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The post-2015 development agenda must address the lack of civil society involvement if there is to be any real progress in future, says the Commonwealth Foundation’s latest report on the MDGs.

Most countries will fall short of meeting the MDGs because they lacked national relevance while issues such as youth unemployment, transparency, accountability and governance were serious omissions.

The report Commonwealth Perspectives: Ideas for a new development agenda has drawn from 14 national reports showing the extent to which civil society has been able to participate in, influence and benefit from the MDGs and provide different perspectives for the future. 

‘The key message is that if previous gains are not to be lost, the MDGs urgently need to be translated from the global abstract to the well-formed national context, where it is more likely that development strategies have been formulated with the participation of civil society and as a result have a better chance of being successful,’ said Commonwealth Foundation Director, Vijay Krishnarayan.

The report highlights the need for global themes to be adaptable to address national priorities, encouraging governments and donors to invest in civil society by introducing more enabling laws and policies, building partnerships with civil society into development agreements; developing public awareness campaigns to promote an understanding that citizens have a right to participate in their development; collecting a greater range of data to include the quality and range of citizens’ experiences and to demand that donors meet their commitments consistently and predictably, providing part of their support to civil society.

‘The role of the civil society in the post 2015 agenda is crucial,’ said Martin Tsounkeu, of the Africa Interchange Development Network in Cameroon and member of the Commonwealth Foundation’s Civil Society Advisory Committee. ‘It stands as a solid bridge linking public service delivery and the real needs of the people. The framework for development effectiveness should be borne by four pillars including employment, education, health and environment with full consideration for cross-cutting issues such as infrastructure, governance, and human rights,’ he said.

The project has drawn on the Commonwealth Foundation’s 2005 report Breaking with Business as Usual involving the same 14 countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Grenada, Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand, Pakistan, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and Zambia.

With additional support from the UN Millennium Campaign, four additional Commonwealth countries have also been included in the project: Nigeria, The Gambia, Mozambique and India; and two non-Commonwealth countries: Nepal and Philippines. These reports will be available shortly.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

The 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 15-17 November. CHOGM 2013 was organised by the Sri Lankan Government in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat. 

CHOGM 2013 provided an opportunity for Commonwealth leaders to meet in Sri Lanka to discuss world issues relevant to building a strong and secure future for all. 

Commonwealth Business Forum

Commonwealth Youth Forum

The 2013 Commonwealth People’s Forum Guidebook provides details of the programme, including details of the workshops and speakers which for 2013 focused on ‘Equitable growth and inclusive development:beyond 2015’.

The Commonwealth People’s Forum takes place from 10 – 14 November at Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka.

The CPF 2013 theme ‘Equitable growth and inclusive development: beyond 2015,’ shares this year’s CHOGM theme and will focus on the post-2015 development agenda from a Commonwealth civil society perspective. Workshops and panel discussions will cover topics including equitable growth, women’s empowerment, peace-building, food security and the sustainable development goals. Delegates will also have the opportunity to take part in a series of learning journeys, visiting community projects and organisations in Sri Lanka. 

The CPF 2013 is organised by the Commonwealth Foundation, hosted by Sevalanka Foundation, Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities and Sarvodaya, with support from the Government of Sri Lanka.

Photos of CPF2013 can be found here

Setting the post-2015 development compass: voices from the ground, was the theme of a meeting jointly hosted by CAFOD, Participate and the Commonwealth Foundation, yesterday.

Ms Gunilla Carlson, pictured, Minister for International Development Cooperation, Sweden and a member of the High Level Panel on the post-2015 Development Agenda, gave a keynote speech outlining her thoughts on post-2015 development. She described the opportunity at hand to eradicate extreme poverty and welcomed the new approaches to development. This stemmed from a change in outlook, which now recognised people as agents of their own development – rather than the recipients of aid. Looking ahead, the Minister highlighted responsive and accountable governance as well as gender equality as the foundations for any new global development framework. 

The meeting provided a catalyst for debate around the issues facing civil society and launched the publication of CAFOD’s COMPASS report, showing how the wellbeing of poor people has deteriorated over the past 15 years.

Vijay Krishnarayan, Director the Commonwealth Foundation, said the meeting was of particular interest to the Foundation because of its work taking soundings from civil society in 20 countries on the post MDG framework. 

“Our joint project with the UN Millenium Campaign has reviewed national experiences of civil society engagement with the MDGs and enabled a discussion among civil society about their aspirations for a post 2015 world.  It has attracted widespread support because of the emphasis it placed on consultation – a principle that also ran through the COMPASS 2015 project.”

“Without a commitment to consultation there is no basis for dialogue, no transparency or accountability,” said Krishnarayan. “How else can governments be held accountable for the commitments they have made – or indeed how can civil society organisations demonstrate that they have kept their side of the development deal?”

The national reports from the 20 countries involved in the Commonwealth Foundation’s post 2015 project will be available shortly. 

In his closing remarks, Lazarus Muganda, First Secretary at the Kenya High Commission in London, said the Post-2015 agenda should deliver on the promise of sustainable development and call on the world to rally round a new Global Partnership that offers hope and a role to every person in the world.

http://www.cafod.org.uk/News/UK-News/Compass-report

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Photos from the 10th Women’s Affairs Ministerial Meeting Partners’ Forum.

Call for the Commonwealth to explore innovative, inclusive and accessible financing to support women entrepreneurs

Ministers called on the Commonwealth to explore inclusive and accessible financing for women entrepreneurs in view of major challenges around access to funding, at the conclusion of the 10th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (10WAMM) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Women’s leadership and empowerment were reaffirmed as drivers of economic growth, political stability, peace, social justice and inclusive sustainable development.

“We are delighted that so many of the recommendations from the Partners’ Forum (10WPF) were included in the 10WAMM Communiqué,” said Vijay Krishnarayan, Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, organising the Partners’ Forum with BRAC. “This shows how much common ground there is between civil society and governments on gender equality. It underlines the value of civic inputs to ministerial debates. The Commonwealth Foundation is happy to have worked with its partners in Bangladesh to make this happen.”

The 10WAMM was opened by Hon Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and chaired by Hon Meher Afroze Chumki, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Bangladesh. 

Read the 10WAMM Communiqué

Read the 10WPF Recommendations

Monday, 17 June
Savar, Bangladesh

Delegates attending the 10th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministerial Meeting Partners’ Forum (10WPF) call on governments to prioritise women’s and girls’ economic empowerment in the post-2015 development agenda.

Civil society leaders demand active roles for women in decision-making processes. Governments urged to place emphasis on economic empowerment of women and girls in the post 2015 development agenda.

Ahead of the 10th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministerial Meeting (10WAMM) which will be inaugurated by the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina on Monday, 17 June, delegates from 17 Commonwealth countries debated the theme of “Women’s Leadership for Enterprise”. Key recommendations will be submitted to Senior Officials at the ministerial meeting. The keynote speaker for the ministerial meeting and President, International Federation of Professional Women, Frieda Miriklis stated, “Women’s economic empowerment should be by women, for women … and that the time has come to implement this idea without further delay.”

Speakers, including Patti O’Neill, Co-ordinator, DAC Network on Gender Equality, Global Policies and Partnership Division, OECD emphasised the need for inclusion of grassroots level participation in the development of the post 2015 agenda. Participants from all continents agreed that women’s and girls’ economic empowerment should be ensured to better society. “We should educate young women to be self reliant in a manner that they grow up to do and be whatever they like,” said Anoka Primrose Abeyrathne, a social entrepreneur from Sri Lanka. 

Commonwealth Foundation Chair and former Governor General of New Zealand, Sir Anand Satyanand, who presided over the session on “Should women’s economic empowerment be a central theme of the post-2015 agenda?” agreed with the delegates that gender equality and women’s rights should be the focus of the post 2015 agenda.

Key contributors to the debate included Meena Shivdas from the Commonwealth Secretariat, Shaheena Janjuha, Arif Zaman, Rukiyah Khatun, Neha Singh, Barbara Kasumu from United Kingdom, Sheepa Hafiza, Rokeya Kabir, Farzana Khan and Anir Chowdhury from Bangladesh, Ana Kessie (Tonga), Aasia Khan (Pakistan), Shoba Nayar(India), Pauline Ngari (Kenya), Gia Gaspard Taylor (Trinidad and Tobago) and Dr. Bola Olabisi, CEO of Global Women Inventors and Innovators and Myn Garcia, Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Foundation.

Civil society leaders from Commonwealth countries began a three-day forum in Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh with speakers vowing to strengthen ‘the voice of the grassroots’ and to press governments to ensure women’s empowerment and gender equality.

The forum is being held three days ahead of the 10th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministerial Meeting (10WAMM). The Partners’ Forum (10WPF) will make key recommendations that will be handed to senior officials for action.

“Our voice will be considered as a tool for lobbying at the ministerial and other higher forums,” said Sheepa Hafiza of BRAC. “Challenges women entrepreneurs are facing need to be addressed.”

The forum on “Women’s Leadership for Enterprise” has been jointly organised by the Commonwealth Foundation and BRAC, the world’s largest non-governmental organisation (NGO).

“Civil society from across Bangladesh and the Commonwealth is here to re-assert its voice in tackling the critical issue of gender equality and women’s empowerment,” said Myn Garcia, Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Foundation. “It is timely because it is happening in a period where new global development goals are being crafted post 2015. And this process must have the voice of civil society from across the Commonwealth.”

There has been a considerable advancement of women participation in Bangladesh – 57 percent participate in national development sectors. Within political leadership in Bangladesh, the Prime Minister, Parliamentary Opposition Leader and the Parliament Speaker are women.

In her keynote address, Salma Khan, Chair Person of the NGO Coalition for Beijing Platform for Action said that the differences between men and women have been the main obstacle to women’s development. She pleaded that women entrepreneurs should concentrate on developing businesses in the service sector rather than hanging on to traditional businesses.

The speakers suggested that in order to create an enabling environment, all kinds of support like legal, banking, training, easing of collateral requirements and involving more financial institutions to be partners in development, have to be made available to women entrepreneurs. All of them stressed the basic need to build the capacity of women.

The forum is being attended by delegates from 17 Commonwealth countries who also discussed ways to advance women’s access to finance; the impact of micro-finance on women’s entrepreneurial development; building partnerships between governments, private sector and civil society to advance women’s empowerment; developing the entrepreneurship of women with disabilities; means to overcome violence against women and other social barriers.