Global Citizen

Carl Wright

Description

Carl Wright has devoted his entire working life to global action through grass roots activism and international diplomacy. During the past fifty years he engaged with world leaders and political icons from across the globe, including Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Indira Gandhi, Julius Nyerere, Shridath Ramphal, Fidel Castro, Aung San Suu Kyi, Ban Ki-Moon, Cyril Ramaphosa, Helen Clark and Bob Hawke. In these and many other encounters, he reflects his experiences of, 'What it was like to be there,' as he puts it. Having made official visits to some 100 countries from developed to developing nations, to fragile states and countries undergoing democratic transition he has seen at first-hand what is required to implement good governance. These high-level missions included most of the 54 nations of the Commonwealth, along with some of the world's least visited countries, such as Moldova, Myanmar and South Sudan. Written from the perspective of a grass roots activist, Commonwealth diplom

Sujets

• International relations

Informations

• Publié par: Hansib Publications
• Date de parution: 07 juillet 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781912662661
• Langue: English

Extrait

First published in Great Britain by Hansib Publications in 2022
Hansib Publications Limited
76 High Street, Hertford, SG14 3TA, United Kingdom
[e-mail]
www.hansibpublications.com
Copyright Carl Wright, 2022
ISBN 978-1-912662-64-7
ISBN 978-1-912662-65-4 (Kindle)
ISBN 978-1-912662-66-1 (ePub)
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.
Production by Hansib Publications
Printed in Great Britain
www.hansibpublications.com
To my dear wife, Adele, who is always cheerful and has put up with my frequent overseas travels, excessive workloads and political obsessions for forty years; and to our energetic English setter, Rupert, who keeps me fit and trim.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
These recollections have been a labour of love. While I take responsibility for their content, I have benefitted by the thoughts, comments and edits of many friends and close associates. I am grateful to Hansib Publications and their Managing Director, Kash Ali, for taking on publication and for their helpful advice; I feel gratified to have the same publishers as Sir Shridath Sonny Ramphal, a great Global Citizen, Commonwealth Secretary-General and huge inspiration for my own international work.
My writing is of a subjective nature and reflects my interactions with wonderful friends and colleagues across the world. In my book, I have tried to convey personal as well as professional experiences; what it was like to be there , and how it was to be an activist and a diplomat at times of historic change. I have further tried to include many anecdotes, including moments of despair, exhilaration and mirth. I am also honoured by the generous words of Helen Clark in her Foreword to the book.
This book is a personal account, although I hope with important messages about the need for global understanding at a time when our fragile international structures are under acute threat, when the threat of war looms large. I want to acknowledge the many friends, family and political and professional colleagues who have influenced and advanced my life and career and those who have been mentors and role models. I may have sometimes appeared irreverent or brash. This was mostly borne out of impatience with getting things done and a lack of tolerance for what I perceived, perhaps wrongly, as individual or political prejudices.
My core aim remains promoting international cooperation, and to be a truly Global Citizen.
Dr Carl Wilms Wright May 2022
GLOSSARY
ACP
African, Caribbean and Pacific (states)
ACPLGP
African, Caribbean and Pacific Local Government Platform
ACTU
Australian Council of Trade Unions
AFL-CIO
American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organisations
ALG
Association of London Government
ALP
Australian Labor Party
ANC
African National Congress
ASEAN
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
ASTMS
Association of Scientific, Technical Managerial Staff (UK; now merged into Manufacturing, Science Finance, MSF)
AU
African Union
CAP
Common Agricultural Policy (of EU)
CAPAM
Commonwealth Association for Public Administration Management
CARICOM
Caribbean Community
CHOGM
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
CLC
Canadian Labour Congress
CIDA
Canadian International Development Agency (merged into now Department for Foreign Affairs International Trade; now Global Affairs Canada)
CLGF
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
CMAG
Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (of Foreign Ministers)
COP
Conference of the Parties (UN Climate Change Conference)
COSATU
Congress of South African Trade Unions
CPA
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
CSO
Civil Society Organisation
CTUC
Commonwealth Trade Union Council
DEVCO
Directorate General International Cooperation Development (EU; now Directorate International Partnerships)
DFAT
Department of Foreign Affairs Trade (Australia; formerly AusAID)
DFID
Department for International Development (UK; now merged into Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office, FCDO)
ECDPM
European Centre for Development Policy Management EEC European Economic Community
EPG
Eminent Persons Group (Commonwealth)
ERDF
European Regional Development Fund
ETUC
European Trade Union Council
EU
European Union
FCM
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
FRELIMO
Liberation Front of Mozambique
GLA
Greater London Authority (formerly Greater London Council, GLC)
G-77
Group of 77 (developing countries at UN)
ICFTU
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions; now International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC
ICLEI
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
ILO
International Labour Organisation
LGIG
Local Government International Bureau (UK)
IGO
Intergovernmental Organisation
IMF
International Monetary Fund
IULA
International Union of Local Authorities
LGA
Local Government Association (also LGA of England Wales)
MDC
Movement for Democratic Change (Zimbabwe)
MDGs
Millennium Development Goals
MFAT
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Trade (New Zealand)
MPLA
People s Movement for the Liberation of Angola
NACTU
National Council of Trade Unions (South Africa)
NALGO
National Local Government Officers Association (UK; now merged into UNISON)
NGO
Non Governmental Organisation
NLD
National League for Democracy (Myanmar)
NUPE
National Union of Public Employees (UK; now merged into UNISON)
OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development
PAC
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (South Africa)
PLP
Parliamentary Labour Party (UK)
RCS
Royal Commonwealth Society
RENAMO
Mozambique National Resistance
SACTU
South African Congress of Trade Unions
SALGA
South African Local Government Association
SDGs
Sustainable Development Goals
SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
SUE
Students for a United Europe
SWAPO
South-West Africa People s Organisation
TGWU
Transport General Workers Union (UK; now UNITE)
TUC
Trade Union Council (also of UK) or trade union centre
UCL
University College London
UCLG
United Cities and Local Governments
UDI
Universal Declaration of Independence (Rhodesia)
UK
United Kingdom
UN
United Nations
UNA
United Nations Association
UNITA
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola
UNCDF
United Nations Capital Development Fund
UNDP
United Nations Development Programme
UNPROFOR
United Nations Protection Force
US / USA
United States of America
WHO
World Health Organisation
ZANU-PF
Zimbabwe African Union-Patriotic Front
CONTENTS
PREFACE
FOREWORD
Rt Hon Helen Clark
PROLOGUE
Memories and Reflections
PART I
EUROPEAN UNION AND GLOBAL LABOUR (the 1970s) Youthful Activism and International Engagement
1. Yes to Europe
2. First Brits in Brussels
3. Apparatchiks versus Politicos
4. Workers United
5. Fair Labour Rights
6. New International Economic Order
7. The 1970s - A Reflection
PART II
NEO-LIBERAL ASCENDENCY (the 1980s) From Trade Union Action to Commonwealth Diplomacy
8. Fresh Beginnings
9. Recasting Global Paradigms
10. The Impact of Thatcherism
11. CHOGMs and Expert Groups
12. Rhodesia to Zimbabwe
13. Confronting Apartheid
14. Global Solidarity
15. On Her Majesty s Diplomatic List
16. Trade Union Relapse
17. The 1980s Assessed
PART III
THE END OF HISTORY (the 1990s) Dealing with Global Change and Challenge
18. Step-change in International Relations
19. Aftermath of the Collapse of Communism
20. Fragile States and Inclusive Institutions
21. Post-apartheid Transition
22. Fair and Free Elections
23. Party Political Lotteries
24. The 1990s Remembered
PART IV
LOCAL GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGNS (towards 2000 and beyond) Promoting People Empowerment
25. Challenge for the New Millennium
26. Networks and Partnerships
27. Advocacy for Local Democracy
28. Knowledge-sharing and Good Practices
29. Building Local Capacity
30. The 2000s Evaluated
PART V
NEW REALITIES (to the present time) Unravelling of the Post-1945 Consensus
31. 9/11, 7/7 and Violent Extremism
32. Economic Crash, Austerity and the New Populists
33. A Little Local Difficulty
34. Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals
35. Final Acts and New Roles
36. Post-2000 Appraisal
PART VI
ECHOES AND IMAGES (Old Memories and New Plans)
37. Royal Encounters
38. Shaping My Life
39. Greek Colonels and other Foreign Adventures
40. Facing Superpower Rivalries
41. Private Interludes and In-between Pastimes
42. A Luta Continua
EPILOGUE
Imagine
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
PREFACE
I RETIRED FROM FULL-TIME WORK IN 2016. AT A FINAL FUNCTION held at Commonwealth headquarters, Marlborough House my chief guest, HRH the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, most generously said of my work that, This is a remarkable record of service by any measure, and I can only thank him for all that he has done for the people of the Commonwealth over that time.
I was therefore personally offended when not long afterwards British Prime Minister Theresa May described a citizen of the world as a citizen of nowhere . Being a Global Citizen does not stop you being a patriot of your country. It does not curtail you serving as a committed member of your local community or region. It does not - as in my case - prevent you identifying as a proud European, or indeed a proud African, American, Asian or Pacific citizen.
As a Global Citizen you are still very much attached to somewhere : There is no contradiction. As a Global Citizen you can be pro-UN, pro-Commonwealth or pro-EU. What matters is that you reject narrow nationalism and uphold