London, Feb 11 (PTI) India is not only the largest but also among the most inspirational members of the Commonwealth, and it is primed to take on an even greater leadership role in the organisation, Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland said ahead of a week-long visit to the country starting on Wednesday.
Scotland’s visit will include New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. She will focus on trade, women’s empowerment, and climate action. This will be one of her final official tours before her tenure ends in March.
In an interview with PTI on the eve of her India visit at the Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House headquarters here, Scotland expressed her confidence in India’s commitment to the 56-member Commonwealth of Nations grouping — many with a shared colonial past.
“India is very engaged with the Commonwealth. But if you ask me, could India be more engaged, take a bigger leadership role in the Commonwealth, absolutely, because India can do that,” said Scotland.
“The times I’ve been blessed to speak to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, he has made it plain that he does want India to be one of the drivers for the common good; and this isn’t just about the development of India and Indians. He sees this development as collaborative work that we must do in order to support humanity,” she said.
India’s ability to do things at scale and willingness to share its learnings with other smaller member countries is what Scotland feels lies at the heart of its bigger leadership potential.
“With 1.4 billion people, India can do things that others would find very challenging to do. And the wonder of India, from my point of view, and why she is so important to the Commonwealth, is that India actually believes in technological transfer to those developing countries who are in need. She is inspirational… [in the way she has] created a pathway for change which is accessible,” said Scotland.
Pointing to the leadership role taken on by India during the COVID pandemic for the Commonwealth and beyond, the Dominican British House of Lords peer serving as the Secretary-General since April 2016 believes the geopolitical realities of the world make such collaborations essential.
“We are all facing huge global threats, which we cannot overcome on our own. So now we’re having to transform the way we do things so that there is competition but the competition is no longer between us. The competition is with the common threats that are coming to kill all of us,” she said.
Whether it is the threat posed by climate change or the scenario unfolding with artificial intelligence (AI), Scotland remains optimistic that the “Commonwealth family” will continue to support each other and has therefore chosen “Together We Thrive” as the theme of her final Commonwealth Day on March 10 as Secretary General.
“It is a real family. Now, families squabble, and we have a tussle, but in the end, it’s your family, and you want your family to thrive… we were the first to say in 1989 that climate change posed an existential threat to the world because it posed an existential threat to the small developing countries and the other bigger countries cared for them enough to act,” said Scotland.
Looking back at her nine-year Commonwealth tenure, the 69-year-old barrister feels the organisation is in a strong position to continue to fly the flag of free trade amid the uncertainties of tariff wars emanating from the US.
“We’ve never needed friendship, solidarity, understanding and family more than we do today… We have choices, and the choices we make will determine the world we live in. And if you look at the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth has always made bold choices,” added Scotland, who describes herself as a child of the Commonwealth – an organisation that she plans to always remain connected with. PTI AK PY PY
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