UK confirms extension of Commonwealth Secretary General term

The next face-to-face CHOGM summit, held once every two years, is not expected before mid-2021. “The UK as Chair in Office wrote to the Secretary General today [Wednesday] to inform her that there had been consensus to extending her contract until leaders are able to meet at the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM),” a Commonwealth spokesperson said.

The term of the Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Patricia Scotland, has been extended until the next face-to-face Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) can take place. CHOGM, scheduled to take place in the Rwandan capital of Kigali this week, had been postponed amid the worldwide coronavirus pandemic crisis. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as the current Commonwealth Chair in Office, wrote to Scotland on Wednesday to confirm a temporary extension of her term until the heads of government of the 54 member-countries can formally meet.

"The Prime Minister has written to member states and to Baroness Scotland to confirm that no objections were received to the proposal and offer an extension on her term until the next CHOGM face-to-face," a UK government spokesperson said. The next face-to-face CHOGM summit, held once every two years, is not expected before mid-2021.

"The UK as Chair in Office wrote to the Secretary General today [Wednesday] to inform her that there had been consensus to extending her contract until leaders are able to meet at the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)," a Commonwealth spokesperson said. "The usual reappointment process for Commonwealth Secretary General's occurs when leaders gather for CHOGM, therefore the Chair in Office has proposed that, as is customary, the reappointment process will now take place when CHOGM is able to meet. Due to the impact of COVID-19 the Kigali CHOGM in Rwanda has been postponed. A new date will be set as soon as is possible," the spokesperson said.

Caribbean-origin Labour Party peer Patricia Scotland has been Secretary General of the Commonwealth, a post agreed by consensus among the member-countries, since 2016 and is up for another four-year extension of her role – which will now be confirmed at the next CHOGM. Her term has seen some controversy, with the UK government withholding a discretionary contribution to a key Commonwealth fund used for development projects within Commonwealth member-countries earlier this year amid concerns over procurement policies within the Commonwealth Secretariat in London. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had said in February that its next tranche of funding to the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) will be attached to a number of conditions. The Secretariat has consistently denied any irregularities and stressed that it has implemented all the recommendations of an internal audit report.

At the last CHOGM, held in London in 2018 and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India had doubled its contribution to the CFTC, from 1 million pound to GBP million pound. Baroness Scotland's temporary extension came as leaders and representatives from across the Commonwealth held a virtual meeting on Wednesday to share solutions and ways of working that can help to combat the impacts of COVID-19. The Commonwealth Secretariat said the meeting took place as a result of significant support for such an interaction from a majority of Commonwealth member-states.

"Many member countries are facing unprecedented challenges due to the global health emergency and its economic and social ramifications," the Secretariat said. "These issues combined with the long-term threat of climate change and the ongoing cyclone, and impending hurricane season, means that COVID-19 is seen as a substantial 'tipping point' threat that has the potential to push member states into a period of significant crisis if swift and coordinated action is not taken," it said.

The Commonwealth leaders explored a range of solutions during the virtual meeting, including technological tools that have helped in combating the pandemic, the role of good governance in supporting the fight against the disease and accelerating cooperation on trade and finance across the organisation..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)