LONDON, CMC – The Antigua and Barbuda Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders, says the Commonwealth faces new challenges and that the world needs “enlightened, collective action now more than ever”.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent countries, primarily with historical ties to the United Kingdom. While it is not a political union, but rather a framework for cooperation among its members, they share a commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
Sir Roland delivered the 2025 Patsy Robertson Memorial Lecture on Tuesday, reflecting on the legacy and enduring lessons from the life and leadership of the late Sir Shridath “Sonny” Ramphal, who served as the Commonwealth’s second and longest-serving Secretary-General from 1975 to 1990.
He reminded the audience, which included the current Secretary-General, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, of Ramphal’s role in condemning Southern Rhodesia’s white-minority regime in 1977 and facilitating Zimbabwe’s transition to majority rule in 1980 despite significant opposition from the British government.
Sir Ronald, who is also Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) highlighted the 1988 Eminent Persons Group report, convened under Ramphal’s chairmanship that demanded Nelson Mandela’s unconditional release and endorsed targeted economic sanctions, noting that “economic pressure will be needed before the white minority yields its monopoly of power”.
Turning to development and environmental stewardship, Sir Ronald noted Ramphal’s unique distinction as the only person to serve on all four major international commissions of the 1980s, including the Commission on Environment and Development. Its 1989 report issued an early warning of sea-level rise, now threatening small island states across the Commonwealth.
He also detailed Ramphal’s institutional reforms at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings, pointing to the two-day retreats introduced at the 1982 Ottawa summit, which yielded the Declaration on Debt Relief and Development, and the 1985 Nassau gathering, which combined sanctions on South Africa with new environmental pledges for vulnerable nations.
He invoked Ramphal’s principle that “while the Commonwealth cannot negotiate for the world, it can help the world to negotiate,” urging member states to revive these retreats as forums for candid, solution-driven dialogue.
Sir Ronald shared that, then in his 90s, the former Secretary-General appeared virtually before the International Court of Justice on behalf of his native Guyana in the border dispute with Venezuela.
“Where did he find the energy, stamina, and dedication to work diligently and to excel in every forum? Well, it was in his character: a fierce urgency to make change for the better, always driven to ensure that progress would reach the greatest number — and that progress would endure.”
Looking to the present, Sir Ronald warned that “three decades on from Sonny’s tenure, the Commonwealth confronts fresh trials—each striking at the values he cherished. Our world needs enlightened, collective action now more than ever”.
Sir Shridath died on August 30, 2024, and the lecture was preceded by a memorial service in his honor at The Queen’s Chapel, St James’s Palace, earlier in the day.
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