Leaders from 54 Commonwealth countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific made a strong commitment to the proposed Living Lands Charter at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.
During a high-level event this week at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26, the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland reiterated a “call to action for living lands”, integrating the targets of the three Rio Conventions on biodiversity, climate change and desertification, which arose from the historic 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
“The proposed Commonwealth Living Lands Charter seeks to catalyse the global political momentum for enhancing climate action, building resilience, reducing biodiversity loss, and arresting land degradation”, said MsScotland.
Focus areas to be explored within the charter include climate resilient agriculture, soil and water conservation and management, sustainable green cover and biodiversity, and the active engagement of indigenous people.
The initiative was supported by the prime ministers of Fiji and Antigua and Barbuda, who joined the discussions along with ministers from Zambia, Namibia and Uganda.
The Commonwealth spans the globe and includes both advanced economies and developing countries and supports member countries to build democratic and inclusive institutions, strengthen governance and promote justice and human rights.
Meanwhile, there is increasing popularity for free-movement of people among Commonwealth member states. The initiative, being championed by the Commonwealth Freedom of Movement Organisation, could, if approved, see facilitated migration, free trade and foreign policy coordination within the Commonwealth.
As it stands, even members of the bloc were required to fill the UK travel authorization form upon arrival in the UK for the COP26 as there is no Commonwealth legislation enshrining the right to freedom of movement. Numerous laws effectively restrict the right on grounds which are set out in the laws.
Nonetheless, the commonwealth continues to help to grow economies and boost trade, deliver national resilience, empower young people, and address threats such as climate change, debt and inequality as member countries are supported by a network of more than 80 intergovernmental, civil society, cultural and professional organisations.
The Executive Director of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification Ibrahim Thiaw and the Deputy Executive Director of the UN Convention on Biodiversity David Cooper also supported the Commonwealth’s Call for Action on Living lands, emphasising the need for collaboration and an integrated approach to achieve the targets set by the three Rio conventions.
To date, consultations on the proposed Living Lands Charter have been undertaken with 23 countries to garner support for initiative, alongside engagements at the regional level and with development partners. These will continue with a view to receiving universal endorsement at the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), scheduled to be held in Kigali, Rwanda in 2022.
