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issue 6 | July 2008 | View as a webpage |
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Following an outstanding series of events in June, the Public Affairs summer programme will culminate in July with a panel debate exploring the effect of the Chavez administration in the Caribbean.During August the Club will be closed and September will see the PA team in Cyprus for the Commonwealth Youth Leadership Programme and RCS International Meeting. But be sure to check below for details of unmissable forthcoming events..Public Affairs Team |
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June Round-Up |
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Notes from a Panel Debate on:"Reproductive Health and Child Mortality"Family planning is an extremely cost-effective intervention that can go a long way to solving the problems of maternal and child mortality.(Professor John Cleland) Chair: Baroness Tonge of Kew Prof. John Cleland, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Sandra Kabir, Executive Director BRAC UK Dr Peter Odili, former Governor of Rivers State, Nigeria Nancy Dell'Olio, a lawyer, Red Cross Ambassador and Chair of Truce International, opened the meeting by outlining the appalling failings in levels of maternal and child mortality around the world. A panel of leading experts in the field then gave their recommendations for how this situation could be dramatically improved. Dr Peter Odili spoke of the health care reforms he had implemented in Rivers State, Nigeria and Sandra Kabir of her experiences from Bangladesh. Prof. John Cleland advocated strongly for pushing family planning back up the list of international health priorities. Click here for key reccomendations from the event.
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Notes from a panel discussion on:"Building Trust and Sharing Power: Lessons in Peace from Northern Ireland"The lessons learnt in Northern Ireland are considerable for the Middle East, for Kashmir, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Darfur, Western Sahara and even for Cyprus.(Peter Hain, MP) Chair: The Baroness Blood of Blackwatertown, MBE The Rt Hon Peter Hain, MP, former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Pat Doherty, MP, MLA, Vice President of Sinn Fein The Rt Hon Lord Trimble of Lisnagarvey, (David Trimble), Nobel Peace Laureate and former MP & First Minister of Northern Ireland Key players in the peace process spoke of the challenges they faced and overcame in Northern Ireland's extraordinary transformation from horror of the worst kind to hope. Without pretending that all the problems in Northern Ireland have been resolved, the speakers offered their insights into the lessons that can be learned for other conflicts around the world. Click here for key reccomendations from the event.
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Notes from a Keynote Address on:"Citizenship, Identity and Culture in Modern Britain "The Rt. Hon. Lord Goldsmith, QC Chair: Lord Watson of Richmond "What better venue than the Royal Commonwealth Society to talk about the changing nature of British Citizenship? In the second half of the twentieth century a large proportion of immigration in the United Kingdom came either from the Commonwealth or from countries with which Britain had some close connection or shared history. Today many new migrants to the UK are coming from other parts of the world, such as Latin America, Eastern Europe and Francophone Africa, to which Britain has a limited historical connection".... Click here for an edited transcript of Lord Goldsmith's speech. |
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Coming soon |
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Thursday 17 July, 6pmPanel Debate"The Chavez Effect: The case of the Caribbean"The Rt. Hon. Tony Lloyd, MP Chairman of Parliamentary Labour Party, Former Foreign & Commonwealth Minister Bronwen Brown, Economist Intelligence Unit Darcus Howe Columnist & commentator, New Statesman Sir Ronald Sanders KCMG, KCN International Relations Consultant & former Caribbean Ambassador HE Dr Samuel Moncada Venezuelan Ambassador to London (& former Minister of Higher Education in Venezuela)
Since his re-election in May 2006, controversial Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, has actively sought to sign economic trade agreements with all the Caribbean nations. Some nations, such as Dominica, have eagerly sought to benefit from the cheap oil and economic subsidies, while others like Guyana are more wary of the oil-rich Chavez administration. This debate will examine how Chavez has divided the political alliances in the Caribbean and the impact which this is having on Commonwealth countries in the region. To book, email Claire Anholt, or call on 020 7766 9202. |
Wednesday 2 October, 6pmA keynote address"The Commonwealth: The Way Forward"Keynote: Kamalesh Sharma, Commonwealth Secretary-General Chair: Sir David Green KCMG, Chairman of the Royal Commonwealth Society
In this keynote address, the new Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, will outline his vision for the modern Commonwealth and will elucidate the role he sees himself playing as Secretary-General. Kamalesh Sharma previously served as High Commissioner of India in London and as an officer in the Indian Foreign Service from 1965 - 2001. Chaired by new RCS Chairman Sir David Green, this event will look to the future of the Commonwealth and the body of organisations which constitute its governmental and non-governmental structures. To book, email Nigel McCollum or call on 020 7766 9205. | |||
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Wednesday 29 October, 6pmA keynote address"Designing Ecocities"Keynote: Dr Ken Yeang Chair: Sunand Prasad, President of RIBA
Recently listed by The Guardian as one of the "Fifty People Who Can Save the Planet", Ken Yeang of Malaysia, is the world's leading green skyscraper architect and one of the foremost eco-designers, theoreticians, and thinkers in the field of green design. High-rise structures are traditionally the most un-ecological of all buildings, often wasting up to 30% more energy than lower structures built with the same materials. Yeang uses walls of plants, photovoltaics, scallop-shaped sunshades, and advanced ventilation to collect water and breezes, ecological aesthetics being central to his designs. Yeang's vision is to enable buildings to run as complete ecosystems with little external energy supply. He will explain his theory using case studies of his own buildings and city planning initiatives in Malaysia, Singapore and India. To book, email Nigel McCollum or call on 020 7766 9205. |
COMING UP IN NOVEMBER:Tuesday 11 November, 6pmA keynote address by:Nick Clegg MP
The Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg, MP, the new leader of the Liberal Democrats, will deliver a major policy address at the RCS in early November. Tuesday 25 November, 6pmA panel debate with:The Rt. Hon. Dr Ian Paisley MP, MLA 
This panel debate with Dr Ian Paisley and others will explore the important question of Ireland re-joining the Commonwealth.
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Special Project |
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Commonwealth Youth Leadership Programme: Nkabom 2008'Conflict and Beyond'This September the RCS is running the fourth biennial Youth Leadership Programme for 18- to 25-year-olds. Nkabom 2008 will take place in Nicosia, Cyprus between 13 and 20 September. From over 250 applications, a final group of 25 exceptional young delegates have been selected. They will travel from as far afield as Canada and the Cook Islands to take part in a two-week, participatory programme. Highlights of the project will include: a meeting with the President of Cyprus; a rare tour inside the Green Line with UN peacekeepers; intensive leadership skills and media workshops from the British Council; and input from pioneering local and international peacebuilders, including the two mayors of Nicosia, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Dr Ian Paisley. If you are interested in funding, or helping to fund, an Nkabom delegate, please contact Claire Anholt, 020 7766 9202. |
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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