[attach id=384818 size="medium"]Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier[/attach]
Far from being a relic from colonial times and a toothless organisation, the Commonwealth can play an important part in global issues, such as climate change, according to its Secretary General.
The summit in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009 was one case in point as it paved the way for the agreement reached at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen some weeks later, Kamalesh Sharma said.
“This contributed largely to the $20 billion start-up fund for developing countries which was probably the highlight of this conference,” Mr Sharma said.
Interviewed by The Sunday Times of Malta during the launch of next year’s Head of States Summit (CHOGM) which Malta will be hosting for the second time in 10 years, the 73-year-old former Indian diplomat shared his views on the relevance of the association.
Prior to his appointment as secretary general in 2008, Mr Sharma served as High Commissioner to the UK and as Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York and Geneva. The theme chosen by Malta, the hosting country next year, will be ‘The Commonwealth – Adding Global Value’.
The event will take place at the historic Fort St Angelo, which is currently being restored after decades of neglect, while a number of fora at the margins of the summit will be held at various locations within the Grand Harbour region.
During his visit to Malta, the secretary general said the Malta preparations were well ahead of schedule.
“Moving some 50 world leaders from one place to another is no easy job,” he said.
However, Malta could rely on a host of venues at a stone’s throw away and so this was a major advantage when compared to other countries, he said.
As for the summit’s agenda this will be largely decided by the host country, whereas the Secretary General will be reporting on the progress made since the summit held last year in Sri Lanka.
People say that these conferences are just talking shops, but in reality if you do not start talking nothing is done
“People say that these conferences are just talking shops, but in reality if you do not start talking nothing is done. You don’t take action blindly but only because there is a concept behind it,” Mr Sharma argued.
More recently, Malta offered to host the Small States Centre of Excellence and a Trade Financing Facility. A partnership agreement was signed earlier this year between Malta and the Commonwealth Secretariat to boost debt management capacity in small states.
“The trade finance facility idea originated in Colombo and the idea was to create a common loan facility for small states and developing countries, facing huge difficulties due to financial turmoil,” he said.
In most cases, such countries have no access to bank loans due to their inability to give sufficient guarantees. The aim is to fill this “vacuum” and support these countries.
On the other hand, the Smaller States Centre of Excellence will be aiming to look closely at the threats being faced by small states and the possible approach which can be taken at national, regional and global level, Mr Sharma said.
The emphasis on small states is just a reflection of the fact that 31 out of the 53 Commonwealth members could be defined as such.
“The association gives priority on how it responds to their distinctive needs while at the same time puts forward ideas of global value,” he said.
In the case of Malta, he said, the leadership shown in various aspects has been “exceptional”.
“It was from here that Prof. Lino Briguglio conceptualised the idea of ‘resilience and vulnerability’ as being the contemporary way of looking at states,” he remarked.
Mr Sharma recalled that this idea originated in 2004 when the Commonwealth, in collaboration with the University of Malta, initiated a pioneering project to help define strategies that enable small states to overcome their vulnerabilities.
Since then the ‘resilience index’ has been taken onboard by the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
“In many respects it could be seen as a triumph for Commonwealth and Maltese thought-leadership.”