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issue 3 | April 2008 | View as a webpage |
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Over the past month, the RCS has been lobbying Parliament and engaging with Commonwealth youth; delving into the social and economic complexities of South Asia and exploring the latest findings on climate change. The coming months will see the final event of the RCS series on Migration and the beginning of a fascinating new series exploring Energy and the Environment.Find out more about what's been happening in the Public Affairs programme over the past month and look out for upcoming events in this edition of The View.Public Affairs Team |
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March Round-Up |
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Notes from a half-day conference on:"Making an Impact: The Commonwealth in Parliament and the Constituencies"It is time to bring the Commonwealth back into the centre of British policy. Rt. Hon. Lord Howell of Guildford, Conservative Foreign Affairs Spokesman The third event in the RCS Migration series brought together a distinguished panel. Drawing on a wide range of expertise, the speakers examined the earliest migration to the New World and the spread of the English language, the relationship of migration to the processes of globalisation and the journeys of communities between Bangladesh and the UK. Click here for the full event write-up.
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Notes from a roundtable discussion on:"Growing Up Green: Practical Action to Combat Climate Change" with Dr David SuzukiWe must have a mechanism for intergenerational justice and we must hold our politicians accountable for what is an intergenerational crime. Dr David Suzuki, Co-Founder of the David Suzuki Foundation The Environment Our Future: this was the theme of Commonwealth Day 2008 and the subject to which 11 young people turned their attention during Commonwealth Week at a roundtable discussion with award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster, Dr David Suzuki. Click here for the full event write-up.
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Notes from a keynote address on:"Conflict and Development in South Asia"One cannot wait for conflict to subside before addressing economic development in earnest. The Hon. Prof. G L Peiris MP, Minister of Export Development and International Trade, Government of Sri Lanka As we look at the subcontinent, we are struck by the fact that, notwithstanding conflict in almost every country of the region, over the past few years there has been a very impressive degree of economic growth. Introducing the RCS series on South Asia on 18 March, the Hon. Prof. G.L Peiris addressed a packed auditorium on this subject of conflict and development in South Asia. Click here for the full event write-up. |
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Coming soon |
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Wednesday 7 May, 6pm140th anniversary event"The RCS, Decolonisation and the Development of the Modern Commonwealth"Ruth Craggs, University of Nottingham Dr Peter Lyon OBE, Vice president of the RCS and former Director, Institute of Commonwealth Studies
For further information and to book, contact Claire Anholt , 020 7766 9202. |
Thursday 8 may, 6pmPanel debate"HIV/AIDS: The Next 25 Years"Dr Titi Banjoko, Director of AfricaRecruit Professor Alan Whiteside, University of KwaZulu-Natal Lesley Lawson, author of 'Side Effects: The Story of AIDS in South Africa' HIV/AIDS is the worst pandemic of our time. Despite rapid scientific advances in controlling the HIV virus, there is still no vaccine and still no cure. Access to antiretrovirals also remains deeply inequitable. Two thirds of people living with HIV/AIDS are Commonwealth citizens with Africa bearing the brunt of this unfolding human catastrophe. In addition to the social impact of HIV/AIDS, this discussion will consider how the pandemic threatens the stability of national governments and what the Commonwealth can do to halt the debilitating advance of this disease. Followed by a reception to celebrate the launch of Alan Whitesides HIV/AIDS: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press) For further information and to book, contact ras_research@soas.co.uk This event is hosted by the Royal Commonwealth Society and the Royal African Society, in association with HEARD. |
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Monday 19 May, 1pm - 5pmHalf-day Conference"Migration, Citizenship and the Commonwealth"This half-day conference will mark the culmination of the RCS series on migration. A combination of workshops and keynote addresses will provide an opportunity to evaluate outcomes from previous events and to formulate recommendations for action and policy change. The conference will focus upon differing concepts of citizenship; and it will seek to promote migration as a key area of interest for Commonwealth governments. (Please note this event will replace the 'Migration and Human Security' conference previously advertised as taking place on Wednesday 16 April) For further information and bookings contact Claire Anholt on 020 7766 9202. "Migration isn't a policy, it is a fact. The only thing that matters is how we respond to it." Trevor Phillips OBE, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission speaking at the RCS on 15 January 2008. |
Tuesday 27 May, 6pmPanel Debate"Losing the Last Wilderness?: Polar Meltdown and Climate Change"An Introduction by Lewis Gordon Pugh, environmentalist, explorer, swimmer Richard Black, BBC Environment Correspondent Meredith Hooper, Author of 'The Ferocious Summer: Palmer's Penguins and the Warming of Antarctica', and Antarctica Expert Prof Julian Dowdeswell, Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge tbc Prof Sridhar Anandakrishnan, Glaciar Scientist Taking up the theme of International Polar Year, this conference will look to the globe's extremeties, to Antarctica and the Arctic, the bankers of the world's ice, twinned as they face the alarming consequences of climate change. A year after the publication of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on climate change report, much has changed. The Wilkins ice shelf now seems set to collapse within 30 years, half the time originally predicted. Scientists who have recently returned from the Poles will discuss up-to-the-minute developments in thinking on rising sea levels, reflecting upon the problems which Commonwealth countries such as Canada and Australia already face and on the likely and devastating fate of small island states. The effects of climate change will ultimately transcend national boundaries. This conference will ask how scientists and journalists of the Commonwealth can engage a wider audience in these pressing issues. This debate will form the first event in the RCS series on Energy and the Environment. For further information and bookings contact Claire Anholt on 020 7766 9202. |
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Tuesday 3 June, 6pmPanel Debate"Reproductive Health and Child Mortality: Challenges across the Commonwealth"Baroness Tonge of Kew, Chair Dr Peter Odili, former Governor of Rivers Sate, Nigeria Professor Michael Lipton, CMG, University of Sussex Sandra Kabir, Executive Director BRAC UK (tbc)
This event will address the importance of education and empowerment; of access for all women to reproductive health care and family planning services; to skilled care at the time of birth; and to postnatal care after delivery. The panel will consider what strategies the Commonwealth can implement in order to ensure that its member nations are amongst those few on track to meet these crucial goals. For further information and bookings contact Claire Anholt on 020 7766 9202. |
Wednesday 4 June, 6pmPanel Debate"Building Trust and Sharing Power: Lessons in Peace from Northern Ireland"Baroness Blood of Blackwatertown, Chair The Rt Hon Peter Hain, MP, former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Gerry Kelly, MLA, senior Sinn Fein negotiator and Junior Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive The Rt Hon Lord Trimble of Lisnagarvey, Nobel Peace Laureate and former MP & First Minister of Northern Ireland The road to peace is often long and arduous. Sustained effort is needed just to bring all parties to the negotiating table and, in order for a lasting resolution to be reached following conflict, trust must be comprehensively re-built at all levels of civil society and government. Brave visionary leadership and the ability to make sacrifices for the greater good are essential. In the face of a divided community and long-running, violent conflict, the resolution accomplished in Northern Ireland offers many lessons for the rest of the Commonwealth. What can the Commonwealth do to support countries during their transition from conflict to peace? Key actors in the long and complex Northern Ireland peace process will share their insights, first-hand experiences and the lessons they have learnt. For further information and bookings contact Claire Anholt on 020 7766 9202. |
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Tuesday 17 June, 6pmKeynote Speech"Citizenship, Identity & Culture in Modern Britain"The Rt. Hon. Lord Goldsmith, QC
For further information and bookings contact Claire Anholt on 020 7766 9202. |
Thursday 26 June 6pm140th Anniversary Event"RCS Annual General Meeting"140 years ago, on 26 June 1868, the body that was to become the RCS held its inaugural meeting. The AGM will mark this important anniversary. This event will also act as farewell to outgoing RCS President Chief Emeka Anyaoku and as a welcome to new RCS Chairman Sir David Green. All are welcome to attend an open forum session, moderate by Peter Kellner, Council member and President of YouGov, in which Baroness Usha Prashar and Sir David Green will reflect upon their respective experiences as outgoing and incoming RCS Chairmen and look to the future. A celebratory reception, with canapes, will follow the AGM. For further information and bookings contact Nigel McCollum on 020 7766 9205. |
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News |
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Appointment of new RCS Director-GeneralAs many of you will be aware by now, Stuart Mole will be stepping down from his role at the end of the year and we will shortly be seeking to recruit his successor. Sir David Green, the incoming Chair of the RCS, is leading this appointment with the search being managed by Morgan Law as external recruitment consultants. We expect the advertisements to be running through May with the interviews taking place in June/July. An advertisement will also be placed on the RCS website within the next 2 weeks. If you would like further information about the appointment, either for your own interest or because you feel you may know a potential candidate, please contact James Stephens at Morgan Law on 0207 747 4931. |
All feedback welcomePlease let us know if you have found the information in this Public Affairs Round-Up helpful/ interesting. Is there anything else you would like to see included? What did you like/dislike? Did you have any problems opening the email? All feedback is welcome via email at joanna.stephenson@rcsint.org or by calling 020 7766 9230. If you would prefer not to receive this communication again, please reply to this email with the word unsubscribe in the title.
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As part of the RCS's 140th year anniversary celebrations, Ruth Craggs will speak about her research into the post World War II RCS. In particular, she will focus on the meetings and lectures held in the club between 1945 and 1973 and the personalities who appeared there. She will explore how the ideas of a modern Commonwealth were articulated, debated and contested. Ruth will also look to the future, and how the Society can continue to be important common ground for discussion of the Commonwealth today.
Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 call for a two thirds reduction in child mortality and a 75% reduction in maternal mortality by 2015. However, according to a recent report many countries are far from meeting either of these goals.
Does British citizenship automatically denote a strong connection and commitment to the country? Does it engender a sense of belonging and membership to a community and culture within the UK? Lord Goldsmith QC, the author of the recent Citizenship Review, argues not. In this keynote address, Goldsmith, one of Britain’s leading lawyers and the longest serving Labour Attorney-General, will discuss what he perceives to be a lack of coherence in the identity, rights and responsibilities of British citizens. He will explore the ways in which the meaning and significance of citizenship within modern Britain can be clarified and promoted.