Commonwealth Reforms Presented To Douala Public

The main aim is to make the Commonwealth an organisation of the people.

The Commonwealth has of recent embarked on a series of innovative changes. The changes, whose main goal is to make the Commonwealth an organisation of the people, were presented in Douala, July 4, during a ceremony presided over by SG at the Littoral Governor's Office, Ludovic Ngwba. Among the dignitaries present was Minister Plenipotentiary Samuel Enoh Bessong.

Organs such as the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth Foundation and the Commonwealth Youth Pogramme are undergoing significant reforms that will require a re-launch. Most of the changes started with an Eminent Persons Report, presented to Heads of Government in Perth in 2011. The report indicated that the Secretariat was in danger of becoming irrelevant and unconvincing as a values-based association. It recommended a set of actions needed to be taken to strengthen the Commonwealth as a safeguard against this danger. The reforms are expected to help the organisations to work more effectively together and for increased interaction among Commonwealth scholars, professionals, artists, writers, media practitioners as well as sportsmen and women.

Member countries have found difficulties agreeing on how the Secretariat should be restructured. Countries like Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand have insisted that the Secretariat should focus on issues of democracy and human rights while social transformation, advisory and other development needs (excluding those of Small States) are left to Commonwealth Associations or other international organisations with comparative advantage. Developing countries have on the other hand insisted that social transformation, public sector development and advisory services should be maintained.

At the meeting of the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth Secretariat, High Commissioners finally set up a committee to work on a version of the new structure of the Secretariat, based on democracy and public institutions, youth and social development. The three main reforms approved for the Youth Pogramme include the creation of a Youth Council, creation of Students' Association and the transformation of the Youth Caucus to Ambassador.