Overview

2007 Commonwealth People's Forum: Realising People's Potential

18 - 22 November 2007
Africana Hotel, Kampala, Uganda

    Each CPF has a theme which is linked directly to the theme of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Once the theme has been decided a series of sub themes will be developed and it is around these that the civil society workshops and discussions will take place. The outcomes of these workshops will be fed into reports, which will then feed into the final communiqué to be presented at CHOGM.

In preparation for the 2007 CPF in Kampala, a Steering Committee was established to provide oversight. It is comprised of key leaders from the Ugandan government and civil society. The Steering Committee will meet quarterly and maintain good links between the Commonwealth Foundation and the host government during the planning stage. The Commonwealth Foundation will support and facilitate a pan-Commonwealth process of civil society dialogue and interaction prior to the CPF drawing on national, regional and international processes. This will culminate in the Committee of the Whole (CoW) which will take place in September or October 2007. The outcomes of the CoW will feed into the CHOGM communiqué.

The Commonwealth Foundation will work with the Commonwealth Secretariat to ensure that the successful dialogue between Foreign Ministers and civil society representatives initiated in Valletta is embraced as a standing item in the CHOGM.

How the Commonwealth People's Forum will be Organised

The 2007 Commonwealth People's Forum will include a series of national consultations and a pan Commonwealth online consultation sponsored by the Foundation on the CHOGM theme. The outputs from these consultations will be synthesised and presented to the CoW. This will aim to ensure that the CoW considers civil society concerns and that key messages are referred to in the development of the draft communiqué.

In addition, the CPF will comprise a mix of plenary sessions and thematic workshops. The following is the general timetable that will be followed: 

  • The CPF will open with a plenary session that will focus on a number of presentations and discussions on the CHOGM theme.
  • A series of concurrent workshops on key themes will then take place over a two day period. Those workshops will spend a proportion of their time focussed on the CHOGM theme.
  • After the thematic workshops the CPF will reconvene in plenary. Rapporteurs from each of the workshops will give substantive feedback to the plenary.
  • Each workshop will also appoint a representative to participate in a committee that will draft a communiqué for submission to CHOGM. This communiqué will address the specific CHOGM theme and will draw on the thematic workshops and other sources as needed. It will be submitted to CHOGM together with a brief report from each of the thematic workshops.
  • Each workshop will also appoint a spokesperson to take part in the proposed Roundtable with Foreign Ministers at the end of CHOGM.

In consultation with the host nation, commercial operations will be invited to tender for the running of the exhibition


Related Documents
CPF 2007 Marketing Brochure 2055 KB)