Today, the Foreign Affairs Committee publishes a
report, Global Britain and the 2018 Commonwealth
Summit, seeking clarity from Government about its
long-term vision for the UK’s relationship with the Commonwealth.
For the first time in more than 20 years, the UK will host the
biennial gathering of the Commonwealth Heads of Government. The
Commonwealth Summit, a once-in-a-generation event, takes place in
London between 16 and 20 April, 2018.
As the UK assumes the Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, the Foreign
Affairs Committee says it is imperative the Government sets out
with clear aims of what it wants to achieve by the end of the
UK’s tenure in 2020.
Within the next three months, the Committee calls on the FCO to
produce a statement of priorities, objectives and metrics for
success for the UK’s tenure as Chair-in-Office which:
- Clarifies what the 52 other members of the Commonwealth can
expect from ‘Global Britain’;
- Sets out how the FCO will lead the cross-Government
relationship with the Commonwealth and how the work of other
departments will feed into this strategy;
- Explains how the FCO will build a Commonwealth caucus in the
UN;
- Outlines what assessments it has made of resources needed
beyond 2020 to achieve the Government’s stated goal of
rejuvenating the Commonwealth.
The Committee also calls on the FCO to consider creating a new
forum to facilitate cross-Commonwealth dialogue around human
rights, the rule of law and critical issues such as cyber
security, data protection and online privacy.
The Chair of the Committee, MP, commented:
“This is the first time since 1997 that the UK has hosted the
Commonwealth Summit and it is a great opportunity for Britain to
reset the agenda of one of our most important networks.
“As the UK assumes the Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, we will be
in a unique position of leadership and influence within the
organisation. If the FCO is to make a success of its ‘Global
Britain’ strategy, it has to show leadership; nowhere is this
more important than within the Commonwealth. The UK helped to
shape this organisation but it has neglected it in recent years.
For too long, successive governments have talked about putting
the ‘C’ back in Foreign and Commonwealth Office without investing
the resources or energy to deliver. That has to change.
“The FCO must put in place a credible and distinct Commonwealth
strategy, which proves to our Commonwealth partners what the
organisation means to the UK in the long-term.”
