With the global landscape changing rapidly, whoever leads the UK must prioritise strengthening international partnerships. And where better to start than the Commonwealth, writes Lord Marland
All change – amidst all the excitement of a general election campaign, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that 2024 is proving to be a year of enormous global significance. Across the world, old assumptions are being challenged as new realities emerge. Last weekend, the European elections saw unprecedented success for parties which sat at the political fringes just a few years ago, while in November, Americans will have the task of choosing between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, an election that has far reaching consequences. In fact, this year will see more than 1.5bn voters in more than 50 countries exercise their democratic right.
Nowhere is this remarkable pace of change more visible than in the Commonwealth, the oft-misunderstood club of 56 member states that stretches across every corner of the globe. The Commonwealth is now home to some of the world’s fastest growing and most dynamic young economies, which are playing an increasingly important role in global affairs. For proof that Europe no longer rules the roost as it once did, look no further than the remarkable growth in countries like Malaysia, Kenya and Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, there is plenty of churn on the political stage too. Recent elections in India and South Africa, two of the Commonwealth’s founding member states, have shaken traditional political assumptions, while later this year, Namibians, Mauritians, Ghanaians and Sri Lankans are all expected to go to the polls. Get it right, and this incredible pace of change could generate untold opportunities, as many Commonwealth nations look to liberalise and diversify their economies.
Whoever wins on July 4th here in the UK will have the perfect opportunity to re-engage with our Commonwealth partners. After spending the summer getting the country’s affairs in order, setting out an agenda for the next parliament, and checking behind the sofa for any loose cash, October’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa will provide the perfect opportunity for the Prime Minister to demonstrate their international credentials.
This CHOGM will be the new King’s first as head of the Commonwealth, and will offer an opportunity to redefine the organisation’s direction, not least through the election of a new secretary-general. In the truest sense, October’s CHOGM will represent the first tentative steps for a new-look Commonwealth, which will need to adapt to meet the novel challenges of the 21st century, with plenty of new faces around the table.
Undoubtedly, one of the most striking features of our new global reality is the increasingly important role of the private sector and civil society organisations in shaping international relations. Gone is the old 20th century orthodoxy, in which statecraft was the preserve of centralised nation-states; instead, international diplomacy is now sustained by a complicated network of non-governmental organisations.
From the City’s perspective, the Commonwealth is not just about formal diplomatic relationships, it is also about the enormous commercial opportunities that the bloc has to offer. Most of the Commonwealth’s 56 member states use common law jurisprudence to settle commercial and contractual disputes, while English abounds as the language of business. Overlapping political, historical, cultural and personal ties make it easier and cheaper to do business within the Commonwealth, with bilateral trade between Commonwealth member states being 21 per cent cheaper.
Fear not – the Commonwealth Business Forum, which runs alongside CHOGM, will demonstrate the remarkable energy of the Commonwealth’s business community, bringing together heads of government, policymakers, practitioners and thought leaders. This year’s Commonwealth Business Forum will focus on many of our shared challenges, including access to finance, reducing barriers to trade and sustainability, all of which are high on the global agenda. Most importantly, it will also serve as a fantastic opportunity for Commonwealth businesspeople to mix and mingle, building the kind of interpersonal relationships that drive business in the 21st century. I am sure that the Prime Minister, whoever they may be, will relish the opportunity to build new partnerships in such a vibrant forum.
Whoever wins the general elections will need to grapple with a new global reality and take active steps to engage with organisations like the Commonwealth, which has the power to convene both governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to discuss issues of mutual interest. Survival in the new global order means finding new partnerships and strengthening old ones. For the UK now more than ever, its traditional role as a trusted facilitator of dialogue and debate is crucial – and where better to start than the Commonwealth?
Lord Marland is chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council