Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018

Lord Rana Excerpts

Monday 5th December 2016 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Anelay of St Johns]

My Lords, as I mentioned a moment ago, the agenda is agreed by consensus, but the noble Lord has raised a vital point. Having committed ourselves very closely to combating discrimination and violence against LGBT people throughout the Commonwealth, and having used every opportunity at the last CHOGM to highlight our belief that the Commonwealth must stand up for human rights, including LGBT ones, we are working out our plans to ensure that these important messages are delivered when we host CHOGM in 2018.

[Lord Rana (CB)]

My Lords, last year in Malta many Commonwealth heads expressed a desire for CHOGM 2018 to be held in the UK but outside London, as there is a concern that the Commonwealth is becoming a London-centric organisation. In the light of this, and Belfast’s expertise in countering violent extremism—the main point on the upcoming agenda—what consideration have the Government given to CHOGM 2018 being held in that city?

[Baroness Anelay of St Johns]

My Lords, the noble Lord has made a very strong case for the idea that CHOGM should be held outside London on this occasion. I know that strong representations have been made by other parts of the United Kingdom including, for example, Manchester and Birmingham, and Downing Street is considering them all very carefully.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Lord Rana Excerpts

Thursday 17th December 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Rana (CB)]

My Lords, I add my thanks to the noble Lord, Lord Luce, for initiating this important debate. I also congratulate the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Scotland, on being appointed to that very important position. I am a great believer in the Commonwealth, which is a unique, multicultural, multi-institutional organisation spanning six continents of the world, bringing together nearly one-third of the world’s population and promoting multi-identity.

I welcome the Government’s pledge of £5 million for a new Commonwealth counterextremism unit. I anticipate that other countries will follow the lead of the UK and Australia. Since last year, I and some of my colleagues have been talking to the Commonwealth Secretariat about establishing such a unit. The biggest threat to the world today is terrorism, and its legacy in the Commonwealth is far too visible, from the Troubles in Northern Ireland to the Kashmir dispute. Just yesterday, Boko Haram left another 30 dead and 20 wounded in terrifying attacks on three villages in Nigeria, adding to the 6,644 lives that it has already claimed, according to the Global Terrorism Index.

Speaking from my own personal experience, the best way to counter terrorism and civil unrest is through a twin-track approach, with dialogue and education and with the use of force against those who are not interested in talking. Some 60% of the Commonwealth population are under the age of 30, and the majority of them live in developing countries. The role of education in promoting peace, democracy and respect for each other is essential in shaping these young minds—they are the future of our world. At an educational complex that my trust funded in Punjab, we have 130 students from the Kashmir Valley, who grew up in that troubled space. Through education and by mixing with other children, it is amazing how the mindset changes.

I am also in the process of establishing a new Institute for Conflict Studies and Resolution Strategies in Punjab and in Northern Ireland. The intention is to put into practice the recommendations of the 2007 Commonwealth report Civil Paths to Peace, which were reaffirmed in Malta this year. I attended the CHOGM and my colleagues and I had the opportunity to give a presentation on the importance of setting up a unit, such as the one I mentioned, on resolving conflict, studying and opening the debate while these things are happening.

I am delighted that the noble Lord, Lord Anderson, referred to Ireland. I have been talking to people over the past few years and encouraging dialogue on Ireland rejoining the Commonwealth. I am glad that, in April this year, the Royal Commonwealth Society set up in Dublin for the first time and had support from senior members of the Dublin City Council.

Queen’s Speech

Lord Rana Excerpts

Thursday 17th May 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Rana]

I am pleased to be here today in your Lordships’ House, adding my support to international development, an area that has great resonance for me. I am delighted that the Government have committed 0.7% of gross national income for international development from next year. Not only does international development encompass my own ideology in helping to promote and achieve the impossible in situations where there is a great need for support from the international community, but it can work for good in other directions too. This can be seen in the way that the lives of people who commit to helping are enriched and enhanced for the common good. The enrichment can and does bring benefits to wider communities by bringing together different cultures and societies and promoting a better understanding of the needs of people in other countries. What international development can bring to us in the United Kingdom is not often recognised. It is more often than not looked on as a one-way street of giving with no taking, which does not bring back benefits of any kind.

Allow me to give an example. I have led trade delegations from Northern Ireland to India for the past 10 years. The most recent, to promote business initiatives and investment between the two countries, was in April this year. The delegation comprised First Minister Peter Robinson, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, Economy Minister Arlene Foster, 20 companies and two universities from Northern Ireland. It was supported by the British high commissioner in Delhi and the deputy high commissioners of Mumbai and Bangalore. This is international development from a different angle that is, at present, exciting, dynamic and bringing great benefits. It is a two-way street that is helping to develop part of the United Kingdom and strengthen its international presence, while building on historical links and the many years of previous financial support.

The success of such initiatives shows for itself. India is now the second biggest investor in Northern Ireland, employing nearly 5,000 people, and there are 49 Northern Irish companies doing good business in India. We met the Chief Ministers for Mumbai and Delhi and, as a result, they are looking forward to the further development of industrial, educational and tourism links. This shows how important development grants can be for future trade with a country as it grows.

However, there is still a lot that needs to be done. Last week the “Living Below the Line” campaign raised awareness of how much of the world’s population subsists on around a dollar a day. A recent article on the BBC website cited as many as 1.3 billion people as still subsisting at this level. This emphasises the importance of continuing international development for the bigger picture of the global economy, and that there is still a need for a concerted effort by the developed countries to tackle this problem.

Official aid figures do not include contributions by private trusts and individuals. A great deal of unofficial aid is given by charitable and philanthropic organisations from this country, about which little reliable information is available. I cite the example of, and declare an interest in, my charitable trust, which has been funding a university project in a village called Sanghol in Punjab. This is archaeologically a very famous site in north India. The settlement goes back around 5,000 years. There were no facilities in the area for children to acquire graduate or postgraduate education. We started with a greenfield site and now there is a 25-acre campus, with nearly 2,000 students spanning six institutes that offer graduate and postgraduate courses. It employs 200 people, plus another 200 construction workers, and it is still growing.

My vision was to create a village society that, in its fusion of native values and culture and modern sciences, would be a model for the whole community. The intention was that it would bring international development to the heart of the community and give it a lifeline with which to combat the problems and injustices that living in a rural part of India brings. It is very humbling to see first hand how this makes a difference to the lives of many young people. Nearly half the qualifying students are girls, who would have little chance of a university education without this initiative.

The trust’s efforts have been supported by the UK-India Education and Research Initiative in setting up a vocational training institute in collaboration with VTCT—Vocational Training Charitable Trust, UK—in April this year. It has helped to bring together educational establishments in both countries. In this, the British Council has done a great job to help. Assistance from UKIERI and the British Council works at the grass-roots level and gives aid to the beneficiaries more quickly. Perhaps DfID would consider working with philanthropic initiatives in the same way that UKIERI and the British Council do. This would speed up the process and help more young people in the field of education. Providing good-quality education goes a long way in alleviating poverty and empowers people to compete in the global market.

Republic of Ireland and the Commonwealth

Lord Rana Excerpts

Thursday 30th June 2011 Lords Chamber

Asked By

[Lord Rana]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent visit by Her Majesty the Queen to the Republic of Ireland, what plans they have to encourage the Republic to rejoin the Commonwealth.

[The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford)]

My Lords, the Republic of Ireland’s interest in rejoining the Commonwealth is a matter for the Irish Government and, of course, for the existing Commonwealth membership.

[Lord Rana]

I thank the Minister for that Answer. May I take this opportunity of congratulating Her Majesty and the President of Ireland on a very successful royal visit to the Republic of Ireland? In the light of this outstanding success, do the Government agree that it is important to build on the results of the visit in a constructive way so as further to improve relations within these islands and between the two parts of Ireland? In particular, do the Government agree that if Ireland, as an independent republic, was to rejoin the Commonwealth, or have a new association with the Commonwealth, this would be calculated to be of benefit to Ireland, and more particularly greatly improve relations between the divided communities in Ireland?

[Lord Howell of Guildford]

I agree 100 per cent with the noble Lord’s remarks about the enormously successful state visit, which has no doubt struck a very positive chord and gives great hope to all of us who are familiar with and wish to see ameliorated and put in the past the great problems of Ireland of the past few hundred years. The noble Lord is absolutely on the right track there. However, I have to reiterate that the initiative on which he is questioning me—membership of the Commonwealth—really is a matter for the Irish Government to look at. In many other areas I suspect that the state visit has provided an impetus and a momentum on both sides of the water for new initiatives to bring the Republic of Ireland and all aspects of the United Kingdom still closer together. They are our good friends and we are theirs.