Economic inclusion

The Foundation understands that access to basic services, including healthcare, food and shelter, is not merely a goal but a fundamental right. Socio-economic inequality remains one of the most pressing issues of our time, with vast populations across the Commonwealth lacking access to basic resources, opportunities, and rights, stunting economic growth and social cohesion and leading to declining trust in institutions.

Our response will be anchored in tackling deep-rooted inequalities that hinder equitable access to economic and social opportunities. Interlinking these critical areas will contribute to sustainable growth and fostering resilient communities across the Commonwealth. We will make use of the Foundation’s unique role as a soft power broker with government and a connector amongst civil society to highlight the economic concerns of marginalised communities and promote their engagement in policy dialogue.

Younger generations are acutely affected by rising living costs and dwindling employment prospects, further compounded by the climate crisis. The emergence of the ‘Precariat class’ (first identified by economist Guy Standing in 2011) is marked by instability and uncertainty and poses threats to social stability and democratic processes. We will advocate for policy reforms that prioritise inclusive growth and support entrepreneurial ecosystems to create jobs and stimulate economic activity, particularly in emerging markets.

We will prioritise issues on economic inclusion for our grant-making and creative programmes. Through our platforms we will facilitate civil society engagement in policy dialogue and amplify voices of marginalised and disadvantaged communities on key economic issues. We will target multilateral forums and appropriate Commonwealth spaces to communicate civil society priorities and positions.

As we navigate the complexities of a post-pandemic landscape marked by heightened socio-economic inequalities, persistent health challenges across the Commonwealth have come to the forefront. The CHOGM 2024 Communique emphasised that ‘national health systems must be reinforced to ensure that no one is left behind.’ In response, we will embed health justice into our commitment to economic inclusion, amplifying the voices of those living in precarity. Our approach highlights the urgent need for systemic reforms that prioritise health and wellbeing as an integral component of inclusive economic policies, ensuring that health inequalities are addressed within the broader framework of socio-economic equity.

Our focus on economic inclusion is a vital component of our efforts to advance democratic rights and freedoms. We recognise that these areas are deeply interconnected, and we will leverage this understanding to address systemic barriers to rights and services, particularly for the most vulnerable Commonwealth communities. Promoting freedom of expression is essential for fostering a vibrant civil society that can advocate for economic opportunities and equitable resource distribution. Simultaneously, the pursuit of climate and environmental justice underscores the urgency of mitigating impacts that disproportionately affect marginalised populations and hinder their economic prospects.

The Foundation recognises the creative economy—music, film, fashion, digital content, literature, and cultural heritage—as an undervalued but transformative pathway to economic inclusion, particularly for women, young people, and marginalised communities across the Commonwealth’s small states. Talent is widely distributed across the Commonwealth, but access to the skills, policy frameworks, financing, and platforms needed to convert creative practice into sustainable livelihoods is not. In this strategic period, we will work to close that gap: engaging governments to treat the creative sector as economic infrastructure, supporting creatives from excluded groups to formalise and scale their enterprises, and convening civil society, governments, and private investors around the shared goal of building sustainable creative ecosystems that reduce grant dependency and generate lasting economic resilience.