David Concar was in Malta visiting and viewing preparations for the upcoming CHOGM, mentioning that the Queen’s presence at the Heads of Government meeting emphasizes the importance of this CHOGM session.
This role is also linked to the relevance of the Commonwealth, where “there is no other international organisation like this. It is not a military or security organisation... It is not an economic grouping… it’s a soft-power organisation, a network of countries that share the same values, have the same common law heritage. It is also unique as it is not just an inter-governmental organisation. It has very significant networks in Civil Society Networks through the Commonwealth Youth Program and others”.
“If this soft-power wiring succeeds, it offers opportunities to facilitate for solutions and understanding across the divide between regions… between rich and poor… between new and long-standing democracies,” he said.
He continued: “How we enable the Commonwealth as an organisation to bridge those divides is the key underlying theme of this CHOGM. It will require all Commonwealth members to bring to CHOGM some political will to help outcomes and initiatives which will enable that to happen.”
“The world needs more soft-power as the kinds of challenges currently facing the 21st Century cannot solely be addressed through the traditional groupings around security and economic matters. We need this soft-power network that transcends the traditional conventional power blocs. The challenges are quite significant, having seen an increase in inter-state conflicts of various kinds and an arc of instability stretching from sub-Saharan Africa to the Middle East, the rise of extremism, ISIL terror groups seeking to hold territory and Russia’s approach to Ukraine”.
“It would be ridiculous to state that any one organisation can solve all of this as no organisation can, however the Commonwealth does have a part to play in addressing some of these global challenges”.
He approves of the title of the upcoming CHOGM conference in Malta, ‘adding global value’. “We would see this as really significant because of the word ‘global’. What can the Commonwealth do? What can we contribute to the world to help address some of these contemporary challenges?”
Mr Concar mentioned that a number of ideas for this CHOGM’s policy focus have already been discussed. “One we are very willing to discuss revolves around what the Commonwealth can offer the world through enabling young people to resist radicalisation”.
“There’s an underlying issue, one of respect and tolerance. This is part of the Commonwealth brand and its values… to embrace difference and be tolerant towards one another. The Commonwealth includes all the world’s major religions and an immensely diverse range of countries. It is well placed to act as a platform to promote tolerance and respect. This can help young people in communities resist radicalisation. Young persons who feel alienated, who don’t feel respected… are more likely to radicalise”.
He expressed the UK’s hope for this CHOGM’s success and that it be used as an opportunity for the Commonwealth to reboot itself. “It has gone through a period of divisions and the last meeting in Colombo was challenging. It would be good for this CHOGM to show Commonwealth members and the world that Commonwealth countries can come together and agree on things, finding common purpose on issues that truly matter in a 21st Century world”. As examples he mentioned issues of extremism, climate change and prospects for development trade and investment”.
The Envoy expressed his gratitude towards Malta for opting to host the upcoming event.
“We continue to be very impressed by the quality of the preparation and the serious way in which Malta is approaching the event”.
He said that a main reason for his visit to Malta was to hold deeper discussions with government about “their thinking and our ideas on the policy agenda for the GHOGM meeting, and how we can continue to support the development of that agenda. It is very important that it remains a Malta-led agenda and it is equally important that we continue to support and contribute wherever appropriate”.
“This CHOGM needs to go well and we have every confidence that it can go well and every confidence in Malta”.
North-South divide
One of the challenges faced by the Commonwealth is the North-South divide and a tendency for members of the Commonwealth to support or not support an initiative or idea in-line with this division, he explained. “We hope this CHOGM will produce some agreements and some new initiatives and commitments that will enable countries to get passed that divide”. Mr Concar recognises that this is a challenge, expressing the need to broker agreements and understanding between very different countries.
He explained that the Heads of Government meeting also incorporates Forums, one of which focusses on business. “This creates an opportunity for business leaders, representatives of business groups and associations from around the Commonwealth to come together to find a common purpose, while also identifying and bringing to the fore things that Commonwealth governments might view differently”.
Countries in the Commonwealth genuinely find it easier to do business with other countries in the Commonwealth relative to countries outside of it, he added. “We can build on this in future and it will be a focus in the business forum - as to how they can build on the existing advantage the Commonwealth already gives and what we can do to amplify this effect”.