Forging Commonwealth consensus: the buck stops with the Secretary-General

The Commonwealth is in danger of letting its commitments to both the agenda of democracy and rights, and the agenda of development, become sterile and vacuous. The argument that has been raging over creating a Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights reflects a dysfunctional organisation, stuck in an outdated North-South stand-off, crying out for creative leadership. Here, Richard Bourne argues that the Commonwealth Secretariat must build consensus, and galvanise governments to take practical ownership of the values that, in the new Commonwealth Charter, they will be claiming to promote. When few leaders spend time thinking how to use their Commonwealth networks, it is the job of the Secretary General to show them.