Some of the world’s most brilliant and eccentric people have travelled thousands of miles to grace the Commonwealth Peoples Forum (CPF), the largest gathering to date of civil society delegates. An estimated 1,500 delegates have descended upon Kampala, Uganda’s capital, for the discussions.
In a key note address at the CPF opening on Sunday, Mr Warren Nyamugasira, the Chairperson of the Commonwealth People’s Steering Committee did not mince his words when saying “we [the Commonwealth] have the dynamite” to erase poverty off the face of the earth, because we have “weapons of mass poverty destruction.”
What he meant is that the Commonwealth is not lacking intellectual capacity to face any of the biting problems that have plagued the world’s underprivileged and underdeveloped. “This opportunity cannot be squandered,” he said. Well said Mr Nyamugasira.
But red warning lights are flashing.
This afternoon, I had the opportunity of covering a workshop on knowledge and Innovation for Economic Transformation, where a couple of brilliant ideas were flaunted that will supposedly help the Commonwealth people to realise and tap into their potential with the sole aim of transforming their lives.
Even while I marvelled at the eloquence of discussants and the ideas, I couldn’t help but feel it was an effort in vain.
We all have seen and heard nice ideas through good intellectual discourse. In fact the problems of the developing world [poverty, hunger, disease, unemployment, etc] are always known. However, the real problem is not what is wrong but the lack of action.
We all know what a modern efficient functioning state entails, but the real problem for the Commonwealth, I believe, is the inaction of our leadership and policy makers.
Mr Dhesigen Naidoo, a public policy expert from the Department of Science and Technology, South Africa speaks to Emmanuel Gyezaho, in a candid interview in which he boldly states that the Commonwealth people “know our problems” and “have the solutions.”
Mr Naidoo presented a paper on Technology Innovations and Diversification at a Workshop on Knowledge Innovation for Economic Transformation. He listed the following factors as the strategic bottlenecks to innovation in the Commonwealth.
Slow growth in the knowledge base
Declining interests in science and technology in young people
Brain circulation skewed in favour of developed countries
Even where there is a reasonable knowledge base, we have an Innovation Chasm
Journalists covering the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Peoples Forum (CPF) in Kampala yesterday faced-off with Ugandan security officials over media accreditation to the summit.
Trouble begun after officials of President Yoweri Museveni’s elite protection unit, the Presidential Guard Brigade (PGB), barred reporters who didn’t carry a “special” accreditation tag, from covering the opening gala.
It was in many ways a bizarre spectacle as it turned out that reporters were never informed that they needed additional accreditation, on top of the official media accreditation issued by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Worse still, the security officials took the decision to issue a second accreditation without informing the Secretariat.
It was a frustrating experience for many reporters, both local and international, especially those who have travelled thousands of miles to cover one of the biggest events on the Commonwealth calendar this year. I spoke to Mr Julius Mucunguzi, a communications officer in charge of media and broadcasting at the Commonwealth Secretariat, and while he expressed utter shock at the organizational hitch, he was very optimistic it wouldn’t affect the smooth running of the event.
But we cannot forget that this was the opening of the largest civil society event this year, a grouping of people better known for their love-hate relationship with politicians and the government.
And we also know that civil society has often been accused of hiding behind the media in promoting interests not favourable to the state. So were there any ulterior motives in issuing a second accreditation? Why was the Commonwealth Secretariat kept in the dark?
These are questions that need answers. It would be a sad commentary for Uganda as host, if such organizational hitches continue at the ensuing Commonwealth events.
‘Your Climate – My Future’ Is this is a joke? Well - it is if you don’t mind being fried, drowned and starved – perhaps within a short space of each other. No, I am just scaring you because God will make it all right and save his/her creation….will s/he really want to do that after what we have done to such a beautiful Earth? Hmmm if I was God I would probably say: ‘this is one too many’ and let it go. You are probably ready to have it out with me now, aren’t you?
‘Your Climate – My Future’ is the title of an interactive discussion we will be running on behalf of The Converging World at the CHOGM People’s Forum to raise awareness about climate change and energy security. For the first time the Commonwealth has given this issue a top billing for CHOGM. I wish they had given it the top spot 5 years ago but never mind – better late than never – and rightly so as it is one of the most imminently threatening issues for every human being on the planet. Don’t take my word for it - look out of your window and see the smog and ask yourself one simple question: ‘how much pollution can my lungs take before they rebel?’ If the answer is infinite then you are indeed a masterpiece of creation. If any less than that then think about the planet in the same way.
But no one is an expert on this subject so come and tell us what you think and also have fun interacting at our workshop on
Wednesday 21 November 12.30 – 2.30 p.m at the Green Space at the People’s Space
The Commonwealth People’s Forum set off on Monday 19th 2007 with a number of workshops taking place concurrently in different halls of Hotel Africana, the venue for the Forum. Among the workshops was Civil Society Leaders Effecting Transformation which brought together Civil Society Leaders from most of the Commonwealth member states.
Otunba ‘Dele Ajayi-Smith, President of African Citizens Development Foundation based in Nigeria was one of the panelists. He emphasized that one of the major reasons why Africa has so many bad leaders is the irresponsible citizens who later become irresponsible leaders. He amazed participants when he said that leaders need to stick to their agenda since a television set can’t abandon its antenna and move elsewhere.
Stephen Bubb, Chief Executive of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organizations (acevo) based in the United Kingdom said Leaders ought to effectively manage company resources, both human and money. He went on to stress also the importance of Networking for civil Society.
Disability is not inability; this was proved by a CEO who is visually impaired. He stated that one can be a good leader even when they are disabled. His appeal to all stake holders was that there is need to facilitate disabled leaders so as to make them as efficient as the rest.
The Principles of CEOs came as a brain teaser to many since most of what was aired by the participants was termed as goals or aims and not principles. However, after a general consensus, it was agreed that the principles include:
Honesty
Integrity
Transparency
Time consciousness
Accountability
The Civil Society Leaders pledged to do all it takes to effect transformation in the various Commonwealth member states. The media fraternity was called upon to work in close collaboration with Civil Society, since this would give the leaders a good platform for the achievement of their aims and objectives.
Here is a transcript of an interview I did with Stella Atal, Ugandan Fashion Designer and Artist. In the interview, we explore questions around the growth and sustainability of the fashion industry in Uganda.
Many of us in middle-class Africa never have to think about what we want to study in school. Our parents (God bless them) usually send us to the schools they’ve been to and model us along their dreams for us. Other times, circumstances dictate what we become: we always go for what’s most accessible, most affordable and most financially beneficial to us (and our dear old parents).
The current phasing out of sponsorship for students of the humanities and social sciences at the Higher Education level in Uganda is one such circumstance. Today, secondary schools in Uganda have resorted to ‘forcing’ their students to offer science courses in a bid to push for more students on the Government sponsored scheme.
That’s what prompts me to speak to Dr. Narciso Matos a Chemist by training and a scientist by choice, about the need for holistic educational policies in sustainable development.
Dr. Matos was the Keynote speaker this morning at the Education for Transformation workshop.of the Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF)
Going under the theme ‘Joined up Policies to Develop Commonwealth Education’ Dr Matos pointed out that while science is important for its research, its social and economic value and the promotion of knowledge, it is only a harmonized and diversified system of education that will bring the Commonwealth countries to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations as well as sustainable development.
I asked him to comment on Uganda’s new education policy to sponsor sciences at Higher Education level, at the expense of humanities and social sciences.
You would think that after 25 years of the world living with the challenge of HIV/AIDS, statistics would be showing success. However after listening to Dr Alex Coutinho, Director, Infectious Diseases Institute, Makarere University, I realized that they are still scary.
Dr Coutinho who has been working in the HIV/AIDS field since 1983 got me thinking about these statistics when he spoke during the Workshop on HIV/Prevention Education as a Tool for Social Transformation. This is at the ongoing Commonwealth People’s Forum in Uganda.
“The statistics are glaring and yet there is a substantial increase in HIV/AIDS funding in the world,” says Dr Coutinho. “Twenty years of working in the HIV/AIDS sector and I still wake up miserable.”
And it is easy to understand why he would wake up miserable. Take an example of Uganda. Even after the breakthrough of the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT), 20% to 30% of infected mothers still give birth to infected children. Yet in South Africa, PMTCT is proving to be a success, 30% of mothers access comprehensive prevention care and are having healthy children.
I managed to get a short audio segment from Dr Coutinho at the workshop:
Why is this not happening in a country like Uganda where HIV/AIDS prevention has been at the forefront even with the political leaders? Have we relaxed or do we think that having an infection rate of about 7% is all the success Uganda needs?
The truth is that progress on prevention is still miserable and yet today everyone seems to be focusing on a vaccine rather than using knowledge gained to come up with prevention education messages that will work. Dr Coutinho asks: “why are we clamoring for a vaccine instead of calling for innovative preventive messages?”
So why not let the two examples of statistics do the talking?
The progress on prevention is still miserable. Only 9% of people in Uganda have access to condoms.
Only 11% of infected mothers have access to PMTCT.
