Asked by Lord Chidgey To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether
they will ensure that the programme for the Commonwealth Summit in
London in 2018 includes a People’s Forum and a Parliamentary Forum,
the outcomes of which are recorded in the final communiqué, as has
been the case for similar summits in the past. Lord Chidgey
(LD) My Lords, allow me...Request free trial
Asked by
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To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure
that the programme for the Commonwealth Summit in London in
2018 includes a People’s Forum and a Parliamentary Forum,
the outcomes of which are recorded in the final communiqué,
as has been the case for similar summits in the past.
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(LD)
My Lords, allow me first to offer your Lordships my
apologies. This debate, tabled in June, was scheduled to
take place in early September, at the end of the Summer
Recess. Unfortunately, due to illness, it was postponed
until today, some two months later. The good news is that
in those two months a good deal of organisational and
administrative progress on the Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting 2018 has taken place, which this debate
can now reflect on. I declare my interests as co-chair of
the all-party groups for the Commonwealth and for Africa,
the former chair of the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit,
and the president of the National Liberal Club Commonwealth
Forum.
There have been a number of debates and Oral Questions in
your Lordships’ House on the Commonwealth and connected
issues over the past year, but I called this debate
specifically to concentrate on the importance of
parliaments in the process. Over the last two decades or so
the importance of strengthening democracy in developing
countries, of capacity building and of monitoring
Governments held to account by parliaments has been
recognised, first in the millennium development goals and
now in sustainable development goal 16. Parliamentary
forums have been included in international meetings on aid
and development effectiveness—for example, at the fourth
high-level forum in Busan, where I had the opportunity to
present the parliamentary communiqué to the final plenary
session of the high-level forum.
Similar procedures were followed at high-level meetings on
global partnerships for aid and development—sponsored by
the UN—in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Mexico City and Nairobi, and
in other meetings. Considering the engagement of
parliaments helped to establish that the strength of
parliamentary capacity in a developing country was an
important indicator in monitoring aid and development
effectiveness.
Over time, there was a gradual acceptance in the
development and aid community that parliaments as well as
Governments had a key role to play in the process.
Institutions such as the UN stopped referring to
Governments as the custodians of democracy. Instead, they
began referring to parliaments as having the authority of a
mandate from the people. NGOs, donor Governments,
development institutions and parliamentarian organisations
now work together more readily on projects for
strengthening democracy for the benefits that this can
bring.
The forthcoming London CHOGM provides a golden opportunity
for our Parliament to be at the centre of activities to
reinforce parliamentary democracy throughout the
Commonwealth, by example and through opportunity. The
All-Party Parliamentary Group on UN global goals found on a
study visit to New York in July an intense interest in
synergy between the UN’s sustainable development goal 16
and the objectives of the London CHOGM, and liaison has now
been established.
Dialogue is now taking place between the various all-party
groups, particularly those for the Commonwealth, for
sustainable development goals and for Africa. We are
engaging with the Royal Commonwealth Society, the
Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Parliamentary
Association UK Branch, as well as civil society, in support
of the aims of the London CHOGM, the Commonwealth goals and
the UN global goals.
Since this debate was first scheduled in June, there has
been progress on a wide front; for example, a two-day
conference organised by the Commonwealth Round Table and
round tables from the CPA in preparation for a
parliamentary forum in London in March 2018.
At the last CHOGM, in Malta in 2015, the final communiqué
reaffirmed a commitment to the values and principles of the
Commonwealth charter. It acknowledged that all human rights
are equal, indivisible, interdependent, interrelated and
universal. It urged promotion and protection of all human
rights and freedoms. Given that such objectives are a major
plank in the Government’s ambitions for the London CHOGM,
it will be interesting to hear their views on progress so
far.
The Malta communiqué observed that good governance and
respect for rule of law are vital for stable and prosperous
societies and require efficient, effective and accountable
public institutions. It called for continued efforts by
member states to ensure responsive, inclusive,
participatory and representative decision-making at all
levels. The role of parliaments and parliamentarians in
monitoring and scrutinising the Executive was clearly
promoted and supported. Have the UK Government plans to
assess progress so far as part of their preparations for
the London CHOGM?
In their preparations for the London CHOGM, the Government
have set out four forums: business, people’s, youth, and
women’s. The business forum recognises that shared values,
regulatory systems and language bring the potential of
increasing intra-Commonwealth trade and reducing costs. The
City of London Corporation is expanding its capacity to
promote UK trade and investment opportunities across
Commonwealth member states. As founding partners of the
Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, the
corporation has been commissioned to deliver the business
forum. The Lord Mayor hosted the Commonwealth Trade
Ministers’ inaugural dinner at Mansion House as part of two
days of discussions as a precursor to the 2018 CHOGM.
The people’s forum is organised in partnership with the
Commonwealth Foundation and provides the single largest
opportunity for civil society to engage with leaders and
influence Commonwealth policy. It provides a potential
platform for parliamentarians to make the case for
strengthening democratic institutions, as in the Malta
CHOGM communiqué, there being no parliamentary forum as
such at the London CHOGM.
At the 62nd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in London
in December 2016, the opening address stated that the CPA,
“provides a unique platform for inter-parliamentary
dialogue … on how to strengthen parliamentary democracy
Commonwealth-wide and discuss … innovative approaches on
how to do so”.
The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the noble and
learned Baroness, Lady Scotland, said:
“Thanks to Commonwealth Parliamentarians coming together,
law reform and progressive social and economic development
are accelerated. Exchanges of knowledge and expertise lead
to institutions of governance being strengthened”.
The 2018 CHOGM draws on the Malta CHOGM and the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in December 2016 with
the theme “Towards a Common Future”. Within that theme
there are four principal areas of focus. These include “A
Fairer Future”, which highlights the democratic values and
principles set out in the Commonwealth charter, our
collective commitment to the rule of law and human rights,
good and honest governance, and tackling gender inequality.
The Commonwealth has a proud history of taking action to
promote and protect democratic principles. By upholding and
promoting those principles, we can promote a fairer future
for all citizens and members of the Commonwealth, and
provide an essential platform for sustainable development.
The UK branch of the CPA has come forward with the
initiative of holding a Commonwealth Parliamentarians’
Forum prior to the CHOGM summit, in late February 2018.
From its excellent concept note, it is clear that there
will be a huge opportunity to highlight the prospect of a
global Britain and a 21st-century Commonwealth. The aim is
for some 150 parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth
to engage in the summit agenda themes at the forum. It is
hoped that they will then be in a stronger position to
press for these priorities at home. This CPA UK initiative
is aimed at maintaining momentum through the UK’s two years
as chair-in-office of the Commonwealth until 2020, with the
belief that effective parliamentary engagement will support
better sustainable development outcomes across the
Commonwealth.
I opened this debate by describing similar international
gatherings under the auspices of the United Nations and the
Inter-Parliamentary Union, where parliamentarian engagement
continued through the forum to the closing plenary session
and into the final communiqué. I noted how important it was
that, over time, civil society and parliaments have moved
from competition to co-operation in the space for
strengthening democracy. To maintain this very positive
development, there needs to be the strongest possible link
between the Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum and the
forums at the Commonwealth summit. Parliamentarians and
members of civil society must be able to work
together—prior to, during and after the summit—in
influencing, scrutinising and monitoring the implementation
of the national strategies and policy decisions that
evolve.
6.32 pm
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(Con)
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, , for securing this
debate, and declare an interest as the co-project director
of the Commonwealth Initiative for Freedom of Religion or
Belief and co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on
that subject.
Last Wednesday, the all-party group launched a new report,
Article 18: From Rhetoric to Reality. At that event my
noble friend the Minister highlighted the Government’s
commitment to freedom of religion or belief and promised to
“take this commitment further”. Last Shrove Tuesday the
Prime Minister said:
“We must reaffirm our determination to stand up for the
freedom of people of all religions to practise their
beliefs in peace and safety. And I hope to take further
measures as a government to support this”.
So I trust that my noble friend the Minister will outline
how the Government will use the Commonwealth summit to take
this commitment forward.
The Commonwealth is a mixed picture when it comes to
upholding Article 18, and the problems are not restricted
to one faith or country. Pew research from April 2017 shows
high levels of government restrictions in India and Pakistan and medium
levels in Kenya. It is sobering to note that the same
research highlights high and rising social hostilities
based on religion here in the UK, shown especially in
levels of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
Two of the Commonwealth’s most populous states are
witnessing increasing problems. In India there were 316 attacks on
Christians in the first five months of 2017, compared with
365 incidents in the whole of 2016. In Nigeria, according
to the International Crisis Group, recurring violence
between the Muslim Fulani and Christian settlers resulted
in more than 2,500 deaths in 2016. This is the reality for
too many young people growing up in the Commonwealth.
According to Aid to the Church in Need, about 15,000
children have become orphans in conflicts relating to
religious intolerance.
Violations of Article 18 can of course be barriers to
education—one of the key sustainable development goals that
the Government are committed to achieving. According to the
Hindu American Foundation and the Aurat Foundation in
Pakistan, around 1,000 young Christian and Hindu girls are
kidnapped, forcibly converted and raped each year. This has
led to many Christian and Hindu families being too afraid
to send their young girls to school. On 27 August this year
in Punjab, classmates beat a Christian boy, Sharoon Masih,
to death after they had initially bullied him for being a
Christian and told him not to drink from the same glasses
as Muslims.
More than 60% of the Commonwealth is under 30 years old and
the Prime Minister stated on September 19 that,
“we will put young people at the heart of the
Commonwealth”.
But it seems that too many young people are growing up in
the Commonwealth without their Article 18 rights, while
thinking that those who hold no faith or a different faith
to theirs are somehow other. Can my noble friend the
Minister please assure this House that the UK will ensure
that freedom of religion or belief is in the summit
communiqué as a priority for the Commonwealth, under the
Fairer Future theme? It is important that freedom of
religion or belief comes under this theme as it highlights
its role in building an equitable and prosperous future
across the Commonwealth, and that freedom of religion or
belief is valued as an inherent good in its own right
rather than being subsumed into a wider counterextremism
agenda.
While this is a Heads of Government meeting, it is vital
that the resource of parliamentarians is harnessed, as the
noble Lord, , outlined. There
are many MPs who are champions of human rights and freedom
of religion or belief within the Commonwealth. In Pakistan,
the NGOs Asia Foundation and Pattan—financed by the
Canadian Government—helped to resource parliamentarians to
engage in debate and legislation around religious freedom.
As a result, religious freedom caucuses were established in
two provincial assemblies—in Punjab and Sindh—to promote
interfaith harmony and highlight issues affecting
minorities. Through my own involvement in a panel of
international parliamentarians, I have seen representatives
of the National Assembly of Pakistan form a model of an
all-party group within their assembly. It is important that
this best practice is spread across the Commonwealth.
It is also important that freedom of religion or belief is
on the parliamentary forum’s agenda in February, and that
that forum feeds directly into the communiqué. Her
Majesty’s Government rightly spend UK taxpayers’ money on
parliamentary training through the laudable auspices of CPA
UK and CPA International. While the UK chairs the
Commonwealth between 2018 and 2020, it is important that
this training should become increasingly professionalised
and linked, where possible, to the very best the academic
world has to offer. This is one of the reasons why the
Commonwealth initiative I outlined is based at Birmingham
University. Surely, to make full use of the ongoing CPA
training a parliamentary forum should become a feature of
future Commonwealth summits. Will my noble friend outline
whether Her Majesty’s Government are speaking to the
Government of Malaysia, which will host the 2020 summit, to
press for a parliamentary forum as part of the next
Commonwealth summit?
I have no doubt of my noble friend’s personal commitment to
the issue I have outlined. I hope that the Commonwealth
summit and our chairmanship will see more reality than
rhetoric on Article 18, which is what so many young people
in the Commonwealth need to ensure a fairer future.
6.38 pm
-
(Lab)
My Lords, if there was any need to have the relevance of
the Commonwealth pointed out, it was underlined powerfully
by the noble Baroness who has just spoken—but then, she
always speaks powerfully.
I am particularly grateful to the noble Lord, , for having given
us this opportunity because he is a lifelong champion of
the Commonwealth. All of us in this House, and any
intelligent person in our society, are concerned about
global security. The world is totally interdependent and we
have to work out ways in which we can handle effectively
the governance of that reality. The Commonwealth has an
important part to play.
Of course, international terrorism is part of that global
reality of interdependence. If we are to look at the causes
and underlying reasons that lead to abominations such as
international terrorism, for a start we have to face up,
just as an indication, to the size of the global refugee
problem.
We touched on this in an earlier debate this afternoon and
I do not apologise for repeating one point that I made in
that debate: there are 65.6 million totally displaced
people in the world; there are 22.5 million people who are
refugees; and there are 10 million people who are
stateless. How on earth can we have a hope of a stable,
secure world while that social reality with all its
dangerous consequences still exists? The Commonwealth
contains very many of the people to whom I have just
referred.
The issue of refugees is one to which we have to face up. I
do not think it altogether encouraging that in the agendas
so far the issue of refugees, with its massive significance
within the Commonwealth, is not spelled out specifically
and clearly enough as an objective for the Commonwealth to
tackle together. I would like some reassurance from the
Minister this evening, and I will take this opportunity to
say how glad I am to see the Minister handling the issue of
the Commonwealth as I know he is deeply committed.
Then there is the issue of climate change. We played a very
big part in the success of the Paris conference. The
Commonwealth summit is a great opportunity to generate more
momentum and more commitment to the objectives of the Paris
agreement. Can the Minister tell us a bit more about the
meaningful package on climate finance? What are we doing
within the Commonwealth to generate support for that? On
disaster preparedness and risk reduction, what is being
done within the Commonwealth to tackle the issue of
humanitarian aid to help less advanced countries meet their
role within the overall situation? If we are going to
remain committed to low-carbon prosperity, would this not
be an ideal opportunity to see a strengthened commitment
coming from the Commonwealth conference?
On human rights, there is so much that can be said. The
Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s 2016 publication dealing
with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights stated:
“The authorities in many countries actively persecute
LGB&T people. Consensual same-sex relations remain
criminalised in 75 jurisdictions, including the majority of
Commonwealth countries. Even in countries where consensual
same-sex relations are legal, many people still face
violence and discrimination because of their sexual
orientation or gender identity”.
What are we doing at this meeting of Commonwealth heads to
face up to that reality and generate a genuine commitment?
Then there are all the issues of effective justice,
security sector reform to ensure that what happens in the
security sector is not counterproductive, and all that is
necessary in education, health and employment.
I shall finish with one reference. We should also see the
Commonwealth conference as a great opportunity to generate
real commitment and action on conflict resolution and
pre-emptive diplomacy. What is the Commonwealth doing about
the ugly situation which is developing within the
Cameroons?
6.45 pm
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(CB)
My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, , on obtaining, at
last, this important debate and endorse what he said about
the importance of parliamentary democracy and of
strengthening that within the Commonwealth. I know from my
own visit to the Sierra Leonean Parliament—I have visited
twice, but once was a CPA mission to run a workshop on
strengthening the committee function—how underresourced
some Parliaments are and how difficult it is for individual
MPs to hold their Executive to account. We cannot
overestimate the importance of putting resource into that
sort of capacity-building.
However, that is not the main thrust of what I want to say
in my brief contribution today. I should declare an
interest as the vice-chair of the All-Party Group on
Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases. I want to speak
this evening about the opportunity that CHOGM offers to
make an extraordinary advance in the fight against malaria
globally. I thank the Minister in particular for his
courtesy in agreeing to meet me and a group from Malaria No
More, which has been putting forward the plans and the
proposal to have a focus on malaria at CHOGM next year.
Much has been said in the planning for CHOGM about the
importance of ensuring its relevance to the individual
citizens of the Commonwealth, particularly young people. I
believe that a determined focus on malaria next year, and
an active programme throughout the two-year leadership that
follows, would fulfil that desire. Ninety per cent of the
2.4 billion Commonwealth citizens live in countries
affected by malaria. That represents a third of the world’s
population, but two-thirds of the world’s malaria burden.
Within the Commonwealth, we have a range of experiences in
malaria. We have the countries for which malaria is a
distant memory, but which are donors, the homes of
scientific advance or the homes of businesses that are
involved in producing new diagnostics, new medicines and,
hopefully, new vaccines; the countries that have enormously
high burdens of malaria, such as Nigeria and India; those that have recently
eliminated malaria, such as Sri Lanka; and the countries
that have ambitious plans to eliminate it, particularly
Malaysia.
The Commonwealth represents the breadth and weight of the
malaria burden, and some of the best examples of the
determination, science and innovation that will help us to
defeat it. It is a disease that kills people but also
causes school absenteeism and poor productivity, and it is
a barrier to economic development and fostering trade
links. This disproportionate burden, its intersection with
social and economic issues, and the sheer ambition to
eliminate the world’s oldest disease make it a fitting
choice for the Commonwealth’s next grand challenge.
The UK is a global leader in the fight against malaria. UK
innovation, through firms such as GSK and through academic
institutions of excellence in Liverpool and London, has had
a major role in cutting deaths from malaria by over 60%
since 2000, saving some 6.8 million lives. It has been
calculated that every £1 spent fighting malaria delivers
£36 of economic and social benefits. Yet, despite fantastic
progress, a child still dies every two minutes from
malaria, and a disease that costs $1 to diagnose and treat
will kill 500,000 people this year. We also know that if we
do not keep up the investment in fighting malaria, we could
see all those hard-won gains disappearing.
The proposal for a focus on malaria at CHOGM has brought
together a range of our Commonwealth allies, global civil
society, business, global health institutions and
philanthropy to support what could be a really innovative
and exciting development. Given the UK’s leadership on
malaria across scientific research, business innovation,
development programmes and investment in the Global Fund,
which made it clear at a meeting in Westminster this week
how much it supports this proposal, we are extremely well
placed to convene partners on this vital issue.
The collective power of the Commonwealth to galvanise
action on the world’s biggest challenges has been
demonstrated through the successful efforts to end polio.
Putting the world on a path to end malaria is a fitting
choice for the Commonwealth’s next great challenge. I hope
the Minister will give us some encouragement that we may
find a place for that focus at next year’s conference.
6.50 pm
-
(Lab)
My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, , on introducing
this debate and on his exemplary work in the Commonwealth.
I thank him for his truly excellent speech, which perfectly
made the case for a parliamentary forum and for
strengthening parliamentary participation to help
parliamentary democracy and the capacity-building that the
Commonwealth so desperately needs. I congratulate the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association on holding a
Commonwealth conference before the Commonwealth summit,
which will be a useful prelude if a forum can be
established.
The evolution of this extraordinary organisation into a
free association of nations encompassing a family of 53
nations and one-third of the world’s population spread
across six continents is a story of a remarkable
institution that is not looking to the past but is firmly
engaged in defining the future. The Commonwealth summit has
accordingly reached a high level of expectation and is well
placed to exceed that, not least if it addresses the issues
that have been raised in this debate and are to come.
I am pleased that the Government are deeply committed to
the summit’s success and that the Minister is strongly
committed to it. There is much that denotes the progress
and development taking place across the Commonwealth, and
it is important to expand our participation and
co-operation with it. There is progress and reform, not
least to fulfil the promise of the 1 billion young people
across the Commonwealth. There is progress and development
in areas such as health and education. With this year’s
theme of a peacebuilding Commonwealth, much can be
achieved. The Commonwealth’s work on counterextremism and
establishing a unit to deal with it also shows some good
progress.
While there is clear progress on good governance and
universal standards, that does not mean that all standards
are where they should be. There are different circumstances
and stages across the Commonwealth, and occasionally some
setbacks. However, ambition, stronger institutions, greater
co-operation, dialogue and open exchanges will bring
inclusivity, prosperity and opportunities for all. In that
regard, the reforms to the secretariat are also to be
welcomed. Indeed, I welcome the articulation by the noble
and learned Baroness, Lady Scotland, of a very
forward-looking vision. There are many excellent staff in
the Commonwealth Secretariat, not least the great
ambassador for the Commonwealth, the deputy
secretary-general Josephine Ojiambo.
While there is some way to go to develop trade on a fair
and secure basis across the Commonwealth, there is much
promise. The projection that trade across the Commonwealth
will reach £1 trillion by 2030 illustrates that
opportunity. I look forward to the business forum and to
being able to participate in it. I congratulate the noble
Lord, , on his work, which
has been truly outstanding.
The Queen’s “Commonwealth canopy” was launched at the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in 2015.
This network of forest conservation initiatives, which
involves almost all the countries of the Commonwealth, is
to be welcomed, and I hope the Commonwealth summit will be
able to mark all countries in the Commonwealth being
committed to it, marking Her Majesty the Queen’s service to
the Commonwealth while conserving indigenous forest for
future generations.
I have an interest to declare: I am the president of the
Commonwealth Jewish Council, which was established in 1982
to support and develop Jewish communities in Commonwealth
countries, and to cultivate constructive relationships to
help further the goals of the Commonwealth. We have a
number of substantial communities and pockets of small
communities across the Commonwealth. In some 37, we embrace
the organised communities, and there are much smaller
outlying groups of Jews across a further half a dozen
countries.
The Commonwealth Jewish Council demonstrates a particularly
strong connection between Jewish communities and the
Commonwealth by its commitment to values. Indeed, at its
heart, the Jewish tradition has always seen as one of its
great contributions its history of thought and
participation in society. The Commonwealth values, which
are set out so well in the charter of 2013, chimes with
that tradition and how we can help work towards a
sustainable world, a redistributive world and a fair,
peaceful and ideal world.
In that regard, I have a few observations from my journeys
and I hope the Minister will be able to address these. In
recent times, many of the communities have been hit hard by
events, such as Hurricane Irma. Indeed, our work in some of
those communities hit by that and in the wider society will
be needed for some time. Much can be achieved by the
Commonwealth countries having a means of creating systems
for support in such circumstances, and I hope that may be
considered during the Commonwealth summit. That would be
for the benefit of all.
I also wish to raise frozen pensions, which many people who
have lived and worked in Britain but have now chosen to
live in the Commonwealth suffer from. I hope the Minister
might provide an update on the Government’s thinking on
this matter.
Finally, I am encouraged by the expansion of the
Commonwealth with Mozambique and Rwanda joining in recent
years. South Sudan and the Gambia are in discussions about
joining. On the 100th anniversary of the Balfour
declaration, I hope that the conditions will soon present
themselves for Israel to join the global family. I look
forward to participating in all the events around the
Commonwealth summit in 2018 and believe that the great
potential of this family of nations has so much to fulfil.
Next year we will see much more clearly and in all
dimensions the vast opportunities ahead.
6.57 pm
-
(Non-Afl)
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, , for securing this
important debate today.
The Government are to be applauded for including in the
forthcoming Commonwealth summit “A Fairer Future”, covering
the democratic principles that emphasise the importance of
good governance, human rights and the rule of law to which
we all subscribe, and at a more prosperous future for all
Commonwealth citizens. These are primary principles on
which we should all strive to build better lives for all
citizens regardless of their country of origin, their
gender, religion or social status. Certainly, with an
estimated population of nearly one-third of the world’s
total population, the Commonwealth is well placed to act as
a global player and catalyst for change.
I commend the Government for putting together an agenda for
the four forums, as we have already heard from the noble
Lord, : civil society,
youth, women and business. These forums will get to the
heart of core issues that have a deep impact on all of us
today. I will focus on the women’s forum, which is very
close to my heart. It is also deeply integrated into the
other three forums.
I hope that the issue of modern slavery will be high on the
agenda for the women’s forum, as it affects so many women
in so many countries. It is imperative that we start to
ensure that countries and societies are well placed to root
out this evil and stop it from taking hold and devastating
the lives of innocent and vulnerable women. Many other
women’s issues are long-standing and can often be traced
back to age-old, historical attitudes that have no place in
our modern world.
While there may be some way of alleviating the situation of
many women today who suffer injustice, inequality and
sexual harassment, there is a section of women who find
themselves even more burdened, discriminated against and
lacking opportunities. These women are widows—women who,
through no fault of their own, become victims of physical,
psychological and sexual exploitation. They are often
ostracised and deprived of fundamental freedoms and human
rights, often leading to modern-day slavery. I declare my
interest here as founder and chairman trustee of the Loomba
Foundation, which recently published the World Widows
Report, which has revealed that there are over 258 million
widows and 584 million of their children around the world.
Many of them are suffering from poverty, illiteracy,
diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, conflict and
injustices. Sadly, their numbers are increasing because of
conflict in different countries. All these issues feed into
the United Nations sustainable development goals, but the
ability to achieve them by 2030 is a mammoth challenge.
Can the Minister tell us what strategies the Government can
form to help the most impoverished and disadvantaged women
and girls, including widows, so that they are empowered,
able to earn money, become self-reliant and lead a life of
dignity and, likewise, so that their children are educated,
provided with skills training to enable them to get jobs or
start their own business, gain economic independence and
break the shackles of poverty?
7.02 pm
-
(Lab)
My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, , on securing this
debate and introducing it with such charm and erudition.
Anything that is done to improve the role and functioning
of the Commonwealth is to be greatly welcomed, especially
if it brings it closer to the people who live within it. We
have learned this lesson particularly painfully in the case
of the European Union, which has become increasingly
detached from the people and therefore no longer
commands—as it should—the loyalties, sentiments and
affections of its people. The Commonwealth, however, is
increasingly setting up people’s forums and parliamentary
forums, which are intended to draw people into its own
working and give them a certain stake in and emotional
commitment to it. I greatly welcome this and I very much
hope—as the Question set out—that the final programme of
the summit will include a people’s forum and parliamentary
forum.
These forums do two things. First, they provide networks
across countries and, therefore, make the Commonwealth a
genuine reality. Secondly, they bring people into direct
contact with policymakers and the people in power, so that
the people in power are able to listen to those who would
suffer from the consequences of their actions.
I welcome all this, but I want to say something briefly
about why the Commonwealth is so important. It has to be
dusted and taken off the shelf where it has been lying ever
since we joined the European Union, and I want to say
something about the consequences of having neglected it for
so long and now having to dust it down. It is a most
valuable organisation with 52 members and 2.4 billion
people, half of whom are under 25, so the future belongs to
them. Rwanda and Mozambique are already members, although
they were not part of the British Empire. There will be
trade within the Commonwealth worth £1 trillion by 2020.
The UK exports £60 billion-worth of goods to various
Commonwealth countries and the combined GDP of the
Commonwealth is no less than $10 trillion. That is the
organisation we are talking about. This organisation
somehow fits in with the British character and is naturally
close to Britain: first, because it is an association of
nation states and has no intention of seeking
ever-increasing union; secondly, because it is an
association left behind by Britain as part of its legacy,
and therefore Britain can take a kind of parental pride in
it without hammering that home too often; and, thirdly,
because Britain has the largest economy of the Commonwealth
and therefore is able not only to command respect but to
feel a certain sense of pride and superiority. Therefore,
there is no doubt that the Commonwealth remains an
organisation close to Britain’s history and traditions.
I want to explore why many of the opportunities that the
Commonwealth offers have not been fully tapped and mention
three or four in passing. It would be a wonderful idea to
have a Commonwealth university. Just as there is
in India, for example, Nalanda University,
which includes people who were part of the Buddhist empire,
a Commonwealth university would contain students and
faculties drawn from within the Commonwealth. Those
students would be able to study together and get to know
each other. Likewise, just as the European Union has its
own newspaper, I cannot see why there cannot be a
Commonwealth newspaper and TV channel, whose job it would
be to get each country interested in the affairs of the
other.
As Britain is short of doctors, there is no reason why a
delegation from here could not go to India, advertise, recruit 100 doctors
and bring them here for two years. That would meet
Britain’s need and that of those Indian doctors as they would be given
two years of training before they have to go back
to India. There is no reason why in our
times of need we cannot draw upon Commonwealth countries in
this way.
Likewise, I think exporting democracy is a silly idea but
we could export concepts such as the rule of law or human
rights, which can easily be grasped. That kind of concept
can easily be cultivated, and Britain has an important role
to play in that regard.
While saying all this, I want to alert us to the dangers
that we face if we are not careful about how we conduct our
relations with the Commonwealth. There is a fear in
Commonwealth countries of being used after Brexit. Some of
our Ministers have talked about using the Commonwealth for
this or that purpose, as if it is an instrument to be used.
I do not think that is a particularly good idea or
particularly useful rhetoric.
I share a thought that I picked up when I was talking to
an Indian diplomat. There is a certain
degree of unease at Britain’s claim to be the sole
spokesman of the Commonwealth at the European Union or
other places, as if Britain is saying, “Look, if you want
to know the Commonwealth, we are the conduit through which
it speaks”. I do not think that is a good idea, certainly
not as regards countries such as India, Canada and Australia, which have
their independence and pride.
Likewise, I think that readjusting trade will not be easy
because trade, like any kind of business, requires decades
to settle in. Therefore, if Britain expects to pick up
trade in India or elsewhere, it should not
expect that to be easy. Britain’s obsession with reducing
immigration at any cost will also stand in the way. It will
not be easy to rejuvenate the Commonwealth when people
start coming in and we say, “No, there are too many of you.
You can’t come in”. So some difficulties arise from
Britain’s attitude as well as the context in which we are
likely to rejuvenate the Commonwealth. It is dangerous to
expect a smooth sailing.
7.09 pm
-
(LD)
My Lords, it is a pleasure and a delight to follow the
noble Lord, ; I may return to
some of his remarks later. I thank my noble friend
for a speech that
was delivered with the authority which comes from his long
experience of the Commonwealth. When you ask a question, it
is always good when half the question is already answered.
Interestingly, we received a good briefing from the City of
London, which he referred to, and which explained how the
corporation is getting behind the idea.
I will make one comment as background to this debate. There
is a newsreel clip which will be shown many times between
now and the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting next
year. It is of the young Princess Elizabeth, in South
Africa on her 21st birthday, pledging that her whole life,
whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to the
service of the British people and what is now the
Commonwealth. Thankfully, the caveat about “long or short”
has proved unnecessary, so the meetings in the spring of
next year will be a celebration—as the noble Lord,
, indicated—and a
thanks for a promise so magnificently honoured for the last
70 years that have followed that pledge of service. In
South Africa Her Majesty referred to the “imperial family”.
Thanks in no small part to the Queen’s leadership, that
“imperial family” has transmuted and transformed into a
Commonwealth of Nations.
This debate calls for the meetings planned for next year to
be more than Heads of Government meetings. We have already
had indications that they will not be. Yesterday I attended
a meeting in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Room here in Westminster Hall to hear about what the CPA
was planning for next year. I was much encouraged to hear
of work already in hand for meetings of parliamentarians as
part of the programme, as well as other ideas about young
people and communities, which have been referred to. This
is all excellent news. I hope that the Chambers of both
Houses and Westminster Hall can be used for such meetings.
This building has much symbolism throughout the
Commonwealth, and I think the groups covered by this debate
today would welcome the opportunity to speak and take part
in events in the mother of Parliaments.
Education has always been part of the cement which holds
the Commonwealth together. I have the honour, along with
the noble Lords, and , of being a patron of
the Council for Education in the Commonwealth. Earlier this
year the CEC held a very successful conference in Namibia
and is already planning a series of seminars and lectures
that look forward to the 20th Commonwealth Education
Ministers’ meeting in Fiji in February 2018. They will be
looking at the skills required for the jobs of tomorrow and
the financing of higher education and early childhood
education, and will feed those ideas into the Commonwealth
Heads of Government Meeting.
The Commonwealth is at its best when it focuses on real
problems and brings shared experience and expertise to a
problem. It runs into problems when we start to lecture or
patronise each other. I remember when I was a Minister at
the Ministry of Justice attending a meeting of Commonwealth
Justice Ministers, and my brief had me advocate no longer
using the death penalty. This ran me into quite choppy
waters with the representatives of Commonwealth countries
that still retain the death penalty. It was a useful
reminder that although we have many shared values, there is
still a diversity of views on many issues in the
Commonwealth.
I return to what the noble Lord, , said. I thought I
might be the only one to be the party pooper. If I have any
advice to Ministers about the coming Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting, it is on the need for some deft
diplomacy and to resist trying to turn it into a showcase
for the new, shiny, post-Brexit global Britain. Almost all
Commonwealth countries are members of their own regional
economic co-operation organisations. They will not take
kindly to some kind of PR stunt through which the British
Government try to package the Commonwealth as some
ready-made alternative to our EU membership.
We must remember that it is the Commonwealth of which
Britain is a proud and active member, not the British
Commonwealth, and that next year we are hosting a
conference, not a durbar. I trust the Minister to use his
influence over some of his more exuberant colleagues to get
the balance right. With that Gypsy’s warning, I look
forward to a Heads of Government meeting where real work
will be done and where we can say a heartfelt “Thank you,
Ma’am” to Her Majesty, putting in place a programme of work
that plays to the Commonwealth’s strengths as we grapple
with the multifaceted problems of the 21st century.
7.15 pm
-
(Non-Afl)
My Lords, I too thank the noble Lord, , for securing this
timely debate. I am also delighted to follow the noble
Lord, , who made such
powerful points.
It was Henry Ford who said:
“Don't just find fault, find a remedy”.
We have all attended conferences and summits which have
been more talk than walk and more activity than action.
That is why it is vital that there be real outcomes from
the next Commonwealth summit, encompassing the findings of
the people’s forum and the parliamentary forum. It is
essential because there are compelling facts about the
Commonwealth, as the noble Lord, , reminded us. It
makes up nearly one-third of the world’s population, and
trade within the Commonwealth is projected to be worth $1
trillion by 2020. It has a shared history, yet is so
diverse. Every four years, the Commonwealth Games present
an attractive window through which that good news is
viewed. Furthermore, the summit itself is an important
marker of the issues and future direction of the nations
that the Commonwealth oversees.
But more than the facts, the Commonwealth is a family. My
father came to Britain in the late 1940s after serving as a
sergeant in the British Eighth Army in the Second World
War. As a Jamaican, he was a member of the Commonwealth
and, in coming to England, he did not see himself as
travelling to foreign parts. He was coming home—to the
motherland.
Sadly, although he was a qualified accountant, the only job
he could get was as a toilet cleaner at a factory in
Birmingham. However, his fortunes changed when Warwickshire
County Cricket Club discovered that he could play cricket.
The headline in the local Sports Argus was, “Warwickshire
sign Jamaican immigrant”, but the following year, in 1949,
when he scored 121 not out against Leicestershire, the
headline read, “Warwickshire saved by local Brummie
Taylor”.
His story and that of many immigrants to Britain from the
rest of the Commonwealth builds upon that concept of family
and belonging, so it was a personal joy and honour for me,
54 years after my father had left Jamaica to live in
England, to visit Jamaica myself to open a new orthopaedic
hospital in Kingston. The hospital staff were rather
surprised when I mentioned that I lived near Kingston, so I
had to clarify that I meant Kingston upon Thames.
Although the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is
essentially a political and diplomatic event, it should
recognise that the various faith groups in the Commonwealth
have a role to play in its future. In Britain, as in other
Commonwealth countries, there are Christian, Jewish,
Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and other faith communities that are
networks of leadership and expertise. There needs to be
more of a partnership between government and such groups in
tackling issues such as terrorism, migration, human rights,
poverty and equality.
In Britain alone, there are about 5,000 black-majority
churches. Black churches attract thousands of people to
each service. The congregations are mainly from Africa and
the Caribbean. I have had the honour of being a keynote
speaker at many of these churches, including at a major
church congress in Lagos, Nigeria. Many of these faith
groups are made up of professional people. They are part of
the wider Commonwealth diaspora who live and work in
Britain and are waiting in the wings to help with the
ongoing problems articulated in this debate. Will the
Minister indicate whether the Government have a strategy to
embrace the potential contribution of these faith groups?
As we know, the CPA UK will be hosting the first ever
Commonwealth parliamentary forum next year. The people’s
forum will be CHOGM’s platform for civil society groups
across the Commonwealth to engage with leaders and
influence society. The parliamentary forum’s main themes
are very much about the future, as we have heard. They will
encompass gender, youth and diaspora engagement. I
understand that the CPA UK will soon be meeting with the
head of programmes of the people’s forum to discuss their
respective agendas.
There will also be a parallel Commonwealth business forum
and youth forum at the time of CHOGM. I know the CPA is
keen that the parliamentary forum effectively influence
discussions at CHOGM, but more importantly that it has a
long-term impact beyond it in holding member states to
account on their objectives. I, along with the CPA UK, am
keen to hear the Minister’s views on how this can be done
effectively.
By listening to the voices of the people as well as the
parliamentarians, we can ensure that the summit will be
about value and not just volume.
7.20 pm
-
(Lab)
My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, , on initiating this
debate and his eloquent introduction. I refer your
Lordships to my register of interests, in particular as an
officer of the All-Party Group on Global LGBT Rights.
I wish to record my thanks to the Commonwealth
Secretary-General, my noble and learned friend Lady
Scotland, who has placed human rights at the forefront of
her tenure and presided over a culture shift so that LGBTI
rights are no longer an afterthought to be discussed in the
shadows.
I also want to thank and recognise the extraordinary work
of the Maltese Government, who hosted CHOGM meetings in
Valetta, for their inclusive and positive outcomes, not
least in the people’s forum which for the first time
explicitly listed LGBTI issues in its agenda and
discussions. The work of civil society, LGBTI activists,
the Commonwealth Equality Network and others has ensured
that LGBTI issues are once again on the agenda and must be
maintained in the forums and summit here in Windsor and
London in 2018.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Prime
Minister , who in her speech to the
PinkNews Awards gave a commitment to undo the negative
legacy of colonialism and, as she stated on Commonwealth
Day, to reaffirm the shared values of democracy, human
rights and the rule of law.
As others have said, the Commonwealth is a family of
nations, but for us LGBTI people it is not a family where
we are treated equally or with dignity. As my noble friend
said, in 36 of the 52
states of the Commonwealth homosexuality is criminalised
and same-sex relationships are banned. Although this was
imposed by Great Britain during its colonial past, these
countries cling desperately to this colonial heritage and
are increasingly defending it and advocating further
repression, often citing culture or religious belief as an
excuse. All too often, organised religions and religious
leaders condone such repression or acquiesce with their
silence. This is unacceptable and it is shameful. As an
atheist I will always defend religion and belief, but never
the right to impose them upon another, especially when such
imposition diminishes the rights of another human being.
The discrimination meted out against LGBTI people attacks
not only their liberties and freedoms and that of their
families but their health and the health of others. One
startling example in a report prepared for the Human
Dignity Trust is that the HIV infection rate among men who
have sex with men in the English-speaking region of the
Caribbean is one in four, whereas in the non-English
speaking region it is one in 15. The difference is that the
former criminalise homosexuality, except the Bahamas, and
the latter do not.
This trend echoes across countries where they criminalise
and repress. People are driven away from health support,
prevention and cure and pushed underground. Recently in
Tanzania, we have seen the arrest, detention and
misrepresentation of a group of people solely on the basis
that they wanted to legally challenge the Tanzanian
Government’s restrictions on access to HIV clinics. I
express the deep concern of the All-Party Group on Global
LGBT Rights as well as my own about the ongoing actions
against these people.
There are human rights, health and economic consequences
arising from inequality and discrimination against LGBTI
people. The positive case for equality is made by the
organisation Open for Business, working with global
corporations. The case is made also in the five standards
of conduct which was recently published by the United
Nations Human Rights Office in collaboration with the
Institute for Human Rights and Business to support the
business community in tackling discrimination against LGBTI
people The Commonwealth should work closely with the UN and
the European Union on this issue and recognise the economic
benefits that flow when equality flourishes.
I look forward to hearing from the Minister how the
Government propose to ensure that LGBTI discrimination is
addressed within the forums, as there is connectivity
between all four as well as a need to address the
multiplicity of discrimination. There is a pressing and
urgent moral case to end the discrimination faced by LGBTI
people and the UK Government can place this at the centre
of the summit and the forums of CHOGM in 2018. The
Government should lead by example and apologise to the
Commonwealth countries for these negative laws which we
imposed on them. They should explain that we wish to work
with the Commonwealth and the UN to lead in the
decriminalisation of homosexuality worldwide. Further, they
should work to end the discrimination that blights and
destroys the lives of bi, transsexual and intersex people.
The task is not too great. It is not neo-colonialism. It is
the decent and just thing to do—and, as a country, we
should have the courage and the guts to do it.
7.26 pm
-
(LD)
My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in the
gap. I, too, thank my noble friend for securing this
debate.
In order to bring a common peace, prosperity and future
this summit should include efforts to minimise the
prospects of any war between member states and to protect
human rights in their respective countries. In this respect
I draw your Lordships’ attention to the continuing warlike
situation between two nuclear nations—India and Pakistan—in the Kashmir
region. If one goes on the internet and types the words
“cross-border firing” one will find that over 90% of the
incidents listed in the past two years refer
to India and Pakistan. This could lead
to a full-scale war at any time.
The core issue between these two countries is Kashmir. The
people of Jammu and Kashmir were promised a plebiscite or a
referendum by the United Nations nearly 70 years ago. That
was agreed by India and Pakistan. That is the
very right we provided to the Scottish people and the
British people enjoyed that right over Brexit. Kashmiris
asking for the same right are met with live bullets,
detention, torture, rape and disappearances, with thousands
of mass graves identified by international human rights
organisations.
As both countries are members of the Commonwealth, will Her
Majesty’s Government use their good offices to bring both
countries, with which we have friendly relations, round the
table to resolve the Kashmir issue through negotiations,
and to bring to an end any prospect of a war as well as the
suffering of the Kashmiri people?
7.29 pm
-
(Lab)
My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Lord, , for initiating
this debate and for his tenacity in ensuring that it has
eventually taken place. We have been waiting some time for
it—but of course what he has been able to do is ensure that
this important issue remains on the agenda.
Earlier this year, the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay, set out
how the Government would take a fresh look at CHOGM’s
format, working in partnership with the secretariat,
political parties here and wider Commonwealth
parliamentarians, as well as with business,
non-governmental bodies and civil society. We have now seen
the fruits of this thinking, with the Government setting
out four key themes—prosperity, security, sustainable
futures and fairness—they want reflected not only in the
Heads of Government meeting but in the youth, business,
women’s and civil society fora. These themes of course
embrace the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development
goals and 169 targets aimed at resolving issues such as
poverty, ill health and inequality, with the specific
commitment to leave no one behind.
To deliver on these, we need to nurture and develop all
aspects of civil society. That is why the summit’s fora
will be so critical to the success of CHOGM. I welcome the
initiative of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in
developing the parliamentary forum. I also attended the
meetings in the CPA’s rooms. However, what I argued for and
what I am hoping for is that the association should not
restrict itself simply to the role of parliamentarians.
The ingredients of a thriving democracy are not limited to
Parliaments and parliamentarians. Civil society
organisations such as churches and trade unions have been
and remain an important part of democratic life and are
frequently the only guarantor of human rights in society.
At Malta, the Commonwealth reaffirmed its commitment to
promote and protect all human rights and fundamental
freedoms, and to support the empowerment of women and
girls. The Leaders’ Statement also recognised the economic
potential that can be unlocked by tackling discrimination
and exclusion. Yet in the Commonwealth many women, disabled
people and too many minorities are discriminated against
and denied access to their fair share of goods, services
and opportunity. Economic growth has the potential to be
the engine to drive change, but growth without jobs,
inclusion, healthcare, education and human rights will not
deliver for the many. Can the Minister tell the House
whether practical support will be given by the Government
to ensure that trade unions, women’s associations and other
civil society groups will have their voice heard in all the
fora of the summit?
As we heard from my noble friend , LGBT rights remain a
major source of division among Commonwealth members. We do
not have the right or the opportunity to force states to
decriminalise, but we can work with them so that they
understand the economic as well as the human rights issues
involved in making necessary changes. I also agreed with
the Prime Minister when she said at the PinkNews Awards
last month that the anti-gay laws were a legacy of
Britain’s colonial past, so the UK has a special
responsibility to help change hearts and minds. She
committed to ensuring that these important issues are
discussed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
I welcome that commitment, but I hope that the Minister can
tell us whether steps will be taken to ensure that this and
other equality and human rights issues, as my noble friend
also suggested, will be on the agenda of the youth,
business, women’s and civil society fora. There are
connections here and it is important that these rights are
considered in a broad context.
My noble friend also referred to last week’s Commonwealth
equality network of activists and non-governmental
organisations, which met in Malta to discuss how to reverse
the oppression of gay people in too many Commonwealth
countries. Can the Minister tell us about its outcome and
how it can be fed into the summit?
As we have heard, good governance and respect for the rule
of law are vital for stable societies. The Commonwealth
agreed to make anti-corruption work a priority, committing
to strengthen efforts to tackle corruption, including
through increased transparency and co-operation among law
agencies. Can the Minister update the House on how that
will be addressed in the summit, what has happened since
the UK’s anti-corruption summit and how that can be made a
priority on the CHOGM agenda?
The noble Baroness, Lady Berridge, summed up about how we
ensure that the innovations we have seen being developed
for the forthcoming CHOGM will continue in the future, not
only for the next CHOGM but on an ongoing basis. We want to
see a family of nations with democratic and human rights,
and access to all public services, fully enshrined for the
future.
7.36 pm
-
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord
Ahmad of Wimbledon) (Con)
My Lords, I join other noble Lords in thanking the noble
Lord, , for his tenacity—as
it has been called by some—and his commitment to this
important agenda. I am greatly privileged to answer a debate
of this nature. From the contributions we have seen across
the Chamber, it is clear that we all align ourselves with the
unity behind not just the virtues and values of the
Commonwealth, but its purpose.
As several noble Lords have alluded to, next year the UK will
have the deep honour and privilege of welcoming the
Commonwealth family; I use the word deliberately. I assure
all noble Lords—particularly the noble Lords, , and Lord Taylor—that
when we talk about family, we can all personally account for
the strength of the family and at times perhaps need look no
further than your Lordships’ Chamber to see the great wealth
of the Commonwealth. The noble Lord, Lord Taylor, talked
about his family experiences and the diaspora of communities
here in the UK. Again, that is a huge opportunity to
demonstrate the strength of everything that defines the
family that is the Commonwealth when we look at our own
country, and indeed the city of London, in terms of its
diversity and depth and the richness of its diaspora. I often
joke with my children about the great heritage of the
Commonwealth, as they are products of the Commonwealth who
can claim heritage from Australia, the UK, India and Pakistan. I will come on to
the point made by the noble Lord, , but there are family
ties on the issue he raised. That issue is a pertinent and
important one: he mentioned Kashmir and the bilateral
relations between India and Pakistan. Fora such as the
Commonwealth—he mentioned the United Nations as well—provide
a huge opportunity for the United Kingdom to play its part in
making sure those two countries, which share so much in terms
of culture, community, faith and language, can join together
and resolve something that ensures and upholds the rights of
all citizens, irrespective of what region or part of the
Commonwealth they belong to.
As we have heard, next year, attendees will include Heads of
Government, foreign Ministers, civil society leaders,
businesspeople and, perhaps most importantly, young people
from every corner of the Commonwealth. I have been greatly
inspired by meeting all the Commonwealth networks for young
people. Let us not forget that 60% of the Commonwealth is
under 30. Regrettably, I do not think there is anyone in your
Lordships’ House at this time who can claim to be part of
that cohort. That provides a huge opportunity and we must
engage directly with the youth. Therefore, we have shared
with our partners that official delegates from across the 52
nations should also include at least one individual from that
particular age group to ensure, as the noble Lord, Lord
Collins, said, we set the agenda not just for April or for
the two years that the United Kingdom is in the chair, but to
attract the youth so we can truly address what the noble
Lord, , said about the global
nature of the world we live in. It is right that we engage
with the youth directly on this important issue.
The members of the Commonwealth cover more than a quarter of
the world’s land mass. As we heard from the noble Lord,
, and others, trade
adds up to incredible amounts. It will grow to $1 trillion by
2020. The Commonwealth is home to more than 2 billion people.
These figures show its immense global potential for influence
and demonstrate why it is important to the UK. It is about
not just our strong cultural and personal ties, which some
noble Lords alluded to, but the common future, a common
partnership and common hopes for all Commonwealth members and
more. I noted the words of the noble Lord, , in this respect.
If we have 52 nations today it will certainly be more by the
time of the summit. We need to look to the future to ensure
that we really make the Commonwealth representative of the
world as it is today.
We have seen the tremendous impact the Commonwealth has when
it acts as one. We are all aware of the important work it did
historically, looking back to recent history in South Africa,
with its transition from the great injustices of apartheid to
a free and democratic society. We see how Heads of Government
came together in Malta in 2015 to press for ambitious climate
change targets. I assure the noble Lord, , that that remains a
priority at this Heads of Government Meeting. There is the
important pillar of sustainability. Let us not forget the
UK’s work, with other nations, following the impact of the
hurricanes—I was in the Pacific Islands when the hurricanes
hit—and the importance of working together. In that regard, I
pay tribute to the Commonwealth Secretariat, in particular to
its Secretary-General, the noble and learned Baroness, Lady
Scotland, for the co-ordination and co-operation we saw with
Governments across the Pacific and the Caribbean. I also pay
tribute to her recent work brokering a political agreement in
Zambia. This demonstrates the strength of the Commonwealth at
its best.
We want next April’s summit to drive further progress towards
realising the Commonwealth’s true potential. We are pleased
that all member states and Heads of Government have agreed
that the summit will focus on four common challenges. At a
reception for Commonwealth leaders held recently during the
UN General Assembly in New York, my right honourable friend
the Prime Minister, Mrs May, outlined these challenges and
opportunities. They are: how to make the compelling case for
free trade and promote higher living standards around the
world; how to address new security challenges, including
cyberterrorism and online extremism; how to mitigate the
effects of climate change, in particular—as the noble Lord,
, drew attention to—on
small and vulnerable states; and, as we heard from many noble
Lords, the importance of human rights and how to protect the
values we all share to create a fairer, freer and more
tolerant Commonwealth.
We hope the theme of the summit, “Towards a Common Future”,
encapsulates our ambitions. We want the summit to revitalise
the Commonwealth and to build that brighter future.
Preparations are under way. We are already working closely
with member states, the Commonwealth Secretariat and,
importantly—to reassure the noble Lord, Lord Collins, and my
noble friend Lady Berridge—with civil society groups to put
together a programme for the summit that will strengthen the
prosperity and security of all Commonwealth countries.
I have had the great pleasure and privilege of representing
the UK and meeting with our Commonwealth partners across the
world. In recent months I have travelled to India, Bangladesh and Ghana. As I alluded
to, I visited the Pacific Islands, including Fiji, and
Australia, which is hosting the next Commonwealth Games in
Brisbane. We are delighted that we shall host the ones after
that in Birmingham. It is an opportunity to bring our country
together. My interactions with government leaders and young
people in all of these countries have strengthened my belief
that the Commonwealth has a powerful role to play in the
modern world.
To turn to some of the fora talked about, and to directly
answer the Question before us, there will be a people’s
forum. This will be the biggest meeting of Heads of
Government that the UK has ever hosted. However, we believe
the Commonwealth, as the noble Lord, Lord Collins, so
articulately put it, is not simply a collection of member
states and a secretariat. It is so much more. A fundamental
part of the Commonwealth is its people-to-people links, as we
know from the extraordinary contribution the Commonwealth
diaspora makes to British society. We see the Commonwealth’s
strength and uniqueness as being in many organisations. That
is why it is at the centre of this particular event.
The people’s forum is the single largest gathering of civil
society representatives from across the Commonwealth. I say
to the noble Lord, Lord Collins, and others that I wish to
work with Members in this House and the other place to ensure
that we get those representative voices at the people’s forum
as we develop the programme. I would be pleased to meet noble
Lords in that respect.
Alongside the people’s forum, as we have heard, there will
also be a business forum. I join the noble Lord, , in paying tribute
to my noble friend for organising it.
There will be a women’s forum. I assure noble Lords,
particularly the noble Lord, , that women’s issues will
be front and centre. It is not just about the education of
young girls but the empowerment of women, and we will be
looking to work together in that respect.
Our co-operation with the CPA is already part and parcel of
our thinking. I assure noble Lords that I have already met
not just CPA UK but the international CPA, and I am delighted
that we will be playing a key part in the February event. I
have noted the suggestion made by the noble Lord, —to whom I always
listen very carefully, not least because I was his Whip once
upon a time—about how we might perhaps use this Chamber for
events.
Various issues were raised around the freedom of religion and
belief. My noble friend Lady Berridge will know that this is
very much part and parcel of our thinking. The fairness
pillar within the Commonwealth summit allows us to develop
this further. My noble friend also talked about how to ensure
a continuation with Malaysia at the parliamentary forum and
CHOGM. Malaysia has indeed put itself forward and we will be
looking during our two years in the chair to ensure that
continuation of key themes in the summit.
The noble Lord, , talked about refugees
and asked where we were on that. It is a timely opportunity
to demonstrate our commitment to the values we share across
the Commonwealth. I will write to the noble Lord in response
to his letter—my letter is on its way, I assure him.
We heard from the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, about health
and education. We had a very constructive meeting on the
issue of global malaria. As we have heard, malaria is a key
issue for many Commonwealth citizens. We are working with
member states and the Commonwealth Secretariat to examine the
options for the summit agenda. I will keep the House updated
as this takes shape. I assure the noble Baroness that the UK
has already pledged £1.1 billion to the Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria over the next three years.
I have already mentioned issues around climate change. The
important issue of LGBTI rights was mentioned by the noble
Lords, , and Lord Collins. We are
committed. We have heard the words of the Prime Minister. I
assure noble Lords that the Foreign Secretary and I are
equally committed to combating discrimination in all its
guises, including violence against LGBTI people, throughout
the Commonwealth. We used every opportunity at the previous
CHOGM in Malta to highlight our belief that the Commonwealth
must stand up for human rights, including the rights of the
LGBTI community. The detailed forum programmes are still
being developed but we are confident that LGBTI issues will
be a substantive area of discussion.
There were a couple of other questions. The noble Lord,
, asked about
pensions. He will be aware that this issue has followed
various Governments around for the past 70 years. The UK
state pension is payable worldwide but is uprated abroad only
when there is a reciprocal legal requirement to do so.
Currently there are no plans to review this.
It was a great honour to be appointed Minister for the
Commonwealth, particularly at such an important time for the
organisation and the UK’s relationship with it. This is not
about the UK’s role alone but about an equal partnership of
52 nations and—who knows?—more in the future. We want this
CHOGM summit to be a milestone event in Commonwealth
history—a chance to truly demonstrate how the Commonwealth
can help mitigate the major challenges: the issues of
security, climate change, fairness and equality for all its
citizens, and the important elements of human rights and
fairness. We will continue to work in close partnership with
the Commonwealth Secretariat, member states and our partners
across civil society to ensure that it is a great success.
When representing the UK abroad, as I have the honour to do,
I often say that the great strength of our nation is its
diversity. The same is true of the 52 members of the
Commonwealth.
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