Across the Commonwealth, persons with disabilities (PwDs) face institutional, social, legal, and physical barriers to justice. Addressing this challenge requires looking beyond the rights of individuals to the justice system as a whole to understand how PwDs can fully participate at every level of society.
Inclusion of persons with disabilities: access to justice was one of several sessions that explored the theme of exclusion at CPF 2018. Participants discussed the measures needed to ensure PwDs are able to access legal services in civil and criminal matters. This included access to recourse for human rights violations as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and national constitutions, and strengthening the commitment of States to the rule of law so that PwDs can gain equal access to justice for all as set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 16. Participants concluded that access to justice is a fundamental aspect of inclusive governance and the exercise of citizenship. Several policy recommendations to achieve equal access to justice and more sustainable outcomes for PwDs across the Commonwealth were identified.
Download Commonwealth insights: inclusion of persons with disabilities
Image credit: The Advocacy Project Flickr
In many Commonwealth countries, legislation such as those relating to sexual orientation, gender identity, and mental health were codified in colonial times and continue to impact the lives of citizens. In the majority of Commonwealth countries, colonial laws remain in place and, while in some countries legislation may not contain punitive provisions, the presence of unreformed statutes leads to and perpetuates exclusion. In the remainder, steps have been taken to modernise laws. The Commonwealth People’s Forum 2018 (CPF 2018) examined how civil society and policy makers can work together to reform colonial laws in Commonwealth countries to gain full rights for people with mental health vulnerabilities and LGBT+ people. This built on a policy dialogue which took place at CPF 2015 entitled LGBTI in the Commonwealth. While these colonial-era laws continued unreformed in most of the Commonwealth, Britain, as the former colonial power, decriminalised same-sex sexual relationships a half a century ago and has instituted legislation to provide mental care services universally and at the point of need.
Download Commonwealth insights: legislative reform
An extensive discussion at the Commonwealth People’s Forum 2018 (CPF 2018) explored the provision of universal health coverage (UHC), defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as ‘ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access essential quality health services without facing financial hardship’ (World Health Organisation 2018).
Participants recognised that Commonwealth countries are often far from achieving UHC and that an alternate, people-centred concept of health is required to counteract the growing shift from public to private health provision. Participants also felt that governments need to be held to account; not only for providing health care as a basic human right, but also for the treaties they sign and commit to, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs).
The session highlighted the range of contemporary models and approaches to building health care systems that promote full coverage, including several country case studies. Requirements for an effective health workforce and challenges in achieving
effective, qualified and motivated health workforces were also identified.
The challenges of the new demands on health systems such as non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including heart disease, various forms of cancer and mental health were explored. While there is increasing public and governmental focus on this challenge, in practice there has been a limited financial and policy response from governments. Participants proposed several recommendations for action by Commonwealth governments and civil society in the period to 2020.
Download Commonwealth insights: universal health coverage
These papers draw on discussions had at the Commonwealth People’s Forum 2018 and share the strategies employed by civil society across the Commonwealth to achieve specific policy goals.
Topics include legislative reform, re-imagining migration, and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
The Commonwealth Foundation encourages the use, translation, adaptation and copying of this material for non-commercial use. We only ask that appropriate credit be given to the Commonwealth Foundation.
Commonwealth People’s Forum 2018
The Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF) is a biennial event held prior to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. CPF 2018 took place on 16-18 April in London and was jointly organised by the Government of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Foundation. CPF 2018 critically explored policy based actions under the theme of ‘Inclusive Governance: The Challenge for a Contemporary Commonwealth’. It provided an innovative opportunity for civil society organisations to share knowledge and learn from each other as well as to interact with governance institutions on key policy issues. The CPF 2018 series elaborates on the issues covered in the London Declaration on Inclusive Governance for a Renewed Commonwealth.
Download CPF 2018 London declaration and call to action
Download Commonwealth insights: universal health coverage
Download Commonwealth insights: legislative reform
Download Commonwealth insights: inclusion of persons with disabilities
Download Commonwealth insights: reimagining migration
Download Commonwealth insights: climate justice
Download Commonwealth insights: women negotiating peace
Download Commonwealth insights: inclusive governance
The Commonwealth Foundation is pleased to release the civil society declaration from the Commonwealth Peoples’ Forum 2018 (CPF 2018), held from 16-18 April 2018. It speaks to the outcomes of the Forum’s 28 sessions, including policy dialogues, plenary and panel sessions. The document includes a call to action on Commonwealth renewal for Heads of Government, Member States, Commonwealth bodies and civil society.
Since 2012 the Commonwealth Foundation has focused on building a culture of people’s participation. We’ve been doing this by developing the capacity of civil society to play its part in making policy more relevant and making institutions more responsive. Here we provide a glimpse of the work we have supported and the impact that it has had.
The Strategic Plan for 2017-2021 builds on five years of achievement and further sharpens our work to amplify less heard civic voice. This theme is rooted in our practice and resonates with the global development agenda, which acknowledges open and accountable governance as the key to social progress. Our tagline is “More Voices for a Fairer Society” because we know that some are not heard and that achieving inclusive governance for development is a journey. Less heard voices can make a powerful case for change. Through our programmes and grants we walk with partners as they make their own contribution to sustainable development.
The insights included in this publication bring our ambitions to life. They show how bringing civic voice into contact with policy makers can improve policy for all. They show how cultural expression can improve our understanding of other people’s experience. They show how institutions that are accountable are better suited to meeting people’s expectations.
Welcome to the Commonwealth Foundation.
The Commonwealth Foundation presents nine papers on the theme of Governance for Resilience, which are available for download now. The papers pick up themes first aired at the Commonwealth People’s Forum in 2015.
Background
The Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF) is a biennial event held prior to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. CPF 2015 took place on 23-26 November 2015 and was jointly organised by the Government of Malta (host) and the Commonwealth Foundation. CPF 2015 critically explored policy based actions under the theme of “What Makes Resilient Societies?” It provided an innovative opportunity for civil society organisations to share knowledge and learn from each other as well as to interact with governance institutions on key policy issues. The CPF2015 series elaborates on the issues covered in the Malta Declaration on Governance for Resilience.
Use, translate, adapt
The Commonwealth Foundation encourages the use, translation, adaptation and copying of this material for non-commercial use. We ask that appropriate credit be given to the Commonwealth Foundation. The perspectives expressed are the views of the author while documenting the opinions expressed by delegates of CPF 2015 in their deliberations and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commonwealth Foundation.
Downloads
Malta declaration
Introductory paper
Policy briefs
Discussion papers
Complete series
Outcomes of the Policy Dialogue on Transformative Education and Sustainable Development in Small States: Building resilience through skills and livelihoods.
The combined efforts of civil society from around the Commonwealth have produced a new declaration on governance for resilience to be submitted to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta.
The second in a series of civil society reflections on participatory governance The SAMOA Pathway: Recommendations from Commonwealth civil society provides an analysis of the main conclusions of the Third UN Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Summit held in September 2014.
It offers recommendations from civil society in the Commonwealth from the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean 1 on the critical issues raised in the SAMOA Pathway, the principal output from the SIDS Summit, on how to begin to turn these commitments into a transformative agenda for the sustainable and inclusive development of SIDS.
