asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Whether they will outline the main achievements of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Kampala from 23 to 25 November.

My Lords, noble Lords will be pleased to hear that the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting achieved a strong statement on climate change and significant commitments on improving education, trade, reform of international institutions, the MDGs, and on tackling the causes of radicalisation. A new secretary-general, Kamalesh Sharma, was elected; guidelines on Commonwealth membership were adopted; and CMAG, the Commonwealth committee, demonstrated the organisation’s adherence to its democratic principles by suspending Pakistan from the Councils of the Commonwealth, while keeping channels of communication open.

My Lords, I welcome very much the progress that has been made. However, does the Minister agree that it is difficult to make progress on important issues such as development, aid and trade unless it is accompanied by a strengthening of good governance and the rule of law throughout the Commonwealth? In view of the Commonwealth’s robust line on Pakistan, in marked contrast to the lack of a message on Zimbabwe, will the Minister say whether there was a sense of renewed commitment to democracy in the Commonwealth?

My Lords, the whole Commonwealth membership was united, when it came to Pakistan, in standing by its democratic principles and the need to demonstrate that there were not double standards. Zimbabwe, by contrast, is a country that chose to leave the Commonwealth when threatened with suspension. It is therefore no longer a subject for discussion in the Commonwealth, which limits itself to discussion of its membership.

My Lords, the Minister mentioned new guidelines for membership. He also said that Zimbabwe left the Commonwealth. Is it not the case that in the Harare decision it was agreed that, on the model of how South Africa was treated, the fact that Mugabe left the Commonwealth did not mean that Zimbabwe did? Was that discussed, and is that what the Minister means by reviewing the laws of membership?

My Lords, the discussion of the laws of membership relates to the significant numbers of countries that wish, as the noble Baroness is no doubt aware, to join the Commonwealth. I think that that is a full indication of the Commonwealth’s current good health. Zimbabwe is currently demonstrating no such interest but I have no doubt that, were there a change of leadership in Zimbabwe and were it to come back to the Commonwealth, it would qualify as a democratic entrant under the rules which were adopted.

My Lords, I found the Commonwealth communiqué rather long on aspirations and short on recommendations for concrete action, in particular on climate change, which the Minister mentioned. The so-called Victoria action plan, which he agreed, did not contain any proposals that would alter the individual policies of member states. On the work of the Commonwealth Working Group on Asset Repatriation, why did CHOGM not agree to the recommendation that there should be progress reports on that work and better resources in the Commonwealth Secretariat to assist member states to implement it?

My Lords, the noble Lord is too much of a veteran of these things to be entirely surprised that a communiqué of this kind ran long on aspiration. On climate change, I should point out that the summit took place just 10 days before the Bali conference opened this week and the objective was therefore to try to get strong language on the challenge of climate change from a grouping of all kinds of different countries. We felt, in that sense, that it was an effective way of teeing up Bali—by showing that a strong common position had been taken by countries as diverse as ourselves and other industrialised countries, but comprising also a large industrialising country such as India as well as small countries, island states and African countries which will be most hit by climate change. We thought it would put energy into Bali. On the noble Lord’s other point on asset recovery, I will need to come back to him.

My Lords, does my noble friend agree that, hidden away in this rather long communiqué, there was a very important commitment to the exchange of youth within the Commonwealth, and to the contribution that can be made to understanding and reconciliation between different communities by communities getting together in partnership throughout the Commonwealth? We are aware that the British Government favour that in principle. Can my noble friend tell us a little about the practical support that will be given for the furtherance of this objective?

My Lords, I think that my noble friend is aware that this theme of community reconciliation ran strongly through the discussions both at Foreign Minister level and subsequently at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where Professor Amartya Sen presented a report over lunch to Commonwealth members. In the aftermath, we need to look at how we can promote advancement on these issues of reconciliation. However, I say in general to all those in this House who support the Commonwealth that this meeting, with its focus on these kinds of issues of reconciliation, as well as on issues of climate change, despite our diverse climactic and economic interests, represents a renewal of the Commonwealth’s energy and ability to bring us together.

My Lords, I am very glad to hear the Minister talk about renewal of the Commonwealth. Does he accept that we on this side greatly welcome the appointment of Kamalesh Sharma as the new secretary-general? Obviously, we recognise that Don McKinnon did an excellent job, but clearly the Commonwealth is moving into an entirely new situation in which its potential will be very great. Does he accept that that potential is often best expressed not so much at government level but at non-government level and at the level of the huge network of about 250 different associations that spreads across the Commonwealth and keeps links between people? Will he welcome, and possibly say a word more about, the announcement from Kampala that the Commonwealth was thinking of extending not just its membership where it can but its links and associations with other countries? I refer not necessarily to English-speaking countries or those connected with the old British Commonwealth but to countries which share the values of the Commonwealth and are anxious to work with it across the future global pattern.

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for all that he said, including his remarks about Kamalesh Sharma, which we on this side share entirely. Going to a Commonwealth summit is a little like going to the Edinburgh Festival, where the fringe is in some ways as exciting as the festival proper. It is remarkable to see the richness of the Commonwealth associations to which the noble Lord refers—for business, culture and different development activities—and to see the energy of the people involved in those activities and their desire to bring them to the attention of the government leaders there. In that spirit, I agree that an enlargement of the Commonwealth around shared values of democracy and openness and not necessarily just around shared language or historic links, offers the opportunity for a commonwealth of civil society to grow as strongly as a commonwealth of governments.