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COMMONWEALTH: Come To Us, People Tell Leaders
By Ferial Haffajee
ABUJA, Dec 2 (IPS) - Civil society representatives have sent an urgent
request to government leaders to hold talks with them Thursday, ahead of the
official opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the
Nigerian capital, Abuja.
In a letter signed and delivered Monday (Dec. 1) the 12 activists, who
represent a wide variety of groups, laid a thinly veiled charge of double
standards against the heads of government, when they pointed out that these
leaders were expected to meet business representatives under the auspices of
the Commonwealth Business Council.
"We find it bizarre that such a privilege is extended to the business
community but not to civil society," said Martin Sime of the Scottish
Council for Voluntary Organisation. At present, Abuja is also hosting a
Commonwealth People's Forum - a civil society summit that is being held
alongside the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
Sources say that the Nigerian government is keen for such a dialogue to
take place, but that other Commonwealth leaders are hesitant about the
meeting. However, the civil society advisory committee says such talks would
be consistent with the Commonwealth's plans to refashion itself for the 21st
century.
The civil society letter quotes from the Coolum Declaration, which was
signed at a CHOGM held in Australia last year. "We are convinced of the need
for stronger links and better two-way communication and coordination between
the official and non-governmental Commonwealth, and among Commonwealth
NGO's", says the declaration.
The advisory committee wants a two-hour meeting on Thursday with a
selected group of six heads of state and a limited number of civil society
representatives, to discuss poverty eradication, world trade, and
partnerships between government and civil society. They have also asked for
Commonwealth Foundation Chair Graca Machel to lead the meeting.
Pointing out that the Commonwealth always called civil groups "partners",
Simes said: "We don't feel like partners at the moment."
Since the last CHOGM held about two years ago, civil society has become
more organised and grown exponentially, says Simes, adding that the sector
is increasingly taking responsibility for service delivery.
But since the Coolum meeting, little had been done to make concrete the
pledges and commitments on partnership.
"At present it [the Commonwealth] lags behind other international
institutions such as the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions,
which have instituted direct links with civil society organisations," says
the letter.
It adds that, "While Commonwealth meetings are valued as places where
countries meet on more equal terms than in other international fora, at the
same time civil society has less opportunity to engage than in other fora."
(END/2003)
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