Out going Secretary-General of the Commonwealthh, Don McKinnon wants leaders of the 53 member states to set out priority plans to tackle the challenges of Climate Change and Balance of Trade between countries. Mckinnon considers these two issues are currently the biggest challenges to be resolved.
On Tuesday evening on the BBC World Service programme“Have Your Sayâ€, which was relayed live from Uganda’s capital Kampala, several Ugandans criticized the Commonwealth calling it an irrelevance and a mere party club. They said it has little impact on modern Africa because the delegates just come, meet and exchange business cards, eat and drink well and then go home.
But the Secretary-General disagrees. He pointed out that during his last visit to war-affected Northern Uganda, he visited development projects set up by the Commonwealth to rehabilitate youths who had been abducted by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels.
Don Mckinnon does not hide his disappointment with Uganda’s main opposition leaders who have boycotted the Commonwealth meeting. The opposition in Uganda say they have become cynical of an organization that cannot address their concerns on human rights and governance.
Mckinnon, who will be replaced by a new Secretary-General at the end of this week’s summit, said the meeting is crucial for the entire host country and not just for the ruling government. He said he met the country’s opposition four months ago and they had assured him they would participate.
He said that countries with good and established democratic institutions and good governance structures can benefit more from Commonwealth membership. He said it is important for all member countries, Uganda included, to build institutions that can help to build global confidence in their people.
See Don Mckinnon’s blog on the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting here.
I interviewed Don earlier. Below are both an excerpt and the full interview I carried out with him. In the excerpt, Don talks about having congruence between policy and projects ‘on the ground.’
Journalists have warned Commonwealth countries and global development agencies that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) risk failing if freedom of the media and expression is not given a priority by Commonwealth governments.
Over 100 journalists who met to discuss issues they want their heads of state and government to address when they meet in Kampala from tomorrow said they are concerned about the rising incidents of harassment, imprisonment and deaths, especially countries going through war.
The MDGs include eight minimum targets set by the United Nations to be achieved by the year 2015. They range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education.
Their main aim is to address extreme poverty levels in the world.
Nupur Basu, an independent journalist in India referred to the closing down of media houses by Pakistani leader, General Pervez Musharraf. She called upon the leaders of the Commonwealth countries to impose more harsh conditions on Musharaf to force him to adhere with full democratic principles.
James Deane, the Head of Policy Development with the BBC World Service Trust said that in a dictatorial environment, no free media can exist.
CHOGM presents a unique opportunity to bring together Leaders and Ministers from throughout the Commonwealth to discuss issues which are not just of importance to the Commonwealth, but which are of global significance. The Government of Uganda, who are hosting the event, have chosen the theme “Transformation of Commonwealth Societies to achieve Political, Economic and Human Developmentâ€. Under that wider theme, we will be discussing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Climate Change, Trade, and Education. These are all key issues, which we believe need to be tackled head on if the poorest countries of the Commonwealth are to develop. And we firmly believe that the Commonwealth itself has an important role to play in these issues. As a unique grouping of countries from across the globe, with a fundamental set of principles in common, we, the Commonwealth, cut across traditional regional and economic groupings and can move the debate forward and take action on such issues of critical importance.
Civil society has an important role to play too. The Commonwealth People’s Forum, is an excellent opportunity to raise the visibility of civil society. Focussing on the theme of “Realising People’s Potentialâ€, Ugandan and pan-Commonwealth organisations will discuss key issues such as democracy and development. Their views will then be presented to Heads of Government at CHOGM.
My best wishes for a successful Forum. I look forward to hearing the outcomes.
Some of the world’s most brilliant and eccentric people have travelled thousands of miles to grace the Commonwealth Peoples Forum (CPF), the largest gathering to date of civil society delegates. An estimated 1,500 delegates have descended upon Kampala, Uganda’s capital, for the discussions.
In a key note address at the CPF opening on Sunday, Mr Warren Nyamugasira, the Chairperson of the Commonwealth People’s Steering Committee did not mince his words when saying “we [the Commonwealth] have the dynamite†to erase poverty off the face of the earth, because we have “weapons of mass poverty destruction.â€
What he meant is that the Commonwealth is not lacking intellectual capacity to face any of the biting problems that have plagued the world’s underprivileged and underdeveloped. “This opportunity cannot be squandered,†he said. Well said Mr Nyamugasira.
But red warning lights are flashing.
This afternoon, I had the opportunity of covering a workshop on knowledge and Innovation for Economic Transformation, where a couple of brilliant ideas were flaunted that will supposedly help the Commonwealth people to realise and tap into their potential with the sole aim of transforming their lives.
Even while I marvelled at the eloquence of discussants and the ideas, I couldn’t help but feel it was an effort in vain.
We all have seen and heard nice ideas through good intellectual discourse. In fact the problems of the developing world [poverty, hunger, disease, unemployment, etc] are always known. However, the real problem is not what is wrong but the lack of action.
We all know what a modern efficient functioning state entails, but the real problem for the Commonwealth, I believe, is the inaction of our leadership and policy makers.
Mr Dhesigen Naidoo, a public policy expert from the Department of Science and Technology, South Africa speaks to Emmanuel Gyezaho, in a candid interview in which he boldly states that the Commonwealth people “know our problems†and “have the solutions.â€
Mr Naidoo presented a paper on Technology Innovations and Diversification at a Workshop on Knowledge Innovation for Economic Transformation. He listed the following factors as the strategic bottlenecks to innovation in the Commonwealth.
Slow growth in the knowledge base
Declining interests in science and technology in young people
Brain circulation skewed in favour of developed countries
Even where there is a reasonable knowledge base, we have an Innovation Chasm
Journalists covering the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Peoples Forum (CPF) in Kampala yesterday faced-off with Ugandan security officials over media accreditation to the summit.
Trouble begun after officials of President Yoweri Museveni’s elite protection unit, the Presidential Guard Brigade (PGB), barred reporters who didn’t carry a “special†accreditation tag, from covering the opening gala.
It was in many ways a bizarre spectacle as it turned out that reporters were never informed that they needed additional accreditation, on top of the official media accreditation issued by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Worse still, the security officials took the decision to issue a second accreditation without informing the Secretariat.
It was a frustrating experience for many reporters, both local and international, especially those who have travelled thousands of miles to cover one of the biggest events on the Commonwealth calendar this year. I spoke to Mr Julius Mucunguzi, a communications officer in charge of media and broadcasting at the Commonwealth Secretariat, and while he expressed utter shock at the organizational hitch, he was very optimistic it wouldn’t affect the smooth running of the event.
But we cannot forget that this was the opening of the largest civil society event this year, a grouping of people better known for their love-hate relationship with politicians and the government.
And we also know that civil society has often been accused of hiding behind the media in promoting interests not favourable to the state. So were there any ulterior motives in issuing a second accreditation? Why was the Commonwealth Secretariat kept in the dark?
These are questions that need answers. It would be a sad commentary for Uganda as host, if such organizational hitches continue at the ensuing Commonwealth events.
Here is a transcript of an interview I did with Stella Atal, Ugandan Fashion Designer and Artist. In the interview, we explore questions around the growth and sustainability of the fashion industry in Uganda.
Ugandan leader Mr Yoweri Kaguta Museveni officially opened the Commonwealth Peoples Forum at Hotel Africana in uptown Kampala, making a bold call for better working relations between politicians and civil society.
He was conscious about the often acrimonious and warring relations between these two key social change actors insisting that “we need each other.” In a speech laced with humour, Mr Museveni urged the gathering of hundreds of civil society delegates representing 1.8 billion citizens from the 53 commonwealth countries, to focus on environmental protection as a priority in their discussions which formally open on Monday 18th.
Environment and natural resources is a key civil society issue up for discussion.
Mr Museveni said “primitive agriculture†and the use of “biomass for cooking as firewood†are Africa’s biggest threats on the environment. And to avert that threat, third world governments must industrialise and “massively†embrace electrification, he said. “Environmentalists must be a bigger supporter of industrialisation,†he said. “To do otherwise would just be a waste of time.â€
Is the world not facing the brunt of greenhouse emission courtesy of industrialisation?
The Ugandan leader said companies that produce greenhouse gases, are inspired by “greed†(not a noble way to destroy the environment), suggesting that in Africa, it would be acceptable if the environment is destroyed “out of the necessity†to develop “but not greed.â€
After his speech, it wasn’t in doubt that the civil society delegates Mr Museveni described as “philanthropists†were certain that the environment, (an issue often given little priority) would be top on the agenda for the discussions at the CPF.
That the environment will receive the attention we all hope it does is a matter only time will tell.
Here is a sense of what happened at the opening ceremony. A few pictures and some audio.
SERVING THE NATION: A Ugandan policewoman struggles to hoist the flag of the Commonwealth Secretariat in the moments that preceded the opening of the Commonwealth People Forum at Hotel Africana yesterday. The country is basking in activity as it opens its doors to representatives of a third of the world’s population. Ugandan President, Mr Yoweri Museveni, has urged Ugandans to contribute to the success of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting taking place this week in Kampala by being hospitable.
The crowd listens to opening statements
President Museveni addresses the audience
ACHOLI DANCERS: CPF delegates were treated to a pulsating performance by the Acholi Cultural Foundation, a group of talented folk song and traditional dancers from northern Uganda. The group staged a renowned dance presentation, one that greets the installation of a new cultural chief or one only performed when an important person visits the Acholi people.
Download a low bandwidth audio clip of the Acholi dancers here, or press play below:
Two years of preparations and discussions of whether or not Uganda as a country will be able to host the biggest event so far in its history, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the event is finally here.
The city is gripped with the CHOGM fever. Heavy security, sirens of police escort vehicles receiving delegates from outside, newly patched-up roads, flags hanging on trees and roadside poles, and so on, and the city is ready to host the biggest event ever in Uganda’s history. Another event of such a magnitude was the OAU meeting that was hosted by President Amin, the late Ugandan dictator in the 1970s.
Back then the media was not as developed as it is today and the civil society was almost dead. In contrast, today, the two are very active. The media in particular has grown in leaps and bounds and has curved itself as a strong critical voice of the excesses of the Museveni government.
Museveni himself realises the power the media wields in his country and will not hesitate to call in a talk-show or go to a studio to air out his views.
It is along this thinking that President Yoweri Museveni came out during a press conference this afternoon shortly before he opened the Commonwealth People’s Forum, to appeal to the media to support the big meeting through a positive coverage of the events. He said the biggest advantage of the event is in terms of the economic opportunities that CHOGM will bring to Uganda.
But even as he appealed to journalists, both international and the local media here for a positive coverage of the event, the journalists seemed a lot more concerned about the inconvenience of road closures and diversion of traffic flow within the Kampala city centre. They asked Museveni whether the big meeting means any relevance to the ordinary Ugandan who will be inconvenienced by the heavy security in the centre of town, being sent away from the roadside kiosks and booths where they have been doing their petty businesses for years, and some arrested by police for looking suspicious especially at night, and so on and so forth.
The President said he would cross-check to see if there were some people who are being arrested innocently.
But he defended measures taken by security during the meeting. Museveni, who will for the next two years be chairman of the meeting, said it is okay for some roads and streets to be closed and diverted to avoid inconveniencing the visitors and schoolchildren. He said he was in agreement with the two days of public holiday announced for 22 and 23 November.
Looking relaxed, the President said that “up to 10,000 visitors will come and spend their money in Uganda during the big meeting. If each of the 10,000 can spend even 1,000 dollars, then we shall get a lot of money as a countryâ€.
He added, “A country is like a body. When the mouth takes tea, the good effect is felt by the entire body, including the legs and the back and yet the back and the legs may not even get involved or even know that the mouth is taking tea.†Journalists laughed.
The message: that even if we, as journalists, criticize government for spending huge amounts of money on the event, the revenue that direct beneficiaries are getting will trickle down indirectly to benefit all Ugandans. He said that the holding of the meeting is just a practice for doing bigger things in the future.
On democracy, good governance, the rule of law and human rights, Museveni said that these are issues that the country has already handled. He talked more about the need to do trade with the delegates from different countries and their people.
He dodged discussing at length questions about the Pakistani leader General Pervez Musharaf, who will not attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala. Museveni, himself an army-general like Musharaf, though now retired, said that the Pakistani leader had been asked to “correct certain things†which he hasn’t.
But it is left to be seen how Museveni with his colleagues in the ‘Commonwealth Club’ will discuss the critical issues of good governance, democracy, the rule of law and how he can practice a common value and respect for human rights like his colleagues in the club do. We wait to see that by Friday and in the days following.
Museveni told the journalists that the emphasis of his government is power and energy. He said the country needs cheap and more efficient electricity and rail transport to develop fast.
Without mentioning anybody, he said that “hecklers†should stop criticizing government plans.
The opposition is worried and has already expressed fears that after the meeting, Museveni will revert back to a militant way of handling descent and opposition. As CHOGM gets underway with all the excitement, let’s wait to see how the ordinary Ugandan benefits from the meeting.
leaders of the 53 member states to set out priority plans to tackle the challenges of Climate Change and Balance of Trade between countries. Mckinnon considers these two issues are currently the biggest challenges to be resolved.
See Don Mckinnon’s blog on the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting here.
