This book takes a new look at the Commonwealth from the founding of the Secretariat in 1965 to the 14th Commonwealth Games in 1990. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 looks at origins, the Heads of Government Meetings, the Secretariat and the Commonwealth in a global setting. Part 2 covers race, Africa, inequalities and the security of small states. The final part, on Functioning, looks at regionalism, functional organisations, professional linkages, peoples, sport and the role of the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth. It concludes with an 'Agenda for the 1990s'.
Report of the Expert Group on Commonwealth Co-operation in Distance Education and Open Learning that proposes the creation of a University of the Commonwealth for co-operation in distance education, itself working closely with, and forging an effective partnership between, a wide variety of institutions through the Commonwealth. The Group shows not only how technologies could be harnessed on a Commonwealth-wide basis, but how teaching materials could be pooled and shared to become a Commonwealth-wide resource, freeing individual learners throughout the Commonwealth from the constraints of distance and the need to study at a present place or time.
Youth Work in the Commonwealth: A Growth Profession establishes a baseline to inform the planning and implementation of initiatives to professionalise youth work in Commonwealth member countries. The study was conducted in 35 countries in the Africa, Asia, the Caribbean/Americas, Europe and Pacific regions. It catalogues the extent to which the youth work profession is formally recognised in these countries and examines the qualities and rights-based ethos of the various forms of youth work promoted and practised in the Commonwealth. The report aims to help countries learn from good practices, and assess gaps in establishing youth work as a recognised profession in diverse contexts.
The Commonwealth is working for the UK however if the organisation is to reach its potential and influence events, the Commonwealth Secretariat needs to "sharpen, strengthen and promote its diplomatic performance". Recently the Commonwealth has appeared less active and less publicly visible. The Government does not appear to have a clear and co-ordinated strategy for its relations with the Commonwealth. The moral authority of the Commonwealth has "too often been undermined by the repressive actions of member governments". The Committee is "disturbed to note the ineffectiveness of the mechanisms for upholding the Commonwealth's values", and expresses support for the Eminent Persons Group's proposal for a Commonwealth Charter. The Committee also says that it is not convinced that member states are making the most of the economic and trading opportunities offered by the Commonwealth. The report welcomes the fact that the Commonwealth continues to attract interest from potential new members, and the report says that there are advantages in greater diversity and an extended global reach for the Commonwealth however the application process should be rigorous. There is also concern at the continuing evidence of serious human rights abuses in Sri Lanka and the Committee urges the Prime Minister to state publicly his unwillingness to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo meeting unless he receives "convincing and independently-verified evidence of substantial and sustainable improvements in human and political rights in Sri Lanka."
Commonwealth Public Administration Reform is a comprehensive resource for all those in public and private sectors and civil society who are engaged in reforming public administration. It includes in one volume the principal documents of major reform initiatives in the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management. It draws on the richly diverse experience of the association's 54 member countries, large and small, developing and industrialised. The 2004 edition brings together the knowledge and experience of leading experts from around the Commonwealth and covers: Reform strategies; Democracy and Security; Public-Private Partnerships; Human Resources Management; Information Systems; Education and Leadership.
The book has been authored by a highly regarded international legal scholar in commercial and private law. The book highlights how the legal landscape for in data protection, cross-border data flows and cybersecurity law is highly diverse and fragmented amongst all commonwealth countries. The book focuses on addressing the gaps in data, cybersecurity and national arbitration law of these countries. The aim of this book is to promote more engagement between commonwealth countries, to ensure they capitalise on the growing digital economy. Notwithstanding the above, the digital economy is rapidly changing the way we work and live. When coupled together cybersecurity and data law will be an important component of the future digital economy. They will both be integral to transnational trade and investment. That said, there will likely be disputes, and international arbitration can be an effective legal mechanism to resolve trade and investment disputes across the digital economy. On that basis, this book augments how the respective laws of commonwealth countries, along with the model data and cyber laws of the Commonwealth should be reviewed to minimise any legal divergence. This book provides a comparison and practical guide for academics, students, and the business community of the current day data protection laws and cross-border data flows among all commonwealth countries.
