. London's influence in politics, finance, education, entertainment, media,, a former royal palace which was assigned for the use of these Commonwealth institutions by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II is queen regnant of 16 independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. She, Head of the Commonwealth The Head of the Commonwealth heads the Commonwealth of Nations, an intergovernmental organisation which currently comprises 54 sovereign states. The first Head of the Commonwealth was King George VI, the British monarch who was also head of state of many states and territories within the British Empire.

Contents

Structure and Governance

History

The Commonwealth Foundation, along with its sister organisation, the Commonwealth Secretariat was conceived at the 1964 Conference of Commonwealth Prime Ministers A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician. In many systems, the prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the Government. In. The idea of a Commonwealth Secretariat was first floated by President Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah , was an influential 20th century advocate of Pan-Africanism, and the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966 of Ghana and the concept of the Commonwealth Foundation was proposed by Alec Douglas-Home Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , 14th Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963, was a British Conservative politician, and served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for a year from October 1963 to October 1964 (as Sir Alec Douglas-Home). He was the last member of the House of Lords to be appointed Prime Minister and, the British Prime Minister.[1] The British Government offered to contribute half the proposed annual income of £250,000. Initially, the idea of locating the Foundation in London London is a leading global city being the world's largest financial centre alongside New York City, and has the largest city GDP in Europe. Central London is home to the headquarters of most of the UK's top 100 listed companies and more than 100 of Europe's 500 largest. London's influence in politics, finance, education, entertainment, media, was dismissed on the basis that the Commonwealth Secretariat would be based there. However, it was later agreed that it should be based in London as many of the professional associations operating throughout the Commonwealth had offices in Britain.[2]

In line with the "Agreed memorandum on the Commonwealth Foundation"[3] a "distinguished private citizen" was to be appointed as the Chairman and a board of Trustees formed with each member government having the "right to nominate one member of the Board". In addition a Director was to be appointed. In 1965, it was agreed that Sir Macfarlane Burnet should be the first Chairman The chairman is the highest office of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an orderly fashion. When the group is not in session, the and John Chadwick the first Director The term director-general is used worldwide to signify the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution. In the European Commission, each department (called a Directorate-General) is headed by a non-political Director-General. This is roughly equivalent to a British Permanent Secretary of the Foundation. The first Board of Trustees Trustee is a legal term for a holder of property on behalf of a beneficiary. A trust can be set up either to benefit particular persons, or for any charitable purposes : typical examples are a will trust for the testator's children and family, a pension trust (to confer benefits on employees and their families), and a charitable trust. In all comprised both nominations of independent individuals and London based High Commissioners. The independent Trustees were Dr Leslie Farrer-Brown (Britain); Escott Reid (Canada); Richard Campbell (New Zealand); Akintola Williams (Nigeria); Robert Loinsworth (Trinidad and Tobago); Dr Hugh Springer (Barbados); and Dr C Columbos (Malta). All other member countries were represented by their London based High Commissioners.

Whilst the Commonwealth Secretariat The Commonwealth Secretariat is the main intergovernmental agency and central institution of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is responsible for facilitating cooperation between members; organising meetings, including the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings ; assisting and advising on policy development; and providing assistance to countries was established to support the political endeavours of the Commonwealth, the 'Foundation was brought into being in the hope that it would give further substance to the old truism that the Commonwealth is as much an association of peoples as of governments'.[4]

In 1966, the Commonwealth Foundation was registered as a Charitable Trust A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization" under English Law English law is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countriesand the United States . It was exported to Commonwealth countries while the British Empire was established and maintained, and it forms the basis of the jurisprudence of most of those countries. English law prior to. The trust deed A deed is a signed and usually sealed legal instrument in writing used to grant a right. Deeds have historically been part of the broader category of instruments under seal, requiring only the affixing of a common seal to render them valid. Today, however, deeds are instruments in solemn form which require the author's signature and a number of, as registered with the Charity Commission The Charity Commission for England and Wales is the non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities in England and Wales described the aims of the Foundation as, 'To maintain and improve (in the interests of the public) standards of knowledge attainment and conduct in the skilled and learned professions or skilled auxiliary occupations within the Commonwealth'.[5] Based on this, more specific aims were developed which, in 1969, Chadwick[4] summarised as:

(1) To encourage the growth of Commonwealthwide professional associations

(2) To help to create national professional societies as part of a general process of 'deanglicization'

(3) To promote regional professional activity

(4) To encourage the personal interchange of skills and experience

(5) To aid the broadening of experience through the printed word

The Foundation began to implement these aims by focusing on three main areas of work i.e. facilitating the creation of Commonwealth-wide professional associations A professional association is a non-profit organization seeking to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals engaged in that profession, and the public interest; disseminating printed information and supporting the professional development of individuals. Given the modest budget of the Foundation, the role of the organisation was defined as being "more catalytic than executive".[6]

In 1979, the Foundation's mandate was extended to include work with a broader range of non-governmental organisations Non-governmental organization is a term that has become widely accepted as referring to a legally constituted, non-governmental organization created by natural or legal persons with no participation or representation of any government. In the cases in which NGOs are funded totally or partially by governments, the NGO maintains its non-governmental involved in work such as rural development, social welfare, disability, gender and arts and culture.

In 1982, a decision was taken to reconstitute the Foundation as an International Organisation An international organization is an organization with an international membership, scope, or presence. There are two main types: – a process that was completed on 14 February 1983. Since then, the remit of the Commonwealth Foundation has continued to broaden and grow. With the aim of strengthening civil society Civil society is composed of the totality of voluntary civic and social organizations and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society as opposed to the force-backed structures of a state and commercial institutions of the market and enhancing its contribution to development in the Commonwealth The English noun commonwealth in the sense meaning "public welfare; general good or advantage" dates from the fifteenth century. The original phrase "the common-wealth" or "the common weal" comes from the old meaning of "wealth," which is "well-being." The term literally meant "common well-, the Foundation now works with non-governmental and voluntary organisations, faith-based institutions, the media and trade unions.[7]

The Commonwealth Foundation was already unique as an intergovernmental body established solely to support civil society, but in 2004, the Foundation took the additional step of revising its governance structure to include civil society representatives. Uniquely for an intergovernmental organisation, five members of civil society now sit on the Board of Governors alongside representatives of member governments.

Governance

Today, the Board of Governors comprises all member Governments (usually represented by their London-based High Commissioners) and five civil society representatives. The Board meets annually and is supported by the Executive and Grants Committees which meet twice yearly. In addition, there are two advisory committees namely the Civil Society Advisory Committee, drawn from NGOs and professional bodies across the Commonwealth and Commonwealth Writers' Prize The Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, organised and funded by the Commonwealth Foundation, is a leading award for fiction that was first awarded in 1987. The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental organisation working in the 53 countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. The aim of the Prize is to encourage new Commonwealth fiction, and to Advisory Committee.

Throughout its history, the Foundation has been led by highly accomplished people. The first Chairman of the Foundation was Sir Macfarlane Burnet and the first Director was John Chadwick. Today, the Chairman of the Foundation is Simone de Comarmond, former Minister and Secretary of State in the Republic of Seychelles, and the Director is Dr. Mark Collins, who joined the foundation from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Membership

Membership of the Foundation is open to all Commonwealth governments. As of December 2009, there were 47 member countries namely Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda (pronounced /ænˌtiːgwə ænd bɑːɹˈbjuːdə/ ; Spanish for "ancient" and "bearded") is a twin-island nation lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and a number of smaller islands (including Great Bird, Green, Guinea, Long,, Australia For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of the roughly 250 language groups. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the immediate north and discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by the British, The Bahamas The Bahamas (pronounced /ðə bəˈhɑːməz/ ), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an English-speaking country consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets (rocks). It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti) and the Caribbean Sea, northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and, Barbados Barbados (pronounced /bɑːˈbeɪdɒs, bɑrˈbeɪdoʊs/ ) is an island nation of the Lesser Antilles, 34 kilometres (21 mi) in length and as much as 23 kilometres (14 mi) in width, amounting to 431 square kilometres (166 sq mi). It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic Ocean and 100 kilometres (62 mi) east of the Windward Islands, Belize Belize (pronounced /bɛˈliːz/ ) (formerly British Honduras), is a country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Although Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official language. Belize is bordered by Mexico to its, Botswana The Republic of Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" (singular: Motswana). Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966. It has held free and fair democratic elections, Brunei Darussalam Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace (Malay: Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: بروني دارالسلام), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia. Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea it is completely surrounded by the state of, Cameroon The Republic of Cameroon is a country of central and western Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the Bight of Bonny, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean, Canada The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three, Cyprus Cyprus (pronounced /ˈsaɪprəs/ ; Greek: Κύπρος, Kýpros, IPA: [ˈcipros]; Turkish: Kıbrıs), officially the Republic of Cyprus (Greek: Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία, Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía, IPA: [cipriaˈci ðimokraˈtia]; Turkish: Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti) is an Eurasian island country in the Eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey, Dominica Dominica, (pronounced /dəˈmɪnɪkə/ ; French: Dominique) officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. To the north-northwest lies Guadeloupe, to the southeast Martinique. Its size is 754 square kilometres (291 sq mi) and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of 1,447, The Gambia The Republic of the Gambia, commonly known as The Gambia, or Gambia, is a country in Western Africa. The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, bordered to the north, east, and south by Senegal, with a small coast on the Atlantic Ocean in the west, Ghana The Republic of Ghana is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word Ghana means "Warrior King" and is derived from the ancient Ghana Empire, Grenada Grenada (pronounced /ɡrɨˈneɪdə/ ) is an island country and sovereign state consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Grenada is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana Guyana (pronounced /ɡaɪˈænə/ gye-AN-ə), officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and previously known as British Guiana, is a state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana has been a former colony of the British, Dutch and for a brief period, the French. It is the only state of, India India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with 1.18 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Mainland India is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the, Jamaica Jamaica (pronounced /dʒəˈmeɪkə/ ) is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, 234 kilometres (145 mi) in length and as much as 80 kilometres (50 mi) in width, amounting to 11,100 square kilometres (4,300 sq mi). It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about 145 kilometres (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 190 kilometres (120 mi) west of Hispaniola,, Kenya The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia (north), Somalia (northeast), Tanzania (south), Uganda plus Lake Victoria (west), and Sudan (northwest). Kenya has numerous wildlife reserves, containing thousands of animal species. The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya's, Kiribati Kiribati (pronounced /ˈkɪrɨbæs/ KIRR-i-bas; Gilbertese: [ˈkiɾibas]), officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, (1,351,000 square miles) straddling the equator, and bordering the, Lesotho Lesotho (pronounced /lɨˈsuːtuː/ , lih-SOO-too), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave—entirely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is the southernmost, Malawi The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size is over 118,000 km2 (45,560 sq mi) with an, Malaysia ^ b. The current terminology as per government policy is Bahasa Malaysia but legislation continues to refer to the official language as Bahasa Melayu (literally Malay language). English may continue to be used for some official purposes under the National Language Act 1967, the Maldives The Maldives ( /ˈmɒldaɪvz/ or /ˈmɒldiːvz/), (Dhivehi: ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ Dhivehi Raa'je) or Maldive Islands, officially Republic of Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls stretching in a north-south direction off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and Chagos, Malta Malta /ˈmɔːltə/ , officially the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta), is a southern European country and consists of an archipelago situated centrally in the Mediterranean, 93 km south of Sicily and 288 km east of Tunisia, with the Strait of Gibraltar 1,826 km to the west and Alexandria 1,510 km to the east, Mauritius Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius (French: République de Maurice) is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres (560 mi) east of Madagascar. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the Republic includes the islands of Cargados Carajos, Rodrigues and the, Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest, Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the east, and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990 following the Namibian War of, New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori language name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud. The Realm of New Zealand also, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia. In addition, the Foundation has one Associate Member—Gibraltar (since 2004).

Vision and Mission

The Foundation's vision is of a Commonwealth where citizens are able to give voice to their aspirations, identify their own solutions and fulfil their role in society. It is a Commonwealth where citizens individually and collectively express themselves for the public good at local, national and international levels by facing global challenges, building strong communities and promoting citizens' rights. It is a Commonwealth where civil society organisations realise their full potential, engaging with their governments and the private sector in the shared enterprise of transformational nation-building and international cooperation.

The Foundation's mission is to strengthen civil society organisations across the Commonwealth as they promote democracy, advance sustainable development and foster inter-cultural understanding.

Early Programmes of Work

Professional Centres

In the 1960s, professional networks in many of the newer Commonwealth countries were weak and professional associations lacked recognition. In 1967, following a meeting in Uganda between John Chadwick, the Director of the Foundation, and professionals from various sectors, the idea of a 'Professional Centre' was conceived. A few months later, the Foundation awarded a grant that helped support the development of a Professional Centre in Kampala, Uganda. By 1981, Professional Centres were established, or being planned, in 18 Commonwealth countries. Although there was no blueprint, most centres sought to promote co-operation, professional development and provide professional advice to governments on relevant policy and legal issues.[8]

Today, several of these professional centres, or subsequent incarnations of them, continue to prosper as independent organisations (see external links below).

Commonwealth Professional Associations

When the Foundation was formed, at least two Commonwealth professional associations already existed, namely the Commonwealth Association of Architects and the Commonwealth Medical Association.[9]

With the Foundation's encouragement and support (which included grants for travel and administrative costs), several other professional associations developed—including bodies working in the legal, veterinary and surveying fields. Almost all of these associations continue to function today. According to Chadwick, rather than encouraging 'professional exclusivity' the secretariats of these associations were designed to "collate and disseminate professional views and experience, co-ordinate programmes for Commonwealth wide or regional meetings; stimulate studies on training, curricula, reciprocity, standards, publications and the like."[10] Today, these organisations also have opportunities to influence the programme of work of the Commonwealth Secretariat, and to enter into dialogue with Commonwealth ministries at their various meetings.

Books and Journals for Professionals

Complementing its work with the professional associations, the Foundation provided grants to help with the development of three new professional journals namely:

In addition, the Foundation supported the cost of subscriptions to some professional journals so that they could be distributed to teaching and professional institutions, for example:

In recent years, the Foundation has continued to provide financial support for some professional journals. For example, since 1998 it has contributed to the production costs of the Commonwealth Forestry Association's newsletter and Commonwealth Judicial Journal [Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association].

Individual Professional Development

During the 1960s the Foundation's third area of activity was to help individual professionals. Small awards were given to individuals so that they could participate in short, specialised, training courses or study visits that would help them update their professional expertise. Within the first 10 years, 'many hundreds of younger, professionally qualified men and women' had benefited from these awards. Over time this approach evolved and funds were increasingly directed towards the cost of supporting insitu training.[12]

Lectureship Programme

Building on its work with individual professionals, the Commonwealth Foundation Lectureship programme was launched in 1967. The programme was designed to enable eminent individuals to travel to another region of the Commonwealth to deliver a series of lectures and meet with governments, students and professionals to debate issues of common interest. The first lecture tour took place in 1968 when Dr V M Hamilton, the Director of the New Zealand Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, travelled to East and Central Africa to lecture on scientific organisation and animal husbandry. According to Chadwick[13] this programme had many benefits—helping generate new ideas that informed policy development and the creation of contacts between individuals—some of which resulted in long term "twinning" between institutions.

Current Programmes of Work

Programme Focus

The work of the Commonwealth Foundation has changed radically over the years and currently focuses on:

In 2005 a programme structure was developed that allowed for a more transparent and accountable set of initiatives and in 2008, with a launch of a new organisational strategy, the programme structure was expanded. While continuing to promote traditional Commonwealth interest in professional networks, greater emphasis is now placed on facilitating dialogue between civil society and governments through ministerial meetings and the Commonwealth People's Forum and on enabling civil society organisations in the developing world to play a greater part in national development. In addition, analytical work draws together voices and opinions from across the Commonwealth with information published in many different media.

These changes took root in 1998/99, when a mass consultation process was undertaken involving 10,000 ordinary citizens in 47 countries. Citizens were asked about their view of a good society; what roles citizens and governments should play in such a society and what could be done to enable citizens to play their role more effectively. This consultation process culminated in the publication of various documents including Citizens and Governance: Regional Perspectives[14] and Citizens and Governance: Civil Society in the New Millennium[15]. Building on this, the Foundation's work on governance and democracy has since included 21 action-learning projects designed and implemented by partners in different countries of the Commonwealth and the development of a Citizens and Governance Toolkit[16].

Broad based consultations with citizens and civil society organisations continues to be a defining feature of the Foundation's work. For example, in 2004, the Foundation consulted with non governmental organisations in 14 countries to generate a report Breaking with Business as Usual which provides civil society perspectives on progress towards the MDGs. The report was disseminated throughout the Commonwealth and has been used by civil society organisations to inform their work and lobby their governments.

Over the years, information has been produced to guide and support the development of NGOs. In 1995, Non-Governmental Organisations Guidelines for Good Policy and Practice[17] was produced. The guidelines were widely disseminated used to assist NGO development throughout the Commonwealth. Having seen the need to update the Guidelines, the Foundation commissioned a scoping study which identified several changes in context and new needs that any new edition of the Guidelines should address (see concept note for more details).

Grant giving programmes continue, supporting the work of Commonwealth Professional Associations and other civil society organisations. Whereas grants used to support the training of individual professionals, the grants programme is now aligned with the Foundation's current strategic priorities, helping build capacity of civil society organisations and promote action on governance and democracy; sustainable development and culture and diversity.

Grants

From July 2007 to June 2008, the Commonwealth Foundation allocated a total of £923,843 in grants to a broad range of civil society and nongovernmental organisations across culture and diversity, governance and democracy, and sustainable development. £687,534 was allocated to ‘responsive’ grants programme. This contributed to activities such as training courses, workshops, seminars, conferences, cultural festivals, study visits, exchanges and documentation of case studies. Responsive grants allow civil society organisations to learn and be inspired by exposure to the work of other organisations by developing and building networks to keep abreast of legislation, comparable projects, and regional initiatives. Responsive grants are also important because, through civil society networks, they make a link between community based work and international policymaking. They steer the Foundation’s programmes and inform about innovation, initiatives and debate. In the last year, innovations in the grants programme have included: (i) The introduction of the ‘special grants reserve’ - used in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Five grants were allocated to non-governmental organisations: three to Jamaica for livelihood restoration projects after Hurricane Dean, and one each to Ghana and Uganda to help flood victims. (ii) The introduction of voter education guidelines. These were used to give grants to civil society-led activities raising awareness about elections. Workshops discussed issues such as the monitoring of government budgeting, media reporting on elections, and voter education.

Commonwealth People's Forum

The Commonwealth People’s Forum takes place every two years immediately before the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The Forum is organised by the host government, civil society organisations and the Foundation. It gives civil society organisations (CSOs) a chance to network and dialogue with governments. Since the first Forum in 1997, the event has increased in size and the range of activities that take place has expanded.

The first Forum was in Edinburgh, Scotland (1997). Subsequently, it has been held in Durban, South Africa (1999); Brisbane, Australia (2001); Abuja, Nigeria (2003), Malta (2005) and Kampala (2007). The 2009 Forum will take place in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Ministerial Meetings

Ministerial meetings, together with the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM), seek to build consensus on issues of concern to member states. The work of the Commonwealth Secretariat is guided by the outcomes of all these meetings. With the support of the Commonwealth Foundation, civil society participation in CHOGM and Ministerial Meetings has been steadily increasing since the late 1990s. Civil society participation in Ministerial Meetings on finance, women's affairs, HIPC and health has been particularly significant.

Since 2002, civil society organisations have presented statements at the annual Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting. Reflecting the themes of the meetings, statements have been published on 'Financing for Development' (2002); 'The Provision of Essential Services' (2003); 'Capacity of International Institutions to Support Pro-Poor Trade Liberalisation in Low-Income and Vulnerable Countries' (2004); and 'Giving Practical Effect to the Millennium Project Review' (2005). Each year, civil society organisations met immediately ahead of the Ministers Meeting to prepare the statements. In 2006, the outcomes of an e-consultation process was used to further inform debate and shape the statement on 'An Agenda for Growth and Livelihoods'.

Meetings of Commonwealth Ministers responsible for Women’s Affairs have been held every three years since 1985. In 2004, ahead of the Seventh Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (held in Fiji), the Commonwealth Foundation organised preparatory meetings, helped establish a Steering Committee and supported Committee members as they consulted civil society organisations in their regions. Uniquely for a Commonwealth Ministerial meeting, civil society representatives were invited to participate in the Minster’s meeting and in the committee that drafted the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005-2015.[18]

Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) are judged to have the highest levels of poverty in the world and are subject to international debt relief measures that seek to reduce their external debt to sustainable levels. Commonwealth HIPC Ministers meet twice a year to discuss issues of common interest. As Hilary Benn (2003) commented, the Commonwealth HIPC Forum provides an important platform for Ministers from HIPC countries to discuss matters of mutual interest, and has stimulated wider debate within the Commonwealth, as well as within the International Financial Institutions themselves.[19] The Commonwealth Foundation supports civil society participation at these meetings, giving civil society representatives an opportunity to share their views with Ministers and take information back to national and regional networks engaged in work on debt and HIPC issues. In 2006, the Foundation worked with Jubilee Zambia to organise a civil society consultation meeting and outcomes were communicated to Ministers at the Commonwealth HIPC Ministerial Forum in Lusaka, Zambia.

The Commonwealth Health Ministers meet annually in Geneva, prior to meetings of the World Health Assembly. Accredited civil society organisations participate in the meetings. In 2006, the Commonwealth Foundation provided funding for a meeting convened by the Dental Association on Oral Tobacco Cessation and supported the participation of Nurses Federation in a roundtable on Human Resources for Health.

Competitions and Awards

As part of its work to promote culture and diversity, the Foundation – often in association with other organisations – runs several awards and prizes.

In 1987, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize was established and has run every year since then. The Prize promotes literary talent in the Commonwealth and encourages reading between cultures. In the same year, the Commonwealth Arts and Crafts Award was also launched. This biennial event aims to promote cultural understanding through art and gives winning artists an opportunity to work with and learn from artists in another Commonwealth country.

The Commonwealth Short Story Competition, established in 1996, is administered by the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association. Each year, regional winners are chosen for Africa, Asia, Caribbean and Canada, Europe and the Pacific. One is then selected as the overall winner. The winning entries are recorded and broadcast by radio stations across the Commonwealth. Ellen Banda-Aaku of Zambia, won the 2007 competition with the short story 'Sozi's Box'.

See also

References

  1. ^ Conference of Commonwealth Prime Ministers, Final Communique (London, 1964).
  2. ^ Chadwick J, 1982, The Unofficial Commonwealth: The Story of the Commonwealth Foundation 1965-1980 pp51–52.
  3. ^ Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Meeting, 1965.
  4. ^ a b Chadwick J, 1969, The Commonwealth Foundation: Progress 1966–1969; Royal Society of Medicine 62 (11P1) pp 1145–1147.
  5. ^ Chadwick J, 1982, The Unofficial Commonwealth: The Story of the Commonwealth Foundation 1965-1980 pp65.
  6. ^ Chadwick J, 1982, The Unofficial Commonwealth: The Story of the Commonwealth Foundation 1965–1980, pp64.
  7. ^ Commonwealth Foundation, 2006, Annual Report: July 2005 to June 2006 pp1.
  8. ^ Chadwick J, 1982, The Unofficial Commonwealth: The Story of the Commonwealth Foundation 1965–1980, pp88-107.
  9. ^ Collard M, 1972, The Commonwealth Foundation: The First Five Years, Roundtable (247):329–336, pp330.
  10. ^ Chadwick J, 1969, The Commonwealth Foundation: Progress 1966–1969; Royal Society of Medicine 62 (11P1) pp 1146.
  11. ^ Tropical Doctor is still published by the RSM,http://www.rsmpress.co.uk/td.htm.
  12. ^ Chadwick J, 1982, The Unofficial Commonwealth: The Story of the Commonwealth Foundation 196–1980, pp76–77.
  13. ^ Chadwick J, 1982, The Unofficial Commonwealth: The Story of the Commonwealth Foundation 1965–1980, pp80.
  14. ^ This collection of five regional essays was published by the Commonwealth Foundation in 2001.
  15. ^ Summary report published by the Commonwealth Foundation in 1999.
  16. ^ Commonwealth Foundation, Citizens and Governance Toolkit, 2004.
  17. ^ Non-Governmental Organisations Guidelines for Good Policy and Practice, Colin Ball, Leith Dunn, Commonwealth Foundation, UK, 1995.
  18. ^ Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality .
  19. ^ Hansard Written Answers, 12 Jun 2003 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/vo030612/text/30612w03.htm.

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'Commonwealth Foundation' Blogs
Does the Commonwealth Foundation read their own research ?
66.147.242.158
Does the Commonwealth Foundation read their own research ?

Mark Price

hu, 04 Mar 2010 22:31:32 GM

The . Commonwealth Foundation. artfully omits that these multipliers are derived from actual research into the past relationship between government spending and employment. They are attempting to leave the impression they were plucked out ...

Google Blogs Search: Commonwealth Foundation,
Fri Jul 16 03:29:25 2010
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