Citizenship and the Commonwealth The Active Commonwealth ...

Report of the Inaugural CommonwealthConference:Citizenship and the CommonwealthThe Active Commonwealth Citizen10–12 November 2010Cumberland Lodge, Windsor, UK

IntroductionWhat does citizenship really mean to the people of the Commonwealth?It is possible to take a highly pessimistic view of the present, seeing agradual breakdown around the world of ‘traditional’ bonds of loyaltyand community, which leaves people disengaged and isolated. Many areunknown, unvalued and at odds with societies of which they do not feel apart. Rampant commercialisation has left companies unaccountable to thecommunities in which they operate and has made money the only measureof value.Yet it is also possible to identify cause for optimism. People are comingtogether in new ways and demanding more of governments and globalinstitutions than ever before. They are demanding to know the reasonswhy decisions were made, and they are demanding access to informationso they can make informed decisions of their own. People and communitiesare asserting their right to be consulted and to have a say in decisions, aswell as insisting that they must be involved in the delivery of projects andservices if solutions are to be sustainable, understood and owned.The Commonwealth’s vision is one of values ― it is a voluntary associationdedicated to advancing democracy, human rights, the rule of law, andsustainable development. The Commonwealth is also a community ofcitizens tied together through history, language and, above all, sharedhope.All citizens have a right to decide their own future. This right is ofcourse shared outside the Commonwealth, but the Commonwealthhas incomparable networks to take forward its vision of democracy anddevelopment, through a genuine and equal partnership between peopleand governments.

Citizenship in the CommonwealthUnique in the international landscape, the Commonwealth is the onlyassociation where citizen-to-citizen links under the auspices of theassociation pre-date the creation of formal institutions by membergovernments. Networks for education, language and law will be paramountin many people’s minds. For 25 years the Commonwealth Writers’ Prizehas launched successful careers in fiction; for 50 years CommonwealthScholarships have created leaders in all walks of life; and for more than 100years Commonwealth parliamentarians have shared experience and ideason governance. Professional networks of foresters, engineers, teachers,doctors, nurses, civil servants, local governments, judges, lawyers andmany, many more, engage with thousands of people every day, meetingvoluntarily and building the social capital that puts the Commonwealth’svalues into practice. The bonds we have through conflict are rememberedby the Commonwealth War Graves Commission that manages 23,000locations in 150 countries. And, the Commonwealth Games reminds us ofthe way in which sport has provided another important link. These are thecitizens’ connections and networks that make the Commonwealth special.Jeffrey Sachs, in his book Common Wealth, says ‘No major problem canbe solved by government, or the business sector, or one communityalone. Complex social problems have multiple stakeholders … Gainingcooperation among [them] is the toughest challenge of all.’ But theCommonwealth is pre-adapted to succeed in bringing stakeholderstogether to tackle problems by using its people-to-people links. It is timeto recognise the power of this citizen engagement, and to re-evaluate thesignificance of the professions, cultural organisations, and citizens’ groupsin the Commonwealth. What our citizens need from their governmentsnow is the opportunity to be heard, and the infrastructure to make thesepartnerships work. We need to re-assess the meaning of citizenship inthe Commonwealth and hardwire the concept into the Commonwealth’sfuture.This conference did not produce all the answers. The debates on citizenshipin the Commonwealth, and Commonwealth citizenship, will continue. Butit is hoped that this report will be a launchpad for the development of newideas and action.*****6

Citizenship in the CommonwealthThe Commonwealth Conference is an initiative of the CommonwealthFoundation and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, in partnershipwith the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. It is hoped thatthe Commonwealth Conference will become a regular event, held in asuccession of countries across the Commonwealth.The aim of the conferences is to bring together academics, students,policy makers, members of NGOs and other civil society groups, to discussan issue of central importance to the future of the Commonwealth.Special emphasis will be placed on engaging with the views of students,early-career researchers and other young people from across theCommonwealth.This, the first Commonwealth Conference, held at Cumberland Lodge,Windsor in the UK in November 2010, explored what it means to be acitizen of the Commonwealth in the 21st century. The issue of citizenshipreceived only passing mention in the Communiqué of the 2009 CHOGM.Yet the creation of effective forms of citizenship, which offer the maximumpotential for the inhabitants of Commonwealth countries to play an activeand informed role in shaping their lives and their countries is an importantprecondition for the achievement of the Commonwealth’s stated goalsin areas as diverse as democratisation, sustainable development, humanrights, combating corruption and tackling climate change.This Report will be presented to the Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF)― the civil society gathering that takes place ahead of each Commonwealthsummit, held every two years. The CPF will issue a statement to heads ofgovernment. It is hoped that the recommendations of this report will becaptured in the CPF statement and that civil society representatives pressCommonwealth leaders and foreign ministers to adopt and advance theseideas when they meet at the next Commonwealth Heads of GovernmentMeeting (CHOGM) in October 2011 in Perth, Australia.*****The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental organisationset up in 1965 to make civil society stronger. It empowers charities, nongovernmentalorganisations, professional associations, trade unions, faithgroups and cultural practitioners ― the lifeblood of any healthy society.The Foundation equips these groups with the tools required to contribute7

Citizenship in the Commonwealthto national and international goals of democracy, good governance,sustainable development and cultural diversity. The Foundation rewardsexcellence in the arts and helps to influence key policy-makers. It alsochampions, develops and invests in activities that enrich and strengthensociety. It acts as a vital resource for Commonwealth people, enablingthem to raise their voice, instigate change, and fashion a better world.The Institute of Commonwealth Studies, founded in 1949, is the onlypostgraduate academic institution in the United Kingdom devoted tothe study of the Commonwealth. It is also home to the longest-runninginterdisciplinary and practice-oriented human rights MA programme in theUK. The Institute is a national and international centre of excellence forpolicy-relevant research, research facilitation and teaching. As a member ofthe School of Advanced Study, established in 1994, the Institute works withnine other prestigious postgraduate research institutes to offer academicopportunities across and between a wide range of subject fields in thehumanities and social sciences. The Institute’s library is an internationalresource holding more than 190,000 volumes, with particularly impressiveCaribbean, Southern African and Australian holdings and over 200 archivalcollections.The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom (CSC)is responsible for managing Britain’s contribution to the CommonwealthScholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP), established in 1959. The CSCsupports around 700 awards annually. Awards are funded by theDepartment for International Development (for developing Commonwealthcountries), and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department forBusiness, Innovation and Skills and the Scottish Government (for developedCommonwealth countries), in conjunction with UK universities. The CSCmakes available seven types of awards, and also nominates UK citizens forscholarships to study in other Commonwealth countries under the CSFP.This report was written by Daisy Cooper based on the presentations givenby the conference speakers.8

Chapter 1: What is citizenship?(Speaker: Sharon Zivkovic, University of South Australia)There is no universally accepted definition of the term ‘citizenship’. In themost limited sense, it is about an individual’s membership of a state or apolitical community that gives rise to legal and moral rights and duties. Butthe concept has evolved and it is now so widely accepted that it includesnot merely membership of a state but also membership of the globalpolitical community.There are many reasons for governments to engage stakeholders: it canhelp them to understand the complexity and interconnectedness ofproblems; it can help them identify possible solutions; and it can helpensure that any required changes are understood, discussed and owned bythe people to whom these changes apply.The idea of ‘Active Citizenship’ is derived predominantly from the fieldof education. Some theories emphasise learning through volunteeringand community service, whilst others emphasise learning through civicengagement and non-formal political participation. Essentially, the notionof active citizenship involves both decision making and community action― citizens should be supported to engage in deliberating about the world,to develop policies with governments, and to take collective action tochange the world.Research shows that people feel motivated to participate when theybelieve they can influence decisions and make an impact on society.Citizenship education programmes therefore need to equip citizens withthe knowledge, skills and attributes to enable them to make a differenceto the world around them ― whether at the local, national, or global level,or in making connections between levels. Active citizens need the skillsto access information themselves, a desire to build the capacity of theircommunities, the ability to consider issues from a variety of perspectives9

Citizenship in the Commonwealthand the skills to initiate collective action with diverse stakeholders includinggovernments.The positive impact of suchcitizenship education programmesis clear. Recurrent findings fromresearch to determine the impactof the Community CapacityBuilders active citizenshipprogramme in the City ofEffective states requireeffective citizensOnkaparinga, South Australia (www.onkaparingacity.com/onka/living_here/community/leadership_onkaparinga.jsp) show that such programmesincrease the political effectiveness of people, and create additionalbenefits:• programme participants consider they are more confident in theirability to shape their lives and their communities• they feel more confident to seek out and use information• they have more confidence in political institutions• they feel more able to engage in democratic processes and support thework of government• they are eager to pass on the knowledge and skills they have gained toothers in their communitiesEffective states require effective citizens and the Commonwealth needsto help create conditions for active citizenship within its countries andinstitutions.In 2005, 2,300 people took part in agreeing the United Nations BrisbaneDeclaration of Community Engagement. With the 2011 CHOGM takingplace in Perth, there is an opportunity for Commonwealth governmentsand institutions to commit themselves to a programme of active citizenshipengagement and education.The British Council’s ‘Active Citizens’ programme: a case studyThe purpose of the ‘Active Citizens’ programme is to increase thecontribution of those adults who have a social network within their localcommunities. The programme aims to help people become active locally,to equip them with the skills and confidence to engage in decision-makingprocess, and to talk about citizenship across cultures.10

Citizenship in the CommonwealthIn order to achieve its goals, the Active Citizens programme is dividedinto three phases: local training, social action projects, and internationalengagement. This is broken down into a six-stage journey experienced overone week:• Identity – explore the concept of ‘me’• Culture – knowing ourselves and our community• Dialogue – listening without assumptions; transmitting informationabout me to others• Society and citizenship – learning about culture and decision-making• Project planning and social action – developing an active communityproject• International inter-cultural dialogue – through exchange trips or onlineNext generation reports: Pakistani youth speak out on TVA group of young people voiced their opinions about weighty topical issueshighlighted in the Active Citizens report, Pakistan: The Next Generation(available at www.britishcouncil.pk/pakistan-Next-Generation-Report.pdf),on the national TV programme ‘Dunya Today’. The programme focused onthe issue of corruption in government, which the report revealed to beof great concern to young people for the future security of their country.The programme, which draws around 20 million viewers, was aired in aprimetime slot on 9 November 2010 and was the first of a four-part seriesof seminars involving Active Citizens and the Young Parliamentarians’Forum (YPF).Wales – Kenya community development exchangeIn March 2010, a group of young Welsh community leaders went to Kenyaand Sudan and worked with Sudanese and Kenyan community leaders togain an international perspective on positive social action and communitydevelopment. In May, eight community leaders from Kenya journeyedto Wales where they carried out similar activities with communitydevelopment project leaders. For instance, they met with the WelshAssembly Government and witnessed how Welsh communities engageyouth from deprived areas of Wales. They also visited Cardiff City FootballClub, which runs community-orientated and youth-focused schemes thathave since inspired the Kenyan Active Citizens to develop an under-14schampionship back home in Diani (see http://activecitizens.britishcouncil.org/content/wales-kenya-exchange)11

Citizenship in the CommonwealthKenyan and Welsh ‘Active Citizens’ at the meeting with the Lord Mayor of Cardiff, ProfessorDelme Bowen. Mansion House, official residence of the Lord Mayor of Cardiff, June 2011.Photo courtesy of the British Council.Challenging illiteracy in BangladeshYoung people in Baniazurivillage in Manikganj knew thatilliteracy was a major concernin their community. Followingthe completion of leadershiptraining under the Active Citizensprogramme, they decided to makepositive changes by setting up aCitizens have a right toask why things are notgetting doneliteracy centre for adults in their community. This will help 300 peopleovercome illiteracy. With the support of the elders of the community,the young participants decided not only to help educate people but alsospread awareness on good health practices such as drinking safe water andwashing hands. The centre will operate in shifts and a total of seven youngpeople will teach at the centre voluntarily (see www.britishcouncil.org/bangladesh-active-citizen.htm).12

Chapter 2: Citizens and their rightsCitizens’ rights in the 21st century: a case study of the 2007 JamaicanGeneral Election (Speaker: Amanda Sives, University of Liverpool)The results of the 2007 Jamaican general election were extremely closewith less than two per cent of the vote, just four seats, separating thetwo main parties. Having lost the election, the opposition party sought tochallenge the result by exposing the fact that four of the winning party’scandidates had dual citizenship, three jointly with the USA. The oppositionparty claimed that these candidates, by virtue of having sworn allegianceto foreign countries, were in breach of constitutional provisions. This thenprompted a national debate about who should be entitled to vote andstand for election in Jamaica, particularly as those rights related to dualcitizenship and Commonwealth citizenship.At the time of Independence, the Jamaican Constitution extended the rightto vote in Jamaica to two types of citizens:and,a citizen of Jamaica resident in Jamaica at the date of registrationa Commonwealth citizen who is resident in Jamaica at the date ofregistration and who has been so resident for at least 12 monthsimmediately preceding that date and has attained the prescribedage.The right to be elected in Jamaica was articulated as:A person will be qualified for appointment to the Senate or forelection to the House of Representatives if he [sic] is a citizen ofJamaica or other Commonwealth country of the age of 21 or more15

Citizenship in the Commonwealthand has been ordinarily resident in Jamaica for the immediatelypreceding 12 months.The problem was that four of the elected JLP MPs were technicallyin breach of the constitutional provision which disallows ‘anyacknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreignPower or State’.In June 2008, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding MP, speaking ata Jamaica diaspora conference, described the situation as a ‘constitutionalabsurdity.’ He said,They may have been born in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, youname it … and once they have lived in Jamaica for one year canthen become a Member of Parliament. I have a difficulty if that kindof person can sit with me in Parliament, but a Jamaican who bornand grow part of the time here and do [sic] the rest of the growingsomewhere else cannot sit with me in Parliament.That same month, the leader of the opposition, Portia Simpson-Miller,said that the constitution should be amended to preclude Commonwealthcitizens from holding political office in Jamaica.The situation wherebyCommonwealth citizens havethe right to vote or become amember of parliament in anotherCommonwealth country is ahistorical anomaly. In fact, thereare only 13 Commonwealthcountries which provide voterrights for Commonwealth citizens,and there are only eight whichprovide candidate rights forCommonwealth citizens. Moreover,of the 13, all are in the Caribbeanexcept for the UK and Mauritius.Bruce GoldingThe right of Commonwealthcitizens to vote and be16

Citizenship in the Commonwealthrepresentatives in a small numberof countries is a historical anomalyand should be questioned. In themodern Commonwealth, citizenshipneeds to be redefined as a processof empowering individuals acrossa range of countries to demandtheir rights from governments andfrom the wider Commonwealthinstitutions. We need a sharedand agreed understanding ofwhat is meant by Commonwealthcitizenship in the 21st century.That Commonwealthcitizens can vote orbe an MP in anotherCommonwealthcountry, is a historicalanomalyCitizenship, passports, and rights: ECOWAS community citizenshipin perspective (Speaker: Edefe Ojomo, former research fellow at theECOWAS Commission, Nigeria)In 2000, West African countries adopted a policy for a borderless EconomicCommunity of West African States (ECOWAS). Countries agreed to abolishthe requirement that citizens needed a passport or a residence permitto travel between or reside within ECOWAS countries. In ‘the spirit ofequal treatment of Community citizens’ the ECOWAS community adoptedand introduced a single ECOWAS passport, giving political identity to allECOWAS citizens. Their entitlements include the right of entry, the right ofresidence and the right of establishment.Previously, in the 1979 Protocol Relating to Free Movement of Persons,Residence and Establishment, a ‘citizen of the Community’ was definedas meaning a ‘citizen of any Member State.’ A subsequent 1982 Protocoladopted for the purpose defines a community citizen based on ‘nationality’and ties to a member state. Citizens of the ECOWAS community thereforeonly have this regional political status, by virtue of their nationalcitizenship. Indeed, this point is central to the debate on whether theconcept of ‘Commonwealth citizenship’ can be defined, or has any realmeaning. In a strictly political definition, ‘Commonwealth citizens’ can onlyhave this status by virtue of their citizenship of a Commonwealth membercountry.17

Citizenship in the CommonwealthThe political reality of this definition then is that citizenship impliesexclusion for lots of people. In keeping with the Commonwealth’sprinciples, the concept of Commonwealth citizenship should try to beinclusive, whether by encouraging active Commonwealth citizens to be anexample to others, or by exporting ideas to the world.Most of the populations of ECOWAS countries live in rural communitiesgoverned by social patterns. For many, ‘the state’ exists only in the capital.With over 200 ethnic groups in ECOWAS, people’s sense of identity andbelonging is stronger within their local community, than with the state andregion.Most of the Commonwealth’spopulation lives in rural communitiestoo ― the Commonwealth needsto get to know these citizens. IfCommonwealth citizenship is tomean anything, the Commonwealthmust define the rights and duties ofCommonwealth citizens to each other,and it must define the duties andresponsibilities of Commonwealthinstitutions to Commonwealth citizens.Most of theCommonwealth’spopulation lives inrural communities ―the Commonwealthneeds to get to knowthese citizens18

Chapter 3: Teaching citizenshipCitizenship education in English-speaking primary schools in Cameroon,for children aged 5–12 (Speaker: Charles Tante, University of Buea,Cameroon)Cameroon’s two official languages are French and English: the legacy of itsdivision into British and French-governed territories at the end of the FirstWorld War. Following unification at independence, Cameroon struggledto harmonise its educational system. In 1998, a law was passed thatestablished two subsystems: English-speaking and French-speaking.The first national syllabus for Cameroon’s English-speaking sub-systemwas issued in the year 2000, 40 years after independence. One of itsinnovations was a shift in the content of the curriculum. The three Rsof ‘reading, writing and arithmetic’ were replaced with a much broadercurriculum, which included citizenship education.Today, the citizenship curriculum involves three subjects: civics education,human rights education and moral education. The course emphasises theskills and attitudes the nation-state would like its primary school pupils todevelop. These relate to regional, national and global levels. Indeed, theinfluence of globalisation and the importance of being a ‘global citizen’ areevident in the preamble to the syllabus which states that,... the primary school curriculum in Cameroon should not only focuson the traditional school subjects but must include global concernssuch as human rights, environmental education, democracy, peaceeducation, civil defence, moral education and HIV/AIDS.The syllabus is based around objectives, topic and content. Importantly, thesyllabus is drawn firstly to emphasise the type of young learner the nation-19

Citizenship in the Commonwealthstate encourages, before setting out the content by which learners willbecome responsible in aspects of citizenship education at their level.Citizenship education is taught in all sixyears of primary school. Of the threesubjects, civics education is the mostelaborate tier catering separately for eachof the six year classes. From Class One toClass Four the content revolves aroundthe relationship between the individual,home, school, the administrative contextand the broader society. Direct mentionThe syllabusemphasises thetype of younglearner the nationstateencouragesis made of the Commonwealth in Class Five (there is further developmentof this in post-primary school). Classes Five and Six emphasise some ofthe ills in society such as gambling and bribery and teach children abouttheir duties to the home, as well as developing their knowledge aboutlocal, provincial, national world issues such as types of councils, thevarious arms of government, international organisations and their relationwith Cameroon. Other areas covered include: the constitution; duties ofmembers of government; use of the highway; types of elections; and rightsand obligations of self and others.It has been hard to judge the effectiveness or impact of teachingcitizenship. Whilst the nation-state of Cameroon is trying to encourage theEnglish-speaking ‘Young Learner’ to develop a sense of the local, regional,national and global belonging, this is undermined by their experiencesoutside the classroom. Seeing corruption and bribery in their societymay confuse the young learners, robbing them of any trust in the idea ofcitizenship and leading them to perceive it merely as a subject in which tosucceed at school.Corruption and briberymay cause younglearners to lose trust inthe idea of citizenshipCitizenship must not just be aschool subject ― people musttranslate theory into practice, intheir professional, personal andpolitical lives. Moreover, effectivecitizenship education must encouragecollaboration between the state,schools, parents, local communityand peers.20

Citizenship in the CommonwealthRum, curry and cricket ― multiculturalism and multi-nationalism in theCommonwealth Caribbean (Speaker: Kris Rampersad)Rum, curry and cricket are symbols of the multinational nature ofthe Commonwealth Caribbean and are all products of the process ofcolonialism and globalisation that developed into the Commonwealth ofnations.The process of building a sense ofidentity as a global citizen did notbegin in the 1970s as is being toutedin much international discourse; thatprocess has been unfolding in theformer colonies of the British, Frenchand Dutch in the Caribbean sinceCommonwealthcitizens should nurturetransnational solidarityto fight justice issuesthe initial encounter between the old worlds and the new one. Researchevidence from early English newspapers in Trinidad and Tobago reveals thecolonies engaged in interrogating and pronouncing upon the multinationalnature of their specific reality as well as the world. Kris Rampersad’s book,Finding a Place, documented that process and provided evidence thatshows, in relation to transplanted people from India to the Caribbeanthrough British colonialism, that there was no conceptual conflict betweenbeing a citizen under foreign rule of both the new world and the old atthe same time. People accepted their multinational character and weretrying to find ways of having this accommodated within the political andsocial structures. And so, more than 200 years ago, Trinidad and Tobagobecame a microcosm of the process of globalisation, since the islandshad already been populated by indigenous groups first from Europe, thenfrom Africa followed by Asia (Indians, Chinese). As early as this, evenbefore aeroplanes, mass communication and the internet, motherland andhome could be several places at the same time. There was no conflict, forinstance, in the idea of being simultaneously a son of India, a citizen of theCommonwealth, and a Trinidadian. The country became an incubator fordiversity.In October 2010, German chancellor Angela Merkel claimed that hercountry’s attempts to create a multicultural society had ‘utterly failed’.Since the term ‘multicultural’ entered the global vocabulary in the1970s, UNESCO has introduced a number of awkward culture-basedconventions to protect and preserve the ‘diversity’ of culture and heritage.25

Citizenship in the CommonwealthMulticulturalism is an awkward concept, and difficult to define. The idea ofglobal citizenship is more meaningful.Rather than leading the way, the Commonwealth’s response has beenlargely reactive. Increasingly, citizens identify with many nationalities ordifferent national experiences. Citizenship is changing through informalprocesses, including migration. The Commonwealth is ideally placed topresent a borderless solution to the idea of citizenship. Drawing on theirhistorical connections, citizens around the Commonwealth can nurture andbuild that reality. The Commonwealth must itself strengthen its institutionsto recognise and act on that strength, rather than play at following suitto other international organisations that are functioning from theoreticalas opposed to practical experience of the nature of multiculturalism andmultinationalism.The understanding that citizen power is not soft power would have to beamong the most important of those changes.26

Chapter 5: Citizenship, reconciliation and themarginalisedQuest for citizenship ― youth in post-conflict Commonwealth societies(Speaker David Mwambari, Syracuse University, NY)As many as 20,000 children have been abducted in the last 19 years to fightwars, 12,000 of them between 2002 and 2004. By virtue of being coercedinto being political tools to create and sustain wars, these individuals areno longer treated as humans or citizens. Regarded as an enemy withinthe country, unwanted by any community, their basic rights are denied tothem. In essence, they ‘lose’ their citizenship.In a post-conflict situation, there has to be a process of transition to semicitizenshipand then full citizenship. Refugees and internally displacedRefugees from Democratic Republic of Congo at the border village of Busanza November 2,2008 in Kisoro, Uganda.Sam DCruz / Shutterstock.com27

Citizenship in the Commonwealthpeoples will initially find themselves stateless, living in a refugee camp.From there, many will enter rehabilitation centres before attempts toreintegrate them into a community where the new citizen will be acceptedor rejected by the community. (In situations where women have beenthe targets of war, restoring the dignity of female citizens can be a crucialfactor.) New citizens that are accepted into a community take part incommunity rituals which act as a cleansing process. Rehabilitation andreintegration are therefore key to helping those in post-conflict situationsto become ‘new’ citizens.With its commitment to helping the marginalised, the Commonwealthcould have a role in helping these young people, who, if ignored,could become criminals and cause insecurity to other citizens. TheCommonwealth is already working with young people formerly engagedin conflict, particularly in its Northern Uganda Youth Development Centre.The Centre’s work on education and employment could be expandedto include education about young people’s rights and responsibilities ascitizens, as well as engaging them in campaigns to educate other citizensand end stigma for their children.Citizens with dementia: the meaning of citizenship in the light of cognitivedecline (Speaker: Ruth Bartlett, University of Bradford)Dementia literally means ‘without mind’. Dementia is a collection ofdisorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and affects a person’s abilityto think, reason, and communicate. It is incurable and is a global healthproblem.With the widespreaduse of the internet,people with disabilitiesand illnesses can beactive citizens even athomePeople with a disability havereceived scant attention incitizenship discourse. For peoplewith dementia, citizenship is asmuch about recognition as it isabout access to rights. People withhealth problems are increasinglyprepared to accept their diagnosisand use it as the basis for socialaction.28

Citizenship in the CommonwealthAt the individual and family level, dementia is often feared andmisunderstood. People with dementia can be marginalised and excluded,medicalised and mistreated. But, there is a rise in dementia activism.People with dementia have been protesting on the streets, speakingout publicly and creating networks on the internet to end dementiadiscrimination. Indeed, with the widespread use of the internet, peoplewith disabilities and illnesses can be active citizens even at home.In a study of dementia activism, the following questions were asked:• What drives people with dementia to take social action?• What tactics do people with dementia use?• What impact does activism have on the person?Participants were asked to keep a photo diary or an audio or written diary.Their inventory included: 1110 photographs (994 taken by participants, 116by the research team); approximately ten hours of naturalistic video; andseveral written accounts. They said:Positivity is my greatest weapon (charity ambassador, female).I can go straight to the top and give them a blasting (member ofself-help community group, male).Dementia is my flak jacket. We have to look into our arsenal and pickout the best weapons we can … the rest of the world think we (thegroup) are rocket propelled (Edward, who has a military backgroundand frequently uses military metaphors).The participants also disclosed that they use their identity as a person withdementia strategically ― not always revealing their disability:When you tell [students] you’ve got dementia they nearly fall off thechair and they can’t believe you can still talk.I tend to use my own condition to bring people to their senses… I won’t tell them I’ve got a diagnosis, I’ll tell them about ananonymous person and I’ll list all the conditions that this personhas had. And then I’ll just hit them between the eyes and say, wellI’m actually talking about myself. To shock them into paying more29

Chapter 6: Citizenship, the environment and theeconomyThe ‘4P’ approach: Public, Private, People Partnerships (Speaker: Dr UshaJumani, management consultant, India)There are three institutional anchors in society ― the state, the privatesector and civil society. In each sphere, people are seen as citizens,consumers and communities respectively.Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs or 3P approach) are a responseto state and market failure and change the role of the state from‘provider’ to facilitator and regulator. These PPPs have worked well insome infrastructure sectors like roads and ports, but their institutionalarchitecture views people as consumers/clients/users to address citizenshipentitlement problems and issues.The Public-Private-People-Partnership (PPPP) or the ‘4P approach’ ofinvolving people is an improvement because its institutional architecturetreats them as members of communities (not just consumers); it givespeople a direct say in the decisions affecting them; and it enables themto become active stakeholders as owners and managers, as well asconsumers/clients/users. The fundamental difference between ‘3P’ and‘4P’ is that in the former, the private partner is the doer with help from civilsociety, whereas in the latter, the doer is the community with help fromcivil society and the private partner.However, whilst state success/failure, and market success/failure are wellunderstood, the dynamics and reasons for people’s successes and failuresare not yet understood in detail. Notwithstanding this, the involvement ofpeople and communities provides more scope for scrutinising decisionsand for exercising checks and balances to ensure that decisions contribute31

Citizenship in the Commonwealthto realising the rights and vision of communities. The framework ofanalysis, therefore, has to move from a two-dimensional one of state andmarket success/failure to a three-dimensional one of state, market andpeople success/failure.Whilst communities and people’s organisations will have local knowledge,they don’t always have the skills to engage with public and privatepartners and their processes. Poor people and their organisations shouldnot just be put in a circle amongst giants and be expected to engagethem effectively. Governments and the private sector should follow theprocess of ‘trust, train, transfer’ when community groups are expected tobe involved in the delivery of projects or services. That is, communitiesand people’s organisations should be trusted to deliver the service; theyshould be trained in how to deliver them; and then responsibility should betransferred.The challenge of development then is to strengthen the people’sorganisations, and to accept them as rightful partners of the state toaddress citizen entitlement issues. The word ‘EMPOWER’ can become anacronym for ‘Enable and Mainstream People’s Organisations for Wealth,Equality and Representation’.Citizenship, the environment and the economy (Speaker: Steve Bass,International Institute for Environment and Development)Rapidly growing economic activity is breaching ecological limits and poorpeople are suffering most. Adopted by world leaders in the year 2000 andset to be achieved by 2015, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)provide concrete, numerical benchmarks for tackling extreme poverty inits many dimensions. However, the environmental component of eachMillennium Development Goal (MDG) is insecure.Governments fight hard for rightsto use forests and seas but don’tfight hard to tackle climate change.They often usurp the rights of localand indigenous people whilst onlyfighting limply to protect natureand climate. Corporations exert aThe environmentalcomponent ofeach MillenniumDevelopment Goal(MDG) is insecure32

Citizenship in the Commonwealth‘footprint’ on nature and a ‘brainprint’ on people: ‘we are not born asconsumers and employees, but that is what most of us become.’ (ProfessorP. Victor).However, environmental experts see opportunities in the current economiccrises to establish new economic models. The ‘green economy’ modelcould be the answer to many problems. A green economy is a fair andresilient one, which provides a better quality of life for all, achieved withinthe ecological limits of one planet.Yet, the ‘Green Economy’ concept runs the risk of being a northern oneonly. There is also a danger of governments adopting green conditionalityand protectionism; where corporations create ‘corporate greenwash’where they encourage people to ‘consume more green stuff’; and wherecitizens become passive consumers of green products and green politics.Citizens already play a central role in moving towards a Green Economymodel, and their actions already add up to more than what governmentsare doing. Many are taking direct action, by establishing ‘forestcommunities’ and ‘green transition towns’. People are recycling andembracing low-cost transport solutions. They are learning the skills tochange local authorities, and launch digital anti-brand campaigns.Citizens in a green economy require:• Rights and voice: people and countries to have equal global ‘ecospace’• Access: to environmental information, decision-making, and justice• Choice: available green options to meet needs and wants• Subsidies: shifting from ‘bads’ (fossil fuels) to environmental and socialgoods• New finance mechanisms: social stock exchanges, very long-termgreen bonds, Tobin tax• Means to hold governments and corporations accountable: wellbeingmeasures (not GDP) and integrated accounts (translate environmentaland social benefits into monetary accounts)Citizenship education programmes should seek to provide citizens with theskills and knowledge to campaign for green economies.33

Chapter 7: Science, technology and citizenshipTechnology and the nature of active citizenship (Speaker: Sir RolandJackson, chief executive of the British Science Association)Technology has changed the nature of active citizenship. In the past,information technology was used for automating the internal workingsof government by processing data. Today, information communicationstechnologies (ICTs) have revolutionised the external workings ofgovernment. Research shows that access to advanced ICT is a key factorin the economic and social development of Sub-Saharan Africa and hasfacilitated the transfer of ideas from the west. Governments therefore havehigh expectations of ICT:Communications technology has fundamentally changed the waypeople live, work, and interact socially, and we in Rwanda haveno intention of being left behind or standing still as the rest of theglobe moves forward at an ever increasing pace (President PaulKagame in Williams 2010: 1).Despite this determination, citizens’ access to broadband internet hasremained low. In fact, there is a deepening digital divide as the lack ofskills and literacy prevents universal access. Also, these technologies arenot universally available, so the large proportion of global citizens that livein rural areas are normally the ones to miss out. Additionally, developingcountries lack ICT skills in the labour market, making the cost of usingICT very high. Notwithstanding these challenges, ICT is still being used toimprove processes and connect citizens.There are three models of interaction for which ICT can be used:managerial, consultative, and participatory. The managerial model ispremised on one-way communication and is about the ‘efficient’ deliveryof government/state information to citizens and other groups of ‘users’.35

Citizenship in the CommonwealthThe consultative model is about the use of ICT to conduct consultativeprocesses. But this is still, essentially, a one-way process. The participatorymodel however is very different. Here, civil society exists away from thestate. The internet is a hub of voluntary associations and spontaneousinteractions and just having access is enough to encourage wider politicalparticipation.Botswana: a case study (Speaker: Molefe Phirinyane, Botswana Institutefor Development PolicyAnalysis)Botswana is a good casestudy because it is an‘advanced reformer’ interms of embracing ICT,having rolled out ICTs toits entire public sector.It is also a middleincome country, has astable democracy anddoes not have a structural adjustment programme.A recent survey to assess the extent to which ICTs were being used incitizen participation, asked two questions:1) What strategies are being adopted to stimulate access tocommunication technology (especially broadband internet)?2) Why has citizens’ access to broadband internet remained low?With regard to access to broadband and participation, the surveyrespondents noted the following:• An exodus of trained experts to private sector• Limited bandwidth as broadband is shared with Zambia• The high cost of broadband internet (Botsnet)• People prefer DStv and cellular phones to internet access• With only a small market, a large country makes service expensive36

Citizenship in the CommonwealthIt is clear that, to date, Botswana has applied the managerial approach toICTs. The approach is non-participatory and communication is one way.Centralisation and a lack of capacity hamper innovation.Moving forward, traditional and non-expensive participatory methodsshould be strengthened. Governments must create incentives for onlineservice transactions (e.g. discounts on online service levy payments,downloading of application forms) and civil society organisations mustbe strengthened to train citizens on using ICTs. Meanwhile, developedcountries should put pressure on multinationals to lower marine cableconnection costs and should create incentives for success ― rewardinggood performers.Science, technology and policy making (Speaker: Kirsty Newman,International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications –INASP)Sometimes, people and evidence disagree. For example, in a series of testson people’s attitudes to medicine, participants were shown a tablet and asyringe and asked which one they thought would make them better. Therespondents overwhelmingly said that the injection would, without anyevidence with which to make an informed, rational decision.A pre-requisite forpublic participationin science iseducationEvidence-based research is of centralimportance to science and sciencerelatedpolicy-making. The role ofscientists and social scientists is to giveinformation to policy makers. Whenevidence suggests that people are notrational, the relationship betweencitizens and their participation in thepolicy-making process is challenged.Evidence informs decisions, but it may not be the sole basis for them.Citizens may not agree with the evidence, and this is a very serious pointin the context of major public health issues, such as the prevention andtreatment of malaria and HIV/AIDs.37

Citizenship in the CommonwealthAll aspects of science should be open and, where possible, people shouldbe encouraged to be involved, for example, by tracking temperatures aspart of a research programme on climate change. However, a pre-requisitefor public participation in science is education. So, whilst science must beopen to challenge, these challenges must in turn be properly informed.Looking ahead to the future of public participation in scientific policymaking, people interested in citizenship will need to grapple with a numberof new questions, such as are there any core value statements whichinform how to engage people? And, who owns technology developments?38

Chapter 8: Young Commonwealth citizens(Speaker: Andrew Robertson for CommonwealthYouth Exchange Council – CYEC)Does the ‘young Commonwealth’ demonstrate a level of consensus thatis lower, higher, or equal to the level of consensus demonstrated by theofficial Commonwealth? How far even are ‘the young Commonwealth’ andthe official Commonwealth distinct from each other? In truth, it is hard tosay. Commonwealth youth representatives consistently come out in favourof greater environmental protection and human rights. Whether or notthey see homosexuality as a crime, they are at least willing to discuss it,especially in mixed fora together with young members of CommonwealthCivil Society Organisations (CSOs). Privately, some young citizens mightaccept poverty as the price of growth, or torture as the ‘price of security’,but a Commonwealth youth meeting is unlikely to do so. Equally, it willtend to refrain from criticising any government or head of state for suchviews (even if encouraged to by a non-youth figure). A middle ground istherefore the ‘steady state’. The Commonwealth Secretariat and its YouthAffairs function (including the Commonwealth Youth Programme [CYP];www.thecommonwealth.org/subhomepage/152816/) is supported byNational Youth Councils and, drawn from them, a body which was untilrecently called the Commonwealth Youth Caucus (www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/152835/youth_caucus/). So, too, is the biennialCommonwealth Youth Forum (now jointly organised by the CommonwealthYouth Exchange Council, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the hostcountry; www.cyec.org.uk/young-commonwealth/commonwealth-youthforum/commonwealth-youth-forum-2011).However, the Commonwealth’syouth ‘representatives’ are not representative in either a demographic orelectoral sense. Typically, they are selected from the global middle classand are well-educated, often privately or in elite schools which have giventhem a certain perspective. Whether elected by their peers at sub-national,regional and/or Pan-Commonwealth level, entry to Commonwealth circles39

Citizenship in the Commonwealthas a country representative is in thegift of national governments.It is not clear whobenefits from ‘youthleaders’ that are handpickedby governmentsAs such there is confusion as towhether youth leaders are thespokespeople of civil society orgovernment; to whom they areaccountable; and how far they can credibly speak on behalf of theirgeneration (and the marginalised in particular).Indeed, it is not clear who benefits from ‘youth leaders’ that are handpickedand inculcated into the ‘steady state’ mentioned above. It remainsto be seen whether reform of Commonwealth youth structures departsfrom this organising principle and harmonises with core Commonwealthconcerns around democracy and pro-poor development.Most young people are not interested in citizenship ― they are interestedin justice. Citizenship is a ‘way in’ to these more substantive concerns.Different stakeholders are divided on what the task is, but one thing isclear: compromising too far on fundamental values trains young leadersmerely to reproduce the world and not to improve it.40

Chapter 9: The significance of citizenship in thecontemporary Commonwealth(Speaker: Mark Collins, Commonwealth Foundation)The Commonwealth comes alive and visible by the efforts ofthousands of individuals who, through their knowledge andexpertise, help each other to grow. These networks and partnershipscontribute to a global dialogue in which citizens from every partof the Commonwealth benefit from each other’s knowledgeand experience of the world (Rt. Hon. Don McKinnon, formerCommonwealth Secretary-General).The Commonwealth is very much defined by personal experiences.For the vast majority of people, it isn’t about good offices orgood governance workshops; it’s about the fact that they got ascholarship, won an essay prize, (or) went to a Commonwealthcountry for their gap year because they spoke English there. This isthe ‘invisible glue’ of the Commonwealth that people talk about (ARound Table scholar from Canada).We need to create a modern social contract for the Commonwealth thatreflects the will and needs of Commonwealth people today and we need toempower citizens of the Commonwealth to make sure it is implemented.The Commonwealth’s reputationand standing is currently low. In partthis is because the Commonwealthhas been slow to recognise thefundamental and fast-growingimportance of citizen engagement:to listen to what the people wantWe must get to gripswith the idea thatvalues and principlesare transnational41

Citizenship in the Commonwealthand need. This fundamental democratic deficit within the Commonwealthneeds to be corrected.We must get to grips with the idea that values and principles aretransnational, that many of the great concerns of the day are much morethan relations between one country and its immediate neighbour andthat international forms of governance (and therefore of citizenship) areessential.Citizens clearly have transnational responsibilities and citizenship itselfmust have an international dimension. We need to understand and explainwhat responsibilities and accountabilities we have as global citizens.We also need international institutions to be responsive to calls frominternationally engaged citizens for new and emerging forms of governanceand to take bold and courageous leadership in tackling global injustice.Today humanity as a whole is living well beyond the planet’s means andthis is causing a wide range of economic and security problems. The naturalecological laws of sanitation and cleansing cannot keep up with the wastethat we pump into the oceans and the atmosphere. The biodiversity thatwe depend upon for food and basic living materials is being decimated. OurOpen passage in pack ice42

Citizenship in the Commonwealtheconomic systems are flawed and the road to recovery lies in a new greeneconomic approach.We are asking our governments to address these matters collectively and,frankly, they are not having much success. If we go on as we are, we willleave a legacy in this century of a warming climate, rising seas, water warsand forced migrations that will put development into reverse.Citizens clearlyhave transnationalresponsibilitiesA closely related matter is theweakness and fragility of governanceof international spaces. Seventyper cent of the planet is outsidesovereign boundaries, includingmost of our oceans and Antarctica.The Arctic Ocean is already the subject of international dispute as thenorthern ice melts. Active international citizenship is essential to articulatethe values and principles by which we as citizens wish to be governed inrelation to such matters.But in order to do any of this, we also need strong citizenship, goodgovernance, democracy and rule of law within the boundaries of oursovereign states. So the Commonwealth must continue to press for humanrights, freedom of expression, a free press, an end to discriminationand help for the vulnerable elements within our communities. And wemust be quick and assertive in condemning fundamental breaches of theCommonwealth’s values, to which the member governments have agreed.If we cannot do that, then we will be bogged down in national issues andnever sort out the international ones. And we will have no chance of raisingour eyes to the wider international horizons.43

Chapter 10: Recommendations1. The Commonwealth Foundation, in partnership with otherCommonwealth organisations, should embark on a major campaign tobuild active Commonwealth citizenship. Particular attention should bepaid to countries where social capital, democracy and the rule of lawneed more help.2. All Commonwealth countries should embrace the notion of activecitizenship and incorporate citizenship education into the schoolcurriculum.3. The Commonwealth People’s Forum should call on Commonwealthgovernments to reiterate their commitment to eliminating all forms ofdiscrimination including that based on caste and analogous systemsand on gender identity.4. The Commonwealth People’s Forum should call on Commonwealthleaders to establish a high-level expert group of environmental andeconomic experts to design new economic models that serve andprotect citizens and the environment.5. The Commonwealth Youth Programme’s focus on engaging youngpeople in political processes should be expanded to include collectiveaction in local communities.6. The proposed ‘Commonwealth Charter’, as suggested by theCommonwealth Eminent Persons Group, should articulate theresponsibility of Commonwealth institutions to the people ofthe Commonwealth. It should also articulate a vision of theCommonwealth that embraces and promotes active citizenship.The process of developing the Charter should be inclusive andopportunities should be given to all citizens to contribute.7. During the dialogue between civil society and foreign ministers at thenext Commonwealth Summit, civil societies should assert their right to

Citizenship in the Commonwealthask decision-makers why certain recommendations have and have notbeen accepted and foreign ministers should respond openly.8. The Commonwealth Foundation should extend its grant-making toorganisations that provide citizenship education programmes and/or that enable others to engage in civic processes. Commonwealthgovernments should also be called upon to support such initiatives.46

This booklet, based on papers presented at a conference held atCumberland Lodge, Windsor in the UK in November 2010, explores what itmeans to be a citizen of the Commonwealth in the 21st century. It suggeststhat active citizenship is key to revitalising the Commonwealth, and itmakes some challenging recommendations for the future.Institute of Commonwealth StudiesSchool of Advanced StudyUniversity of LondonSenate HouseMalet StreetWC1E 7HUwww.commonwealth.sas.ac.uk