Ransford Smith | The Commonwealth: History and relevance – Part 3

CRISIS – AND REFORM

The Commonwealth Secretariat’s governance and the efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of its programme delivery, especially for development, have been under considerable scrutiny in recent years, and mainly so by major funding members. This situation may have intensified during the current secretary general’s tenure, which began in 2016, but preceded her incumbency.

Reports indicate that there has been progress: the Secretariat has sought to design bigger and better-quality projects, and there have been reported improvements in project and performance management, and reforms to staff structure. A mid-term review of the three-year strategic plan, which ended last year, found that member countries “benefited from the Secretariat’s work across all pillars” but noted as well that in several areas, including economic policy, youth, and democracy, the Commonwealth Secretariat’s ability to be responsive to member country demands was hindered by resource constraints.

Both the previous as well as the recently adopted strategic plan, the latter of which will run until 2024-25, have sought greater alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement, while continuing the Commonwealth Secretariat’s engagement on issues relating to small and other vulnerable states, on good governance, anti-corruption, youth, and empowering women and girls.

The current Strategic Plan reflects the continued narrowing and sharpening of priorities which major developed members of the Commonwealth – namely Australia, Britain, and Canada – have agitated for and which evaluations have recommended. The plan pointedly notes that going forward, there will be focus on fewer areas, especially in programmes funded by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC), narrowing of the scope of the technical assistance portfolio, and focus on areas where the Secretariat can generate significant value-added.

DEEPENED FINANCIAL CRISIS

But despite progress in some areas of reform, the financial crisis facing the Secretariat has only deepened in recent years. In the early part of 2020, following reports that the Secretariat’s Audit Committee had found repeated breaches of procurement guidelines, both the United Kingdom and New Zealand announced suspension of their voluntary contributions to the CFTC, while Australia did the same, and indicated as well that future voluntary contributions would be at a reduced level. Funding was subsequently restored by the UK and New Zealand, in March and June 2020, respectively, after a procurement review by KPMG LLP concluded that “processes have improved and are now generally well-designed, with some further opportunities for development”. Specifically, the KPMG review of April 2020 noted that the Secretariat’s tender waiver processes and declarations of interest covering the period July 2015 – June 2018 had been examined: it added that the recommendations resulting from the review were accepted by management and were confirmed to have been implemented by a follow-up audit completed in February 2020.

The 2018 – 2020 report of the Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, issued by the United Kingdom in September 2020, concurs in this. The Chair-in-Office report states that as a result of the internal audit of procurement-related matters requested by the board of governors in 2019, “a number of processes and practices have now been improved”. It adds: “In addition, other conditions set by the UK for its 2019-2020 contribution to the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (administered by the Commonwealth Secretariat) have led to improvements in other areas of management and administration”.

The overall dire funding situation cited earlier is exacerbated by the fact that Canada, the second largest contributor to the CFTC, withdrew its voluntary funding to this Commonwealth development instrument seven years ago. This was done in protest over the holding of the 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka, and Canada’s concern over Sri Lanka’s human rights record.

As is now widely known as well, there have been concerns relating to the stewardship of the incumbent secretary general. These have included questions raised regarding the award of a consultancy contract without competitive tender to a company owned by a former political associate, allegations of financial extravagance, and criticisms of leadership and management style, matters which have been repeatedly aired in the British media especially. In recent years, too, two substantial financial judgements have been made by the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal – to which Secretariat staff have recourse – in favour of senior staff members who challenged disciplinary action taken, in one instance, and the failure to renew her contract, in the other.

The last CHOGM, held in Malta in late 2015, at which the decision to appoint the current secretary general was taken, recognising the need for reform and renewal, mandated the establishment of a high-level group to review the “full governance arrangements of the Commonwealth Secretariat”. This group, established in 2018 after some delay, has done so. Its recommendations have been since considered and agreed by the Secretariat’s Board of Governors, which comprise High Commissioners in London, and by foreign ministers.

According to the 2018 – 2020 UK Commonwealth Chair-in-Office report, the recommendations clarify roles and responsibilities on matters pertaining to Secretariat governance and accountability and cover themes including funding, collaboration with accredited Commonwealth organisations, and the processes for selection, appointment, and appraisal of secretaries general. The Chair-in-Office report expresses confidence that on implementation – after endorsement by heads – “they will make a significant difference to the effective operation of the Commonwealth Secretariat and its collaboration with member states and Commonwealth organisations”.

The next meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government, twice postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, is scheduled to be held the week of June 20 in Kigali, Rwanda, under the theme: ‘Delivering a Common Future – Connecting, Innovating, Transforming”.

TOWARD POSTMODERN COMMONWEALTH

The overwhelming majority of Commonwealth members are developing countries. It is increasingly clear that the substantial decline in resources available to the Secretariat – and the activism of major developed members on the matter of priorities and comparative advantage – will lead to a redefining of role and functions, and especially to a diminished development role. The Commonwealth Secretariat likely to emerge from this repositioning both because of the decline in available resources, and the vision that appears to be in ascendancy, is one which prioritises (i) advocacy and good offices; (ii) and also one of virtual networks and platforms, relying on technology to maximise reach, engage in capacity building, and to cost-effectively exchange good practices and knowledge products among Commonwealth members. This might be described as the postmodern Commonwealth.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hastened and is deepening this approach. But it is an approach that declining resources appears to have also made inevitable. According to the 2019 – 2020 Annual Results Report, the Commonwealth Secretariat is placing “greater emphasis on digital products, digital access and digital delivery of meetings and capacity building”. There is also greater emphasis on “research, the generation and sharing of knowledge and best practice to support member countries in the COVID-19 and post COVID-19 world”.

The United Kingdom, traditionally lukewarm to country-level, structural and more ‘hands on’ Commonwealth Secretariat development activities, which are viewed as lacking impact and duplicative of the endeavours of better-placed entities, such as the World Bank, is, especially after Brexit, evidently very keen on strengthening the Commonwealth’s advocacy, convening, and consensus-building roles. From this perspective, the Commonwealth is an important ‘collective voice’ and a vehicle that can potentially provide leverage for global and other positions. But the very real and present danger is that in the years to come, this may become the near entirety of the matter.

There is undoubtedly value in a Commonwealth advocacy and consensus-building role. The global stage is a crowded one and voice and influence are at a premium. It is crucial though that Commonwealth voice and advocacy add real value: it must be able to recognise and respond to the differences among members and be used assertively on behalf of the majority of voiceless Commonwealth members in fora such as the Bretton Woods institutions, the G20 and the G7. It should be considered incongruous, for example, to focus – as is done quite rightly – on human trafficking and modern slavery, while at the same time being entirely silent on historic chattel slavery and its contemporary consequences and effect. It is inexplicable, for example, that the megaphone should be silent, or nearly so, on some issues with pan-Commonwealth import such as the plight of the Windrush generation, or that of the displaced Chagossian islanders in the Indian Ocean.

The key issue that is emerging and should confront the Kigali Heads of Government Meeting and the Secretariat’s leadership is, given resource trends, and beyond global advocacy, what meaningful, tangible and incremental development assistance will Commonwealth members and the Commonwealth Secretariat be able to provide to Commonwealth small and vulnerable states and to least developed members now bearing the brunt of the effect of the pandemic and facing as well growing global instability.

To conclude, the essential point is that the future demands an expanded rather than, as some may wish, a receding development role for the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth Secretariat. This will be the path to ensuring that the Commonwealth responds to the needs of most of its members, and the best way to ensure that it maintains and enhances its relevance going forward.

- Ransford Smith is former deputy secretary general of the Commonwealth. He recently spoke on the Commonwealth and its relevance in a lecture series hosted by the Institute of International Relations, St Augustine, and the Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean. This is third of a three-part article series based on his talk. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.