The Commonwealth People’s Forum, now more than a decade old, is the most significant consultative policy making event in the Commonwealth calendar for civil society.
Convened every two years, the People’s Forum brings together hundreds of non-governmental groups from the association’s 54 member countries to seek agreement and action on key issues facing Commonwealth people.
Over the course of the four-day event, assemblies cover topics such as climate change, culture, education, financial crisis, food security, gender, health and human rights.
On the final day, a joint statement is issued embodying the collective voice of all civil society groups. A powerful call to action, this Civil Society Statement gives non-governmental organisations a unique platform to carve out domestic and international agendas for Commonwealth member countries.
The statement is issued directly ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), a major intergovernmental summit hosted in parallel with the People’s Forum.Though directed primarily at governments, the Civil Society Statement also acts as an important guide for the work of the Commonwealth Foundation.
Accompanied by a series of exhibitions and cultural performances, the People’s Forum is hosted each year by a different Commonwealth member government in co-operation with the Commonwealth Foundation.
The last People’s Forum was held in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2009. The next is scheduled for Perth, Australia in 2011. Previous forums have taken place in Scotland (1997), South Africa (1999), Australia (2001), Nigeria (2003), Malta (2005) and Uganda (2007).