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Celebrating linguistic diversity in the Commonwealth

Posted on by Myn Garcia

The Commonwealth Foundation is committed to linguistic diversity. Our cultural initiative, Commonwealth Writers, is underpinned by the conviction that stories and storytelling have the power to contribute to social transformation. Our ambition is to influence and shape discourse in the public sphere. We share the hope of Jurgen Habermas that through ‘public opinion the state is able to be in touch with the need of society.’ Nancy Fraser argues that the public sphere can be seen as ‘a theater in modern societies in which political participation is enacted through the medium of talk.’

‘ “This conversation between practitioners, editors, and publishers of translation is an urgent and necessary intervention. It offers us an opportunity to begin a serious discussion about how we can build an infrastructure for translation to push against the myopias that box us in and make our world smaller.” ‘

In March 2019, as part of UNESCO’s International Year of Indigenous Languages, Commonwealth Writers convened a translation symposium in Penang, Malaysia. To support translation is to encourage writing in local languages and the proliferation of diverse narratives. The symposium signals the effort to investigate the imbalances caused by the relative lack of literary translation, starting with South Asia and Southeast Asia. It aims to advance the diversity of—and diversity in—creative expression, and the status of creators.

Bilal Tanweer (third from left) joined Muhammad Haji Salleh, Mamta Sagar, and Jayapriya Vasudevan for a discussion on the politics of translation following the translation symposium in Penang, Malaysia.

Writer, academic, and translator Bilal Tanweer, from Pakistan, reflected on his participation in the symposium: ‘This conversation between practitioners, editors, and publishers of translation is an urgent and necessary intervention. It offers us an opportunity to begin a serious discussion about how we can build an infrastructure for translation to push against the myopias that box us in and make our world smaller.’

‘We argue that dynamism in creative expression and its influence to shape public discourse is one of the manifestations of a diverse, robust, and vibrant civil society.’

On 9 July, the 2019 Commonwealth Short Story Prize award ceremony was held in Quebec City, Canada. This was the first year that the prize started accepting Greek-language submissions, and a story translated from the Greek emerged as the overall winner. This indicates that there is a vast wealth of writing around the Commonwealth yet to proliferate into the mainstream. Cypriot writer Constantia Soteriou won the Prize for her story, ‘Death Customs’, translated by Lina Protopapa. It was also announced at the ceremony that the 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize will accept entries in French. This brings to 11 the languages that the Prize is open to receive entries in, which also includes Bengali, Chinese, Greek, Kiswahili, Malay, Portugese, Samoan, Tamil, and Turkish.

Lina Protopapa asserts that translation is ‘a tool of resistance’ in a world that is increasingly turning inward. Linguistic diversity is in keeping with the values of the Foundation and its commitment to promote inclusion across the Commonwealth, which includes a range of differing literary traditions. We argue that dynamism in creative expression and its influence to shape public discourse is one of the manifestations of a diverse, robust, and vibrant civil society.

Myn Garcia is Deputy Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation.

Commonwealth civil society roundtable at the 12th Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting

Posted on by Commonwealth Foundation

At the 11th Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (11WAMM), held in September 2016 hosted by the Government of Samoa, Kenya was selected to host the 12th Women Affairs Ministers Meeting (12 WAMM).

The meeting will be held on 19-20 September 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya with the theme: ‘From Commitment to Action: Accelerating Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment for Sustainable Development.’

Kenya’s Big Four Agenda is effectively aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, at the continental level with Africa’s Agenda 2063 ‘The Africa We Want’, and at the national level, it is anchored to the Kenya Vision 2030.

In 2020, the global community will mark the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing +25) and the fifth year of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  Moreover, the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) and Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF) will be held in Kigali, Rwanda in June 2020.

In consideration of several parallel processes in support of Beijing +25 Platform for Action, amplifying the voices of women’s rights and women-led organisations will be prioritised. In this spirit and as a way to contribute to the advocacy and discourse on gender equality and women’s empowerment in the lead up to 12 WAMM and Beijing +25, the Commonwealth Foundation will organise a civil society roundtable in partnership with the Government of Kenya as the host country for 12WAMM on 16-17 September 2019. The Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Kenya) will be the co-convenor of the roundtable.

In consultation with FIDA-Kenya and the Government of the Republic of Kenya, the criteria for the selection of organisations and participants from across the Commonwealth in the civil society roundtable is as follows:

  • Representative networks and organisations working at the regional level which are already members of the women’s major group[1] and/or actively representing civic voices of women throughout the Commonwealth. This includes those that are working on policy and advocacy on the four priorities of the Commonwealth: Women’s economic empowerment, Women in leadership, Ending violence against women and girls, and Gender and climate change  
  • Organisations and/or networks involved in national reviews and regional consultations on the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) and/or involved in the development of shadow reports of civil society consultations and/ or in annual consultation of Commonwealth National Women’s Machineries
  • Organisations and/or networks showcasing intersectionality in their membership: women from rural areas, young people and elderly generations, less privileged socio-economic backgrounds, among others, and are inclusive of voices in the margins/less heard voices in their internal governance
  • Representatives of women in media and leading feminist thinkers who have participated in critical reviews progress on women’s rights and gender equality, informing the Beijing +20 debate including feminist economists who can support governments with advice on accelerating results.

The Women’s Major Group is self-organised and facilitated by a team of 8 Organising Partners, including WEDO. The WMG has the mandate to facilitate women’s human rights and gender equality perspectives into UN policy processes on sustainable development. In recent years, the WMG program and project has been designed to influence two distinct phases in global sustainable development: (1) finalising a universal Post-2015 Development agenda that is grounded in national and regional realities, in particular realities for women; and (2) ensuring its robust implementation at the national, regional and global levels.

Expected outcomes of the roundtable:

  • Civic voice collectives across the Commonwealth effectively communicate policy priorities and recommendations on accelerating results for the delivery of SDG 5 to governments including recommendations to address the intersectionality of gender
  • Sustained engagement of civic voice collectives across the Commonwealth in the Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting process with the active co-convening role of women’s rights and women-led organisations in the host country.
Download the latest update

 

After Cyclone Pam: rebuilding a community multimedia space

Posted on by Further Arts

When the category five Tropical Cyclone Pam hit on 13 March 2015⁠—packing winds of up to 250 kilometres per hour⁠—people in Vanuatu were in a state of disbelief.

‘No one was ready,’ recalled Further Arts General Manager, Viviane Obed. ‘There were warnings but nobody took them seriously. At the Government level, there was little preparedness. [In evacuation centres] the quality was very poor; toilets were not working and many families were moved to them at the very last minute.’

At Further Arts’ Nesar Studio, a community multimedia space designed to train and support local artists, it was business as usual: the staff and members just expected the cyclone to pass through without causing much disturbance.

‘Half of the building’s roof was down on the road, 100 metres away [….] there was water everywhere.’

Nesar Studio is located just outside of the capital, Port Vila, on a hilltop in a residential area. The studio was created by Further Arts, a local NGO, in collaboration with youth and local communities, as a place for anyone to sign up and benefit from various media education projects and initiatives. Nesar refers to ‘nasara’: a word which translates locally as a ceremonial meeting place within a village for the intergenerational transmission of ‘kastom’⁠—knowledge and wisdom through song, dance, art, and other practices. Nesar Studio is named as such because it resembles a digital, urban nasara, imparting skills in new media so local artists can transmit messages and knowledge. Providing the community with education on these tools is a powerful means to enact change, enabling people to realise their rights to voice.

‘Before Pam hit, Nesar Studio was a centre for many youths in this area. Youth came here with interests in media, video, handling a camera or microphone for the first time, doing interviews, taking photos, and things like that,’ recalled Marcel Meltherorong, a local artist and Nesar Studio member and crew.

‘On Friday the 13th when the wind picked up, we were all at our own homes nailing down roofs and covering windows. But little had been done at the office to prepare it for what was coming⁠—we didn’t expect it to be so ferocious! Once night fell, the storm grew stronger and you couldn’t see anything… you just heard it—things breaking, cracking, landing, and crashing.’

During the proceeding cleanup, Marcel recalled that people helped one another; families helped other families to rebuild homes, and then helped to clear the roads.

When staff and crew finally made their way back to the organisation’s headquarters a few days after the cyclone, the streets were emptied out and damage to the office was colossal.

‘Half of the building’s roof was down on the road, 100 metres away. The wind had thrown it there. Most of the equipment inside was damaged, and there was water everywhere… it’s hard to describe it… I mean, this was where Further Arts and Nesar Studio was born!

‘When Pam hit, it was like this big space was just gutted. Everyone was feeling very down after that’ Marcel said.

Following the devastation, Further Arts staff and crew moved into a smaller space in town.

‘We weren’t discouraged, even though we lost the building. We kept going and didn’t give up because we were passionate about what we did,’ said Roselyn Tari, the Production Co-ordinator at the time.

Before long, Further Arts made an appeal to its key partners and donors for their assistance in rebuilding, and received generous support from many, including new opportunities for growth and activity.

‘When the idea to rebuild came about after Pam, we were all so happy—even though we had to start from zero—to train members and recreate that space. People were starting to feel hopeful again’ Marcel said.

The success of rebuilding was based on Further Arts’ deep networks and partnerships, both in-country and internationally. Working with the local community was also important to ensure that the new space could accommodate the needs of its stakeholders.

Further Arts was extremely fortunate to receive assistance from the Commonwealth Foundation so that it could continue its work. The funding supported the studio to conduct a needs assessment amongst its membership, and then purchase multimedia equipment and train members in its use. This enabled the facility to continue its work relatively quickly, which lifted morale during a very hard time.

Everyone agrees that disaster readiness and preparedness has become a major priority in the community following Cyclone Pam. Further Arts itself has begun implementing stronger disaster preparedness measures to mitigate future disaster impact to its resources and personnel.

‘It’s the work you do before the storm that is most important. Really, these storms, they’re just a part of our lives,’ the organisation’s Finance Officer, Ladonna Daniel, pointed out.

Production Co-ordinator Gina Kaitiplel believes Further Arts Nesar Studio has a very bright future because of all the work it has done supporting young people and local communities.

‘Further Arts has become a main powerhouse to support communities in Vanuatu through multimedia, arts and culture. It helps individuals within the community to know where they come from, and what the true meaning of culture is. And it does that by building the knowledge of young people in the media industries.’

This post was written collaboratively between Further Arts and Nesar Studio staff and crew.

Message from the Directorate

Posted on by Commonwealth Foundation

 

Vijay Krishnarayan

Director-General

Many of the challenges we face today are either too big or too small for individual governments to confront. Whether it’s climate change, rapid urbanisation, food insecurity, water scarcity, or terms of trade, institutions are looking for answers.

There was an assumed consensus that these things were best tackled by states working together on a regional or international basis. Those assumptions are being questioned. This is a moment for institutions to take a good look at the part they must play in delivering a sustainable future.

‘There is a brighter future ahead and we are part of it.’

This is as true for the Commonwealth as it is for any other system in the multilateral world. Shridath Ramphal famously said ‘The Commonwealth cannot negotiate for the world but it can help the world to negotiate.’ With its emphasis on mutuality, collegiality, and diversity—you can see how the Commonwealth can add value to a global system that aspires to work for all.

The Foundation is a cog in the Commonwealth wheel. We were established more than 50 years ago because the Commonwealth is as much an association of peoples as it is of governments. These pages show that premise remains true but they also illustrate how we have applied ourselves in a contemporary context. Since 2012 the Foundation has focussed on strengthening civic participation in governance, which now resonates with the Sustainable Development Goals.

‘The Foundation is a cog in the Commonwealth wheel. We were established more than 50 years ago because the Commonwealth is as much an association of peoples as it is of governments.’

The Foundation is showing that in addition to convening member states, the Commonwealth can bring diverse voices together, particularly the less heard so that better decisions are made. That’s how we contribute to ‘leaving no one behind.’

At a time when citizens are questioning whether institutions can deliver in the face of global challenges the Foundation has lit a candle. With our new publication we show that we are not alone and that the movement for inclusive development continues to grow. There is a brighter future ahead and we are part of it.

Editor’s note: Vijay Krishnarayan finished his second term as Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation on Friday 28 June 2019. Our current Director-General is Dr Anne Therese Gallagher.

 

Myn Garcia

Deputy Director-General

Over the last seven years, we have consistently reflected on our work, asking ourselves about the value we are adding to governance and development. We are committed to adaptive learning and management and have dedicated ourselves to strengthening civic voices to constructively engage in policy processes and contribute to shaping public discourse.

‘Building trust is imperative in successful engagements and partnerships in governance.’

One of the major learnings from our 2012-2017 strategy was that we must be better at integrating gender in our programme. Under the new strategy we have a stronger focus on gender equality underpinned by the framework of gender and its intersectionality. In keeping with our systems approach, this framework allows for an understanding of the different intersecting systems of oppression and recognises the different ways that gender inequality is shaped by these intersections. The direction, speed and acceptance of change in a complex social and political system are difficult to predict. We have been more mindful that using a longer-term timeframe is critical to the success of the Foundation’s strategic priorities. Strengthening civic voices means change over the long term.

Our planning now factors this in. The highest degree of change can be observed when projects are based on the partners’ own assessment; taking the lead in determining and articulating the change they want to achieve, the capacities they want to strengthen, and the effective approaches to be taken. Customising support and taking into consideration the cultural and political context is fundamental.

‘Under the new strategy we have a stronger focus on gender equality underpinned by the framework of gender and its intersectionality’

There are no short cuts for anchoring the work on local ownership and supporting a process beyond enhancing existing knowledge and skills of individuals whereby civic voices strengthen, create, adapt and maintain their capacity over time and realise their own agency. We accompany partners, acknowledging that one size does not fit all and we facilitate processes in prioritising and planning instead of imposing outside analyses and interests. We have learned that support to civic voices must address individual needs and consider how skills and abilities materialise in organisational and institutional processes. We recognise that structures and processes are influenced by system-wide issues. We have found that initiatives and programmes require a wide range of adult learning approaches that are better adapted than traditional training and workshops. These include learning by doing, peer to peer mentoring and on-site coaching. Combined with these, research, technical assistance, pilot projects, training, and evaluations have proven useful.

We have also seen how individual strengths organised in and working as a part of coalitions or alliances have demonstrated the effectiveness of collective efforts in engaging in policy advocacy and campaigning. One ingredient that features in our work is partnering with effective and strong local resource partners who know the local context and have credibility in-country to deliver the gamut of support. This approach contributes in the long term to strengthening the local enabling environment. And finally, building trust is imperative in successful engagements and partnerships in governance. One way that civil society is able to build trust is to demonstrate its technical capacity and willingness to constructively engage in policy processes in governance.

The pages of our new publication, Stronger civic voices across the Commonwealth, will give you a sense of what these lessons look like. They help us to be defiant in hope in such a time as this.

Women with disabilities advocate for their rights in Geneva

Posted on by Women with Disabilities India Network

In February 2019, the Women with Disabilities India Network (WWDIN), coordinated by the Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Centre, submitted an Alternative Report on Article 6 of the UNCRPD to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Our report was prepared in response to the Initial Report submitted by the Government of India on progress towards meeting its commitments to the UNCRPD. In April, a team of four women with disabilities from WWDIN travelled to Geneva to present the report’s findings. This was the first such engagement of its kind for women with disabilities in India.

The Alternative Report is the product of two years of data collection (2017 and 2018) from consultations with 441 women with disabilities in 23 states of India. Women with disabilities are one of the most vulnerable and invisible sections of society in India. Women with disabilities are marginalised in different ways related to education, livelihood and access to health and other services leading to different forms of gender and disability-based violence within families and communities.

‘…the distance of educational institutions from home also has a specific effect on girls’

The report appreciates the positive initiatives taken by the Government of India such as the passage of the Right to Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. The India Country Report has extensive listings of legal provisions, schemes and programmes for persons with disabilities in India. However, little data is provided about differential access women with disabilities have to these provisions. One of the reasons for this is that there is no coordination on issues of women with disabilities, who are relegated to the Disability Department by the Women and Child Development Department and often times overlooked. As a result, women with disabilities continue to remain far from achieving either de-facto or de-jure equality. The recognition of the legal capacity of women is partial, and this can be seen in old and even new legislation such as the newly introduced Mental Health Care Act (2017).

The Women with Disabilities India Network deliver the alternative report in La Salle des Emirates in the Palace of Nations, Geneva

Our research revealed that women with disabilities are consistently marginalised in education and employment, with low enrolment and work force participation. An insufficient number of schools in rural areas, where the vast majority of disabled people live, affects access to education; in particular, there are low enrolment numbers for girls with disabilities.

‘In practice women with disabilities have effectively no access to the justice system.’

Education of disabled girls is also affected by factors like poverty, adolescence and puberty; the distance of educational institutions from home also has a specific effect on girls as they are thought to be more vulnerable during long commutes than their male counterparts. The distance between home and school along with poor commuting facilities is a crucial factor in determining dropout rates among disabled girls from educational institutions. This is compounded by lack of accessible infrastructural and residential facilities.

Persons with disabilities protest for their rights in India

Our findings show that women with disabilities are also particularly vulnerable to violence both in domestic and public spaces. Much of this violence is undocumented and unrecognised as policies and practices in India fail to address specific barriers faced by women with disabilities, particularly in response to gender-based violence and violations of sexual and reproductive rights. Gender-based violence against women with disabilities takes many unique forms and includes violence that is perpetuated by stereotypes that attempt to dehumanise or infantilise, exclude or isolate them, and target them for sexual and physical abuse. Many women with disabilities experience gender-based discrimination in the private sphere, ranging from harassment and emotional abuse to rape and physical violence. Women with disabilities in India also face violence at the hands of intimate partners, including husbands and their families.

The Women with Disabilities India Network sat opposite the United Nations Committee on Persons with Disabilities as they delivered their alternative report

Women with disabilities—particularly women with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities—are disproportionately subjected to practices such as forced or coerced sterilisation, contraception, and abortion. Frequently, when these women are minors or are deprived of legal capacity, guardians, parents, or doctors may make the decision on their behalf. Women with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities face discrimination in the form of continued institutionalisation in state- and privately-run care homes and hospitals. Indian Laws however do not take cognisance of the special types, intensity and magnitude of violence perpetuated against women with disabilities. While some laws address violence against women with disabilities in institutional settings, in practice women with disabilities have effectively no access to the justice system.

The most obvious barriers to equality before the law in terms of disabled women’s access to the justice system are physical access, communication barriers, and financial constraints. Current policies and practices in India addressing violence against women fail to address the unique causes and consequences of gender-based violence against women with disabilities. For instance, the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 does not address violence against women with disabilities.

While in Geneva last month, the WWDIN team presented our findings during two interactions with the CRPD – one with the entire committee and a second meeting with committee member Mr. Jun Ishikawa. In both our engagements, we were able to impress on the CRPD committee members the violations of the rights of women with disabilities in India, the roots of these problems, and their varied nature. The committee members asked pertinent questions, asking for clarification on several points and duly noted that there is a need to engage more proactively on issues of violence against women with disabilities. The outcome of the pre-session has been favourable as the List of Issues mentions the violations of rights of women with disabilities and enjoins the Indian state to be more proactive in addressing the concerns of women with disabilities across the country.

This article was written collaboratively between Nandini Ghosh, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata, and Reena Mohanty, Programme Officer, Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Centre, Odisha.

Accountability in health policy and service provision: a blog journey

Posted on by Susan Fock-Tave

Blog entry one: the week ahead…

I am Susan from Seychelles. Over the next two weeks I will be in Geneva participating in a number of health governance meetings. On May 13-15 I will be participating in the Commonwealth Foundation’s Health Learning Exchange workshop in my capacity as Chairman of the National Mental Health Advisory Committee. The National Mental Health Advisory Committee was set up to advocate for and conduct the review of the current mental health law in Seychelles and to steer the proposed reforms. I’ll be sharing our experience in Seychelles where we decided to repeal and replace the outdated mental health Act, through the administrative and legislative channels.

I am really looking forward to this learning exchange because it is an opportunity for sharing and exchanging ideas and good practices. Learning from the successes (and failures) of others is always useful. I really want to hear how others engage with a range of stakeholders and involve them in big policy decisions. In my line of work, I am constantly involved in developing new policies and pieces of legislation. To stay true to the ‘Health in all, Health for all and Health by all’ policy, reaching out to non-health stakeholders and civil society organisations is an imperative.

On a day to day basis, I am usually bogged down by the sheer amount of what has to be done. I do not always have a chance to take a step back and look at the how it should be done and who I should be engaging with. The three-day workshop will provide me with an opportunity to do just that – to take stock of the wonderful things I have contributed to, to engage with people who have similar issues, but have worked out ways to better engage with those we perceive to be ‘outsiders’.

Following the learning exchange, I’ll be attending the Commonwealth Civil Society Policy Forum (May 18), the Commonwealth Health Minister’s meeting (19 May) and ending with the World Health Assembly (20 -28 May). Although each meeting will be a very different ‘space’ I expect that there will be many common threads running through. My aim is to leave Geneva not only with new ideas, but most importantly with new friends who I can reach out to for guidance and advice in the future.

I look forward to sharing my experiences along the way.

Blog entry two: thoughts during the exchange:

Blog entry three: concluding thoughts

As I mentioned in my first post, I was in Geneva last month to participate in a learning exchange organised by the Commonwealth. The theme of the learning exchange is relevant to Seychelles context, where the Government, as well as the opposition and the whole of society, is calling for accountability. Very often, the call for accountability is directed at others. We point fingers at others and rarely look inwards to our personal accountability.

I enjoyed the learning exchange and the subsequent civil society policy forum. It was interesting to sit in a room with passionate and very vocal members of civil society organisations, and listen to them talk about their work, their successes, and their frustrations, often directed at governments who fail to be accountable to their citizens.

I am especially pleased that my presentation on the review of Mental Health Legislation in the Seychelles was so well received. It made participants realise that very often while talking about gender and equity issues, mental health is left out of the conversation. Saoyo Tabitha Griffith, from KELIN, realised that she may have missed out on providing valuable input in the revision process for Kenya’s Mental Health Law. I salute her enthusiasm and passion in tracking the bill through the system and recall her relief that she could still make a difference.

I particularly liked Anil Patil’s project. Anil is the Founder and Executive Director of Carers Worldwide. His project was centred on giving a voice to unpaid family caregivers in India. In Seychelles, a member of the family can benefit under a home carer scheme financed by the Agency for Social Protection for taking care of a loved one if the beneficiary meets certain criteria. Families may also opt to have somebody other than a family member take care of their loved one. There is currently a discussion aimed at formally employing the care givers, so they may benefit from all the advantages of full-time employment. I believe we can learn from Anil’s experience with caregivers in India. Carers Worldwide can also learn from our experiences in implementing a home-carer scheme. I am also planning to link several patient support groups (Cancer Concern Association, Alzheimer Foundation and the Stroke Foundation to name a few) with Carers Worldwide, so they can explore possible areas of partnership or cooperation.

After the civil society policy forum, I had the privilege of attending the Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting and the World Health Assembly. The focus of both meetings was universal health coverage which is clearly relevant to the work we are doing in Seychelles. While it is generally recognised that we have achieved universal health coverage, we do have groups of hard to reach populations, or rather—as was highlighted in the civil society policy forum—groups we have not done enough to reach. Forty years after Alma Ata, the Seychelles is holding a national conference in July this year to revisit its primary health care successes and challenges, and to come up with a concept that will ensure Seychelles meets the goals of SDG 3.8. My experiences in Geneva will certainly influence my participation and contributions to this important event.

Coming into the learning exchange, I did not fully know what to expect. I must say, however, that it was an energising and reinvigorating experience.

Susan Fock-Tave is a consultant ear, nose, and throat Surgeon at the Ministry of Health, Seychelles. 

Strengthening the role of civil society for health-policy action in the Commonwealth: a blog journey

Posted on by Radhika Shrivastav

Blog entry one: the week ahead…

The coming week (May 15-19, 2019) promises to be an enriching and empowering experience for me with three back-to-back meetings facilitated by the Commonwealth Foundation: a Learning Exchange focussing on ‘Accountability in health policy and service provision’; a Civil Society Policy Forum on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and; the Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting. These meetings are innovative platforms to convene multi-sectoral stakeholders from Commonwealth countries to discuss and exchange our experiences in implementing projects that address critical health and developmental issues. What makes this a unique journey is the opportunity for us to be able to inform and cascade the insights and outcomes from one meeting to another, synthesising perspectives of civil society actors and policy-related stakeholders, with a potential to strategically position our priorities at the highest level of health-related policy making, at the ministerial meeting.

UHC is a common thread which strings together international, national and sub-national policy and programmatic responses to the entire spectrum of public health and developmental issues, including the focus of HRIDAY’s project in India on civil society engagement in the national response to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The meetings have been conceived in a participatory manner and are designed to garner multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder insights on robust strategies to address these issues, within the available resource pool. The focus on holding key players accountable to their roles, is an important cross-cutting theme that we hope to deliberate on.

I look forward to hearing from fellow grant partners, about their successes and challenges, and identify opportunities for adapting effective strategies for our ongoing project on working with health and development civil society partners to track India’s NCD targets.

I am hopeful that this experience will help us to explore stronger pathways and mechanisms to participate in health policy-related decision making in our respective countries, regions, the Commonwealth and even globally.

Blog entry two: thoughts during the exchange:

A final, post-event blog entry is coming soon…

Inclusion: let’s walk the talk

Posted on by Myn Garcia

Inclusion. It’s a buzz word. Inclusion finds itself in public policy discourse and conversations in development circles. Situated at the interface between policy and political processes, it is relevant in discussions and debates on citizenship and migration, cultural studies, economic theorising, humanitarian standards and the intersection of gender and climate change, among many others.

But we all know that inclusion is fraught with challenges. Raul Cordenillo in his article, Political inclusion is vital to sustainable democracy, argues that ‘foremost amongst these [challenges] is the increasing difficulty by which the needs and aspirations of citizens can connect with accountable and representative political institutions.’ He also cites the inequality of opportunity to engage in policy discussions and the lack of access to political institutions due to ‘frameworks or modalities for inclusive citizen involvement and engagement not being implemented or are simply not in place’ as a key issue.

‘The Foundation is committed to linguistic diversity, and believes that supporting translation and local languages fosters diverse traditions.’

At the Commonwealth Foundation, inclusion is key. Central to our work is the imperative to strengthen and include civic voices, those less heard, in the mainstream spaces where policy is interrogated and decisions are made. We refute the notion that there are people who do not have a voice. Rather we posit that people in all their diversity and in the margins, despite having a voice, are less heard.  Thus, access to spaces in the public sphere and the amplification of civic voices in matters of policy, governance and development are the areas that require accompaniment and support.

In March 2019, our cultural initiative, Commonwealth Writers, convened a small group of translators, writers, publishers, literary agents and cultural activists from South and Southeast Asia in Penang, Malaysia. The intention was to investigate imbalances caused by the relative lack of literary translation in the region.

Malaysian National laureate Dr Muhammad Haji Salleh (second from left) joined translators, publishers and writers at the Translation symposium in Penang, March 2019

But why is this important? The Foundation is committed to linguistic diversity, and believes that supporting translation and local languages fosters diverse traditions. To support translation is to encourage writing in local languages and the proliferation of diverse narratives. While Commonwealth Writers ‘recognises the value of English’s status (and others widely-spoken) as a “bridge language” – a conduit through which works spread beyond borders or communities – its prevalence has often obscured the vitality and range of creation in non-dominant languages in Commonwealth regions.’

‘We all know that inclusion is fraught with challenges.’

In the same month, through our Participatory Governance and Gender programme, we supported six women from West Africa, to be part of United Nations Women’s Commission on the Status of Women and the Annual Consultation of Commonwealth National Women’s Machineries in New York. This built on a dialogue on African Feminism which the Foundation co-convened with its partner, the West Africa Civil Society Institute in July 2018.

Pictured: dialogue on African feminism co-convened between the Foundation and the West Africa Civil Society Institute in July 2018

The New York delegation was intergenerational with more seasoned members mentoring those who have not yet had an exposure to a global space. In the Caribbean, the Foundation is supporting a governance dialogue on the intersectionality of gender and climate change, taking into account the impact of differentiated vulnerabilities.

Hazel Brown (left), feminist activist and pioneer delegate to the 1995 Commission on the Status of Women in Beijing, pictured with younger activist Shamima Muslim (right), whose attendance was supported by the Foundation.

At the last Commonwealth People’s Forum held in London in April 2018, women who have not only been ‘included’ but have actually been authorised to be decision makers in peace panels and processes came together to share their experiences and good practices. The Foundation’s grant programme features a range of projects that highlight inclusion of women in political processes, civic voice inputs to legislative reform, women with disabilities engaged in advocacy for the rights of people at a disadvantage, community-based organisations undertaking policy advocacy on social protection, and NGOs dedicated to promoting health rights and accountability in delivering health services. These are just a few examples of what inclusive governance entails.

Let us not just talk about inclusion. Let us accompany each other to demand for it and more importantly, to walk the talk.

Myn Garcia is the Deputy Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation.

Dr Anne Therese Gallagher AO appointed as Director-General

Posted on by Commonwealth Foundation

Following a rigorous selection process and approval from its 46 member states, Dr Anne Therese Gallagher AO has been announced as the new Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, the Commonwealth’s agency for civil society. Dr Gallagher will assume the role in June 2019 at the Foundation’s offices in Marlborough House, London.

Since its relaunch in 2012, The Foundation has been developing the capacity of civil society to play its part in making policy and institutions more responsive and accountable to people’s needs.

It has done so by providing technical assistance and over £6 million worth of funding for programmes and projects Commonwealth-wide including a range of civil society capacity development initiatives with an explicit focus on governance and gender. In addition, its annual Commonwealth Short Story Prize, delivered through its sub-brand, Commonwealth Writers, now receives over 5000 submissions each year from 50 countries.

Dr Gallagher brings extensive leadership experience to the role. A lawyer, practitioner, teacher and scholar, her long international career has involved specialisation in a wide range of areas including human rights and the administration of criminal justice.

After several years teaching in the law school of the Australian National University, Dr Gallagher was recruited to the United Nations where she served for 12 years, including as special adviser to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson. From 2003, Anne worked with the Association of South-East Asian Nations and its ten Member States to strengthen legislative and criminal justice responses to human trafficking and related exploitation.

Her recent and current appointments include President of the International Catholic Migration Commission; Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s Presidential Task Force on Human Trafficking; and member of the Asia Dialogue on Forced Migration.

Dr Gallagher’s work for human rights, justice and equality has been widely recognised, earning her, among other honours, the Australian Freedom Award and the ‘Peace Woman of the Year’ award for the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. In 2012, she was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and named a ‘2012 hero’ by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.

On news of her appointment, Dr Gallagher said:

‘As the civil society voice of the Commonwealth, the Foundation has played a vital role in advancing core Commonwealth values of democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law.

‘That role will continue to be critical as we move into a future where truly inclusive multilateral cooperation is becoming ever more urgent. I am honoured to take the helm of the Foundation at this exciting, challenging time.’

The current Director-General, Vijay Krishnarayan, who has overseen the implementation of two strategic plans including the Commonwealth Foundation’s 2012 relaunch, said:

‘As I come to the end of my two terms as the Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, I reflect on the great distance the organisation has travelled since 2012. Together, our board, civil society stakeholders and staff have dedicated the Foundation to pluralism and inclusion.

‘It has been a great privilege to lead the organisation, which is unique in the way that it combines an intergovernmental mandate, with a civil society mission. I am confident that under Anne’s leadership the Foundation will go from strength to strength as a partner that delivers development for all.’

Vijay Krishnarayan, the Foundation’s current Director-General, is nearing the end of his second term

Chair of the Board of Governors, Ambassador Shree Baboo Chekitan Servansing, said of the appointment:

‘I would like to congratulate Dr Anne Gallagher on her appointment as the new Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation. I have no doubt that her wide experience and deep involvement with civil society will help to steer the Foundation to the next stage of its development.

‘An intergovernmental organisation straddling the delicate path of interacting with civil society to promote inclusive governance, this unique Commonwealth institution has to always reinvent itself to maintain its legitimacy and relevance to deliver on its mission in an ever challenging global environment.

‘Dr Gallagher has the intellectual competence and diplomatic skills to deliver on this mission. I wish to welcome her to the Commonwealth Foundation and wish her all the best in her new assignment.’

For more information

For further information about the Commonwealth Foundation, further comments, or photo requests, please contact Leo Kiss, Communications Officer, on l.kiss@commonwealth.int.

Notes

  • The Commonwealth Foundation is one of the Commonwealth’s three intergovernmental agencies alongside the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth of Learning.
  • The Director-General is responsible for all activities of the Commonwealth Foundation and reports to the Chair of the Board.
  • Annual priorities of the Commonwealth Foundation are determined by a Board of Governors, comprising representatives of Commonwealth governments and High Commissioners based in London, civil society representatives, and the Commonwealth Secretary-General. The Chair of the Foundation is a distinguished private citizen of a Commonwealth country appointed by Heads of Government.
  • The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is an annual competition which is free to enter for Commonwealth citizens.

Building a healthy relationship

Posted on by Vijay Krishnarayan

I suppose it’s inevitable that as the end of my term as Director-General nears, I reflect on the Commonwealth Foundation’s journey over the past seven years. I’ll always be grateful to our governments for backing a strategic change in direction in 2012. That focussed our work on people’s participation in governance but coming to that agreement wasn’t straight forward. Some took more convincing than others. A refrain I heard often at the time went ‘the Commonwealth Foundation’s proposed emphasis on governance is well and good but we want to see a focus on development.’

‘Intellectual property regimes are also being used to prevent the search for new drugs that protect public health as globally we face up to anti-microbial resistance.’

My response was and remains a rebuttal of a reductionist world view that posits development and governance as dichotomous. All those who share the Foundation’s outlook raised a cheer when SDG 16 made the explicit connection between inclusive governance and better development outcomes. It was a privilege to see how this works in practice while visiting a Commonwealth Foundation grant funded project in Malaysia this month.

Third World Network (TWN) is a well-respected independent, international, research and advocacy organisation, which since 1984 has been taking up issues of concern to the Global South. They recognise that trade agreements between countries include intellectual property clauses that run counter to the internationally ratified Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) Agreement and a subsequent Declaration on TRIPs and public health. This affirms the right of countries to use the full flexibility of TRIPs to provide access to medicines to all. Intellectual property (IP) regimes are also being used to prevent the search for new drugs that protect public health as globally we face up to anti-microbial resistance.

TWN saw the need for engagement with governments in the global south on the provision of effective and affordable drugs. With funding from the Commonwealth Foundation they are helping the Ministry of Health (MoH) to navigate IP provisions to improve access to medicines and are providing a civil society perspective on the implementation and monitoring of a national action plan on anti-microbial resistance.

As we met with MoH colleagues, their genuine appreciation for the support they had received from TWN in the design, promotion and monitoring of the AMR national action plan was palpable. In 2012 the Ministry widened the focus of the AMR campaign from health professionals to the public at large and this called for considered and sustained civil society engagement. TWN acts as a champion, a trusted interlocutor and convenor. They raise awareness through events and publications and encourage civil society to participate and monitor progress. This is helping to take the AMR campaign to new audiences such as farmers who use antibiotics in their animal husbandry practices.

‘Getting the message across that [anti-microbial resistence] is an imminent threat that requires urgent action by all of us calls for new alliances and ways of working.’

We also met with colleagues from the remarkable Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDI). DNDI was established in recognition of the fact that the research and development of drugs doesn’t serve the interests of many on the global south. According to their research, of the 850 new drugs approved between 2000 and 2011 only 4% were for neglected diseases such as chagas, sleeping sickness and leishmaniasis (which with other neglected diseases accounted for 11% of the global disease burden over the same period). They develop new drugs to address these issues and patent them so they can be made available at an affordable price. In Malaysia they have targeted hepatitis c and have partnered with TWN as they have engaged with the Malaysian government so that one major drug is licensed and made available. In this instance TWN provided technical inputs on the TRIPS implications and opportunities to government policy makers.

I left Malaysia appreciating that the simple question ‘How can the most vulnerable people in society enjoy equitable access to health treatment?’ has a very complex answer. As Dr Ying-Ru Lo, the Head of Mission and WHO Representative to Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore said to us health issues are increasingly multi-sectoral and civil society is well suited to helping government agencies (often working in isolation) to make the connections and form the coalitions that are required to deliver public health.

This is inclusive governance in action and the Malaysian experience shows that it is not a luxury item. Getting the message across that AMR is an imminent threat that requires urgent action by all of us calls for new alliances and ways of working. The joined up approach of public health policy makers, DNDI and TWN on drugs for hepatitis c has contributed to the treatment of more than 1,000 people to date. Inclusive governance isn’t just about improving the decisions that shape people’s lives. It’s also about improving the decisions that save people’s lives. Seven years on from making the decision to change its strategic focus, the Commonwealth Foundation can make the connection between participatory governance and better development outcomes – but all that does is remind us of the amount of work that remains to be done.

Vijay Krishnarayan is Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation.