Patricia Scotland - Afrikan Heroes

Exercise can be good for you and your country especially during a crisis like COVID-19 By Patricia Scotland

April 6, 2020

Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth Secretary-General

Public parks have been gated shut, beaches emptied and stadia deserted, as an unprecedented 2.5 billion people across the world are told to sit at home. Times are tough. The Coronavirus is real and as it spreads its tentacles across the globe it is taking its toll on the lives and livelihoods of people everywhere. Measures such as closing gyms, shutting sports facilities and staying at home put a limit on a person’s mobility and exercise.Necessary, but painful, as enforced inactivity can contribute to periods of intense stress and can lead to long-term negative health impacts.

Commonwealth athletes, ranging from Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o and West Indies’ Brian Lara to Ghana’s Olympian Akwasi Frimpong, Kenya’s Eluid Kipchoge and Hellen Obiri and the United Kingdom’s Tom Daley, are sharing important information on reducing the spread of coronavirus or staying active at home.

There are several online series, virtual classes and resources, including Jamaica Moves, to help people stay active, improve mental health and reduce the risks of developing non-infectious diseases. Building on this energy, we will soon launch the Commonwealth Moves campaign to encourage more people from the 54 member countries to stay active and exercise as we stare down this disruptive pandemic.

So even when competitions are postponed and venues closed, sport and physical activity can be a powerful influence for good in these troubling times. It is a common denominator and a universal language, one that can unite people from different backgrounds, empower communities and contribute to rebuilding nations.

The shared love of cricket has played a role in connecting Singhalese and Tamil people in Sri Lanka. It was cricket that connected islands of the Caribbean creating one of the most powerful symbols of West Indian unity to delight the world. The Commonwealth Games, a cultural feast of sporting excellence, shines as a beacon of inclusion and diversity.

Recognising this beneficial potential, the UN six years ago declared 6 April as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. The international community identified sport as an important enabler of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and highlighted its impact on health, education, social inclusion, women’s empowerment and youth development.

Many governments and organisations are using sport as a vehicle to deliver tangible projects at the grassroots level. The ‘Just Play’ initiative in the Pacific uses football games to teach children about healthy living, while Singapore’s ‘Sport Cares’ project uses sport to defy stereotypes associated with persons with disabilities.

The Commonwealth Secretariat’s ‘Peace at the Crease’ initiative which has brought people of different faiths and those of none to play and learn together in peace has already started to make its mark. Such initiatives improve people’s health, teach important skills and values, and if done well, can help unite communities.

But the reach of sport goes far beyond these local interventions. It can and should be rooted in national policy and planning so that sport and physical activity can truly reach everyone, including the poor, marginalised, refugees and victims of natural disasters and violence. But how?

We have worked with Mauritius to develop and implement a new policy which considers the impact of sport on the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) and injects it into the national vision 2018-2028. The policy is designed to make people fitter and healthier to reduce the risks of non-infectious diseases and lessen the burden on hospitals.

This holistic approach is crucial because about four in five adolescents do not get enough physical activity – and around a quarter of adults – due to infrastructural, economic and cultural obstacles. This leaves them unable to reap the potential economic, social and health benefits that can come from sport and being physically active.

We are urging all governments to invest more to address this gap. It is not only the right thing to do but is good value for money. Typically, less than 1% of the national budget is allocated to sport but its contribution to GDP is in multiples of that. In 2016, Fiji spent about 0.5% of its annual budget on sport but in return, revenues from sport contributed 1.7% to GDP – more than the country’s mining, quarrying, and forestry sectors.

In the same year, the size of Canada’s sport economy grew by 3.2% while jobs creation in the sector rose by 4.9%. This potential to create jobs will be even more important as we move to recover from the current health crisis and to rebuild shattered income streams.

The benefits are not just economic. In 2016, the research found that every £1 England spent on sport generated £1.91 in social returns through contributions to a reduced risk of disease, improved wellbeing, low crime and improved educational performance. While the gains are clear, expertise and capacity to robustly measure the impact of sport on the development targets pledged in the SDGs remain limited.

This is where the Commonwealth has a game plan. In order to assess the value of public investments in the sector and enhance evidence-based policymaking, we are creating the world’s first common measurement approach working in partnership with UN agencies. This initiative will help countries and international bodies count and assess the contribution sport, exercise and physical education makes to the specific SDGs identified in the Kazan Action Plan.

So how does it work? For instance, we can urge countries to build more playing fields and develop plans to inspire people to take up sport if we can better measure how this contributes to achieving the SDG target 3.4, on reducing deaths from non-infectious diseases like diabetes and cancer.

Seven countries, including Japan, are currently piloting this approach. We hope Commonwealth leaders will endorse this approach at their next biennial meeting. At a time when climate change and numerous health crises affect people’s ongoing struggle to overcome entrenched problems, we can collectively push the progress on delivering sport for all and achieving healthy, educated, employed and inclusive societies.

The world is now in a period of a pandemic, what is important is that we all work together as one team on a united front against a common opponent.

Patricia Scotland is the Commonwealth Secretary-General.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

The world must not sleep-walk into another debt crisis

October 22, 2019

By Patricia Scotland.

TRADE wars, protectionism, and nationalist rhetoric are combining to weave the possibility of a nightmare debt crisis that could be worse than any previously experienced. Global borrowing is now at the highest levels since the 1950s – and history suggests we should take this as a warning that a debt crisis could be looming.

Were one to materialise, it could inflict greater dislocation on international financial systems and national economic stability than ever previously witnessed, especially in this highly uncertain environment characterised by the trade war and regional disintegration.

This would be particularly tragic in view of the extraordinary global commitment to delivering Sustainable Development Goals, and as so many nations seem finally to be in earnest about tackling the causes and impact of the climate crisis.

The impact of a parallel crisis in global debt would derail this and could make much needed international cooperation on poverty and progress impossible. Governments would be diverted by the need to stabilise local economies devastated by unmanageable debt. Yet such a scenario can be averted.

Haunting memories of the economic chaos, poverty and suffering caused by previous debt crises are the reason that the finance ministers of Commonwealth are working together to prevent the needless recurrence of an avoidable crisis.

The breadth and inclusiveness of the Commonwealth mean that when our member countries meet, many perspectives are brought to the table. These can be shared to decisive effect when Commonwealth countries work together to ensure the voices and views of all are taken into account at forums such as the G20 and other international and regional gatherings.

It is no longer feasible for policies on debt, trade and other economic matters to be considered in isolation from the increasingly extensive impacts of climate change, which are becoming more frequent and more stark.

Small island states tend to be the most vulnerable to extreme weather and natural disasters, and also to have the least resilience or resources with which to recover from the damage to their infrastructures and economies.

With interest rates at historically low levels, borrowing becomes an attractive proposition yet heightens the concomitant risk of debt ballooning to levels which are unsustainable over the longer term. This raises the possibility that countries which have ‘borrowed their way out of trouble’ following a setback will eventually face very severe debt distress. Preventing such eventualities is a global challenge which requires collective and coordinated responses.

The Commonwealth is particularly and perhaps uniquely well-placed to ensure that the perspectives and needs of developing nations are fully considered in multilateral discussions on policy for tackling future debt crises. This is the purpose of our Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting taking place in Washington DC alongside the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

The ministers of our 53 diverse and widely distributed yet closely connected nations will this year examine proposals designed to improve debt transparency. They will consider ways in which debt contracts can be specially amended to provide relief during disasters. Such initiatives will be supported by collating the perspectives of ministers from developing countries so that their Commonwealth counterparts from countries with advanced economies can carry them forward for the attention of the G20. The way to a stable and sustainable economic future is for developing and developed countries to work together inclusively on shaping the global debt rules which affect them all. So our Commonwealth approach is to focus on the roles of creditor and indebted countries.

There have been instances of hidden national debt burdens, and this places responsibility on creditors as well as debtors. In countries where fiscal regulation is weak, debt may be acquired or accumulated in ways which are not transparent, and very seriously to the detriment of citizens. Those who provide credit in such circumstances are also culpable, and they too must be scrutinised and be made to bear responsibility – particularly as those who suffer the most pain from unsustainable debt and carry the greatest burden at times of crisis tend to be the poor and marginalised – those least able to cope.

Among topics and actions being considered at our 2019 Commonwealth Finance Ministers meeting are:

DebtRelief – with an agreement to be sought for debt contracts with vulnerable countries to include provision for relief if a severe natural disaster strikes. Transparency in debt through innovation – encouragement to use the Commonwealth Meridian debt management system which helps to improve the accuracy with which government debt is recorded.

Dialogue on debt – the relaunch of the Commonwealth debt management forum to encourage international dialogue on the consequences of over-indebtedness so that sounder debt policies are adopted in order to prevent crises.

Easier access to financing to reduce debt burdens – through mechanisms and facilities such as the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub and Commonwealth Disaster Finance Portal which offer added capacity for developing countries to access to affordable debt financing.

By working together in such practical ways, and on programmes that draw together a broad and inclusive array of nations, crises can be averted. It is essential for there, to be honest, and open collaboration between creditors and debtors in a spirit of trust and goodwill. This the Commonwealth can offer, building on the depth of our connection and the basis of equality on which our family of nations comes together.

Rather than sleep-walking towards yet another debt crisis, and the misery such nightmare reality would bring, the Commonwealth can open up pathways toward horizons of hope, with rich and poor walking in harmony towards a fairer, more secure, more sustainable and more prosperous future in which all can share.

Patricia Scotland is the Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations

Kelechi Deca

Why disaster readiness is critical for Africa – and what the Commonwealth is doing about it

August 3, 2019

By The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, Commonwealth Secretary-General

Five months ago, Cyclone Idai ripped through the Southern African region, causing a massive humanitarian disaster that affected three million people. More than a thousand perished, while 200,000 lost their homes, many of whom are still to this day living in refugee camps.

Economic losses were estimated at more than $1 billion across the affected countries – Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Madagascar. However, the devastating impacts of such disasters – especially for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and small states in Africa – tend to be deeper and more far-reaching than initial reports would indicate.

The consensus among scientists is that extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, cyclones, and landslides, are now occurring with increased frequency and greater intensity. There are long term consequences such as desertification, erosion of arable land, and changes in ecological balance, which can prove difficult to reverse. As a result of climate change, there is a heightened risk that while vulnerable Commonwealth states are recovering from one natural disaster, another will strike.

For instance, Mozambique was still reeling from the impact of Cyclone Idai in March when Cyclone Kenneth – the strongest in the country’s history – bore down barely six weeks later. In fact, there have been no fewer than 13 emergency events in Mozambique since 2015 (mirrored by 12 in neighboring Malawi). Indeed, 109 disasters recorded in the country over the past 50 years have incurred more than $1.15 billion in economic damage.

Statistics such as these demonstrate the vital importance for all our member countries of planning long term strategies to manage disaster risks and of building resilience through disaster preparedness, as was acknowledged by Commonwealth Heads of Government when they met in 2018.

They affirmed their commitment to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction – the international agreement for mobilizing governments, private sector, and other stakeholders to reduce risks and build resilience. By doing so, our leaders acknowledged that rather than merely responding after disaster strikes, it is more cost-effective and prudent to invest beforehand in prevention, protection, and preparation.

Yet disaster risk reduction remains a relatively low priority for international development finance. Apart from the costs of post-disaster reconstruction and response, of every $100 spent on international aid in the past two decades, only 40 cents have been spent on pre-disaster risk management.

Moreover, the field of disaster risk finance is complex and evolving, making it even harder for small states and LDCs to tap into the limited funding available. Information is fragmented, and donors and lenders often have widely varying procedures and requirements that need to be navigated in order to unlock finance.

Bringing clarity to disaster risk finance

To tackle these impediments, and to help create a more streamlined and integrated approach to accessing funds, the Commonwealth will soon be launching a new disaster risk finance portal. This web-based platform, designed to make it easier for capacity-constrained governments to gain access to the funding they so urgently need, will be ready for preview when our annual Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting, convenes in Washington DC this October with Cyprus in the chair.

As well as helping governments to find what disaster finance instruments are available, the portal will assist them in identifying those that are most suited to their particular needs and circumstances. A one-stop-shop, with information collated from a range of sources and clearly presented, will save governments time and effort, and help them to make more informed decisions on disaster preparedness and response.

The theme for our Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting – Avoiding Debt Crises – also strikes a chord, as disasters push many countries into taking on emergency loans to rebuild and recover. For most low and middle-income countries, such public debt easily becomes unsustainable and makes them vulnerable to the additional high risk of debt distress.

The Commonwealth has an impressive record of successful advocacy to bring to international attention the difficulties associated with managing debt issues – and of offering practical solutions. Last month, we launched Commonwealth Meridian, our state-of-the-art sovereign debt management software. It builds on the successes of the Commonwealth Debt Recording and Management System (CS-DRMS) which over recent years has been used by more than 100 agencies – including the finance ministries, treasuries and central banks of 60 countries – to manage more than $2.5 trillion of public debt.

This complements the work of the Commonwealth Finance Access Hub set up in 2016 to help small and vulnerable states make successful funding applications for projects that will help them adapt to climate change and mitigate its impact. To date, the hub has helped countries gain access to $25.3 million, with a further $367.4 million in the pipeline. It does so by embedding long term specialists within ministries to provide expert advice and to build local capacity for the longer term.

Tools such as these, together with many other projects and programmes and advocacy strategies, are components in a suite of support offered by the Commonwealth collectively so that all our members are better equipped and ready to cope with disasters, including those related to climate change.

Our combined Commonwealth purpose is to reduce the number of people being pushed into poverty and food insecurity by recurring natural disasters, and whose opportunities to share the benefits of inclusive and sustainable progress are impaired when economic growth falters.

Where the planning and wherewithal to assist people with recovery from trauma and to rebuild their lives is lacking, community cohesion and nation-building can also be severely compromised and set back. Without sustained action to mitigate risks and build resilience, hopes of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 are slender.

By mobilizing multilateral action, particularly in support of those who are marginalized or more vulnerable, with the stronger working alongside the less secure, we are able to build defenses against disaster which may be needed by any of us at any time. So the Commonwealth shines as a beacon of hope for a more harmonious world, and for cooperation to sustain the health and well-being of our planet.

Kelechi Deca

Afrikan Heroes

Tag: Patricia Scotland

Exercise can be good for you and your country especially during a crisis like COVID-19 By Patricia Scotland

The world must not sleep-walk into another debt crisis

Why disaster readiness is critical for Africa – and what the Commonwealth is doing about it

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