At the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa this October, the Commonwealth will elect its seventh Secretary-General, marking a pivotal moment in its history. To set the stage for this decision, on September 11, 2024—just six weeks before the vote—the three declared candidates for Secretary-General gathered at Chatham House in London. This dynamic event, moderated by esteemed broadcast journalist Zeinab Badawi, attracted a full house and captivated thousands more watching online.
In the lead-up to, during, and following the debate, the Commonwealth Foundation reached out to civil society across the Commonwealth, inviting their voices and visions for future leadership. Thousands responded, highlighting priorities that matter to them and the broader Commonwealth. From these conversations, four pressing questions emerged, focusing on reform, reparations, freedom of expression, and the role of civil society.
The three candidates—Mamadou Tangara of The Gambia, Shirley Botchwey from Ghana, and Joshua Setipa of Lesotho—were each invited to submit their perspectives on these issues. Below are the unedited responses from Mamadou Tangara and Joshua Setipa, offering unique insights into their plans and aspirations for the future of the Commonwealth. We’ve copied the candidate’s answers exactly as we’ve received them.
There is some appreciation, among the candidates, of the need to change how the Secretariat functions. What would be your priorities in your first hundred days?
Tangara (The Gambia): I believe that the Commonwealth is a great recognition of the significance of firmly supporting shared values, ethos and aspirations in the manners we handle and address our sustainable development objectives. The recent global pandemic and the consequent challenges have significantly highlighted the importance of governments strengthening their pulling capacities to create solutions to problems existential to the prosperity of the peoples and nations of the Commonwealth. As the majority of the member states are small states, it is also important that the Commonwealth strengthens its capacities to constantly provide effective pathways to respond to the major challenges facing them.
Ultimately, in my first hundred days, the work that will be deployed will focus on further building an institution with the competencies, institutional processes and structures to provide viable platforms for discourse and genuine efforts in responding to the complex challenges faced by the Commonwealth of Nations. There must be a diligent and collective commitment by the governments and the Secretariat to create institutional interlocutors to develop partnerships and create impetus for the Commonwealth to contribute to the discourse and solutions on global developments.
The Commonwealth is built by a great constituent of sovereign member states. The Secretariat should be the locomotive through which the decisions and programmes made by the Member States are efficiently implemented. My underlying emphasis on this dynamic would be the pursuit of an efficient synergy in the statutory relationship between the Member States and the Secretariat. This positive relationship will be indispensable taking into cognisance the growing common challenges to the Member States. The following will form the key outcomes of the first 100 days after I am appointed the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations:
- Initiate the process for comprehensive review and dialogue with the Member States to define and strengthen the political processes to implement the strategic and long-term programmes of the Commonwealth.
- Launch a comprehensive review of the corporate structures and functional arrangements of the Secretariat. It will be impossible to further build the Commonwealth as a visible and dynamic institutional actor if the competencies, corporate practices and financial sustainability of the Secretariat are not continuously addressed.
- Seek to reposition the Commonwealth as a strategic institutional partner in giving political support to various intergovernmental organizations in addressing regional and global challenges affecting the Member States.
- Engage member governments and grassroots actors to enhance the visibility of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth needs to be perceived as a credible convergence of Member States motivated by the objective of shared growth and prosperity. Relatedly, the Commonwealth communication strategy would be reviewed to use all collaborative levers for the Commonwealth to be widely viewed as an institution genuinely focused on creating beneficial partnerships and collaboration to handle contemporary challenges and opportunities.
- Collaborate with Member States in framing effective political and support programmes to promote governance, youth empowerment, gender mainstreaming, and quality health and education services.
- Advance the agenda for climate justice, energy transition, trade development and development financing that adequately accommodates the concerns of the Member States, the urgency for creative solutions and, promote formidable political support to the commitments made on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
- Create a broad platform for dialogue with diverse and relevant stakeholders in advancing the agenda for reparative justice for the member states.
Setipa (Lesotho): In my first 100 days, I propose to undertake the following:
- Critically review all current initiatives to confirm alignment with mandates arising from CHOGM.
- Review all existing policy tools to ensure that they are fit for purpose.
- Review current reporting tools to enhance visibility and transparency in the Secretariat work.
- Review and rationalise existing partnerships.
- Convene a summit with the Commonwealth of Learning and the Commonwealth Foundation to identify joint strategies to amplify impact and deliver jointly including resource mobilisation.
- Establish a resource mobilisation unit in the Secretariat and seek in kind support from member countries for technical skills.
- Review and rationalise the current leadership structure of the Secretariat including by introducing 3 Deputy Secretaries Generals drawn from across the regions of the Commonwealth.
- Initiate a review of the Secretariat’s conditions of employment to ensure their alignment with global best practices to ensure that the Commonwealth Secretariat becomes an employer of choice.
Botchwey (Ghana): My first 100 days will be largely informed by the roadmap that I intend to develop, as a product of a formal transition process, involving the best minds and talents across the Commonwealth, including representation from civil society groups, women, youth academia and the business sector. Working with the incumbent Secretary- General and the Commonwealth Secretariat, the transition team will help draft proposals and actions, identifying timelines, resources needed, including types of expertise and funding needed to shape programmes to meet the transformative vision that emerged from my campaign. The roadmap will focus on Democracy, Commonwealth Values, and Realizing the Democratic Dividend, Trade and Investment, Youth, Education, Skills, Innovation, and Start-ups, Climate Change, Small Island Developing States & Small States and Managing Resources for an Effective Commonwealth Institution.
What would you expect to be visibly different about the Secretariat within the first two or three years of your term? In other words, how would you measure your success in this area?
Tangara: I am committed to ensuring that the Commonwealth Secretariat realize, in the two or three years of my appointment, these key ambitions:
- A dynamic vision and processes for the Secretariat to deliver on its strategic mandate including a comprehensive review of the conditions of service of staff members. This will also include mainstreaming the culture of accountability to the Member States and implementing the programmes of the Commonwealth.
- Improved relationship between the Secretariat and the Member States through constituted interlocutors including the Governing Board. This is pivotal in creating a strong bridge to reinforcing the oversight mandates of the various statutory bodies within the Commonwealth.
- Implemented a strategy to diversify the resource mobilization capacity of the Secretariat through collaboration with the member states. This agenda will be supported by logical accountability mechanisms in the management of the resources of the Commonwealth.
- Regular and predictable engagements between the Secretariat and the various national, regional and global actors. This will be complemented by the Secretariat creating strategic dialogues with the various regional and global actors to address shared challenges and opportunities. The Secretariat shall also create collaborative platforms with the group of Commonwealth Ambassadors/High Commissioners in strategic jurisdictions to create necessary partnerships to advance the agenda of the Commonwealth.
- Robust partnerships with civil society and other pertinent non-state actors in creating platforms for inter-civilizational dialogues, advancement of youth and gender empowerment, and creating the space for Commonwealth citizens to view it as an entity belonging to its sovereign members and a credible institutional conduit to realize shared ambitions.
Setipa: A key deliverable after the first two years will be a heightened level of transparency in relation to the programmes and activities of the Secretariat. Furthermore, the relationship between the Secretariat and the Board of Governors will be significantly improved. In addition, there will be a visible alignment of all teams within the Secretariat in relation to the mission statement and the role and expected input from each team. I will also institutionalise regular open town hall meetings to reinforce transparency and team spirit. In short, there will be visible unity of purpose across the Secretariat.
Botchwey: I expect to see jobs in the Commonwealth Secretariat re-profiled to respond to the goals of transformation and resilience, an infusion of the best of the Commonwealth’s talents through in-kind secondments, Programme design and implementation through innovative strategic partnerships, especially with other Commonwealth institutions and a new and more consultative as well as accountable relationship with the Board of Governors and national institutions. I also expect to see resource mobilization targets, consistent with programming requirements, fully achieved.
What would you need from Member States to make this work?
Tangara: As I mentioned previously, the Commonwealth is formed by sovereign Member States and in this circumstance, the Secretariat is required to fully implement their decisions and directives. Therefore, I expect that the Member States, through the various statutory avenues, will persistently provide oversight, directives and support to the Secretariat in implementing the programmes of the Commonwealth. This symbiotic approach with the Secretariat is indispensable for the Commonwealth to be successful.
Setipa: To achieve the above, I will require Member States to recommit supporting the Secretariat through financial resources and in-kind support, particularly as it relates to secondment of technical expertise. A commitment by all members to meet their financial obligations to the Secretariat is key to the success of reforming and strengthening the Secretariat.
Botchwey: We need a united Commonwealth to rally around the goal of transformation, both in terms of resilience building across our countries and the ability of the Commonwealth Secretariat to support that goal. That requires political will and funding from all Member Countries.
You have supported reparations for historical harms associated with slavery and colonialism. How do you think the Commonwealth could take this forward in a practical way?
Tangara: The slave trade was simply one of the most difficult chapters of human history and colonialism only further compounded the difficult realities faced by the Member States. Consequently, the historical harms of the slave trade and colonialism must be discussed through the prism of creating credible avenues for urgently delivering justice and comprehensively addressing the concerns of the affected peoples and countries. Under my leadership, the Secretariat, through the mandate of the Member States, shall support the initiatives to advance the agenda for reparative justice. The Secretariat would also be an effective convening platform for constant and genuine dialogues with concerned stakeholders on reparative justice.
Setipa: The issue of reparatory justice has been debated for a number of decades and naturally, the Caribbean and Africa have been leading this discussion. The discussions have evolved from the initial focus of a narrow focus of financial compensation for historical injustices committed by colonial powers to the current discussion of a broader range of issues. However, this issue remains a difficult topic with limited progress on a common approach to addressing it.
The Commonwealth has a rich history of addressing and confronting difficult issues and resolving them. A good example is the fight against racism and white minority rule in Rhodesia and the fight against apartheid in South Africa. These were difficult issues that divided the Commonwealth but through continuous and frank dialogue the Commonwealth was able to act as an effective forum for defeating racism and introducing multi-party democracy in both Zimbabwe and South Africa.
It is therefore my sense that the Commonwealth is better placed than other international fora including the UN to facilitate discussions on reparatory justice and secure an outcome that will bring closure to the victims of slavery and colonialism.
Botchwey: There are serious processes underway today in international and multilateral institutions we belong to, including the United Nations, the Africa Union and CARICOM for Reparative Justice. The Commonwealth should not duplicate those processes. It can however be part of the policy dialogue and reflect their outcomes in programming. It is important to note that our success in realizing reforms in the global finance and governance architecture, in addressing the debt crises in Commonwealth countries and in agreeing to a new development cooperation model that works for both rich and poorer States, contributes to realizing reparative justice.
You have been explicit in your support of freedom of expression throughout the Commonwealth. What would that support look like, in practice?
Tangara: I appreciate that respect for the inalienable rights of people continues to be reflected in the development and governance agenda of Commonwealth governments. My aim as Secretary-General will be to leverage the common understanding of governments on the issues germane to the respect of human rights and the platforms available to provide institutional support in the promotion of human rights including freedom of expression. This effort will also acknowledge the fact that the Commonwealth constitutes Member States with discernible cultural, societal, and religious dictums, thus necessitating a delicate nuance in promoting freedom of expression. Additionally, the Secretariat will facilitate appropriate responses and support to the developments in the information and communication technology landscapes which have created easy access to diverse voices and opinions.
Setipa: The Commonwealth Charter outlines the centrality of the right to freedom of expression to the values espoused by the Commonwealth Member States and in particular, highlights the importance of freedom of expression to enhancing democratic traditions and strengthening democratic processes. Internally within the Secretariat, I will ensure that in its governance work, the Secretariat places emphasis on freedom of expression and provides resources to support reforms in member countries including the repeal of legislation that restricts free expression. Furthermore, within the secretariat, I will ensure that there is an atmosphere of free expression that allows staff to express their views without fear of sanctions.
Botchwey: Today, the world is facing the challenge of making technology work for strengthening democracy, including safeguarding democracies, communities and individuals from hate speech, disinformation and misinformation calculated to undermine democratic freedoms, including freedom of expression. The Commonwealth Secretariat should be a leader in sharing best practices and promoting Commonwealth-wide standard setting for protecting and promoting freedom of expression, while developing targeted approaches to regulate and prevent abuse. As Secretary-General, I would use my good offices to ensure support for legitimate expression. The Commonwealth could also provide support for human rights defenders, activists, and journalists through legal assistance, asylum, or other protective measures when they face persecution for their work.
You have also voiced your explicit support for the role and importance of civil society in the Commonwealth. What immediate steps would you take to enhance the standing of civil society in the Commonwealth system?
Tangara: I support the perspective that effective governance requires the full participation of all credible actors including civil society. Public governance will be profoundly challenging if the concerns of the grassroots actors are not accommodated in the dialogues and programmes being implemented by the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth Foundation is an important vehicle for incorporating the strategic roles of civil society in the quest for innovative ideas and impetus in implementing the Commonwealth agenda. In this regard, the Foundation’s Strategic Plan offers a good foundational basis to shape further and propel the role of civil society and bring the message of the Commonwealth to the citizens of its member states. As a Secretary-General, I will push for the vigorous implementation of this important blueprint. This exercise must strengthen and create new strategies for implementing the agenda. It is also necessary that more support be provided to youth, women, religious, and artistic representatives to participate in achieving the Commonwealth’s strategic goals. The Commonwealth should also have a formidable people-centred agenda through strong networks developed for schools and universities to participate in popularizing the agenda of the Commonwealth in the Member States.
What is evident, over the years, is that the consultative forums held under the auspices of the Commonwealth have generated innovative recommendations which I strongly believe should be given the appropriate space in the work and programmes of the Secretariat. I intend to convene more consultations with civil society actors to provide avenues for their voices to be heard and allowed to contribute to our efforts to create consensus on the ways to address the concerns of the member states. This I hope will ultimately lead to a Commonwealth People-Centered Agenda for the next five years.
Setipa: The Commonwealth Charter recognises the important role of Civil Society in advancing and implementing the values of the Commonwealth. As Secretary General, I will ensure improvement in the quality and level of communication, awareness and information about the Commonwealth; and interactions with the intergovernmental Commonwealth to ensure better engagements between organisations, and that civil society holds more meaningful dialogue in the Commonwealth processes, as well as participation in the work of the Commonwealth Secretariat and in high-level meetings.
Accreditation to the Commonwealth grants civil society access to Commonwealth ministerial meetings. I will ensure that civil society inputs are considered at such high-level meetings as civil society are the ones that have physical presence to tackle development challenges and governance issues in the Commonwealth, and hence access to such processes would be beneficial both to the Commonwealth, and civil society.
I will also be a strong advocate for diversity within the accredited organisations to ensure equal and increased participation of civil society from developing Commonwealth countries.
Botchwey: I am committed to establishing more structured, more accessible regular, formal consultative meetings with Civil Soceity Organisations (CSOs) to give them greater influence in programming and implementation. As part of my vision for strategic partnerships, supporting the empowerment of civil society at country level will be a major objective. This will extend the collaboration between the Secretariat and civil society beyond those entities affiliated to the Commonwealth to local NGOs, especially to strengthen good governance. With a more enhanced resource envelope, we shall allocate greater financial support and technical assistance ato CSOs, including grants, training programs, and access to resources that help civil society organizations improve their capacity to advocate effectively and engage with governments. I will also work with member states to ensure that laws governing civil society organizations are supportive of their work. By strengthening partnerships with CSOs and fostering an environment where their contributions are valued, we can work together to build a more responsive and resilient Commonwealth that empowers its people at all levels.
