‘The Commonwealth Charter and its contemporary relevance’.

Hybrid event: In-person (booking required) in IHR Wolfson Room NB01, Basement, IHR, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU & Online-via Zoom

Keynote Lecture as part of the Soft Power in the Contemporary Commonwealth Conference. Speakers:

Hon. Michael Kirby (former Justice of the High Court of Australia)

Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind (chair of the Committee investigating Commonwealth Studies at the University of London.)

In 2009-11, the Hon Michael Kirby served as a member of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) of the Commonwealth of Nations. The group was chaired by Tun Abdullah Badawi (former Prime Minister of Malaysia) and included 10 noted luminaries of the Commonwealth, including Sir Malcolm Rifkind (former British Foreign Secretary).

The origins of the Commonwealth Charter were somewhat unpromising – drafted by Michael Kirby on a long plane journey back to Australia, using airline paper napkins to record his thoughts. The EPG agreed that his text should be included in their Report which was released at the CHOGM in Perth in 2011. It eventually came into effect with the approval of all Commonwealth countries.

This lecture will describe the unpromising origins, its contents and prospects. Strengths and weaknesses of a soft power document of this kind will be explored. It is Kirby’s belief that, if the future of the Commonwealth is to be assured, it must rest on universally endorsed values that can be enforced and influential, rather than on purely historical considerations that are bound to be even more controversial.

Register for the event here.

This keynote event will be delivered in person in the Wolfson Suite, Institute of Historical Research, School of Advanced Study, University of London. It will also be livestreamed and recorded.