About the Commonwealth Foundation
The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental organisation, resourced by and reporting to Commonwealth governments, and guided by Commonwealth values and priorities.
The Commonwealth Foundation's mission is to strengthen civil society organisations across the Commonwealth as they promote democracy, advance sustainable development and foster inter-cultural understanding.
Culture and Diversity Programme
The Commonwealth Foundation has a mandate from Commonwealth Heads of Government to support and promote culture. Culture and Diversity is one of three current core programme areas of the Commonwealth Foundation, alongside Sustainable Development and Governance and Democracy.
One of the greatest strengths of the Commonwealth is its rich cultural diversity. Through its Culture and Diversity Programme, the Commonwealth Foundation seeks to further inter-cultural understanding, learning, sharing and co-operation. There are four main aspects to the Programme.
First, the Foundation works to support cultural practitioners, to help them share their works with new audiences, have their talents recognised, develop a livelihood from cultural expression and to collaborate with practitioners from other cultures.
Second, and connected, the Foundation is increasingly working at the policy level, looking at what shapes the environment within which cultural practitioners work, and seeking to further good cultural policy and its implementation, particularly with strong civil society involvement.
Third, the Foundation supports intiatives which foster greater respect and understanding between different identities and communities, and greater co-operation that leads to enhanced development and social cohesion. Here it addresses particularly, although not exclusively, issues of inter-religious co-operation.
Fourth, the Foundation connects culture with its other concerns, of furthering good governance, democracy and sustainable development. It does this both through promoting the greater use of culture-based methods to achieve development objectives, and through supporting learning about how to undertake culturally-sensitive and culturally-attuned development.
About the Australian Multicultural Foundation
The Australian Bicentennial Authority gave support to a proposal to establish the Australian Bicentennial Multicultural Foundation. The idea was first proposed by the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia National Conference in 1981.
In 1986 the Federation and the Australian Institute of Multicultural Affairs jointly convened a Working Party, which consulted widely concerning the objects and direction for the Foundation.
In June 1987 the Authority invested $3 Million in the Australian Bicentennial Multicultural Foundation Trust Account. In September 1988 the Funds were transferred to the Foundation after it was legally incorporated as an independent organisation.
Aims and Objectives
The aims and objectives of the foundation are:
- To cultivate in all Australians a strong commitment to Australia as one people drawn from many cultures and by so doing to advance its social and economic well-being;
- the promotion of an awareness among the people of Australia of the diversity of cultures within Australia and the contribution of people from all cultures to the development of Australia ; and
- the spread of respect and understanding between all cultural groups through any appropriate means.
The foundation will achieve its aims:
- by adopting issues of national significance; and
- by initiating projects and programs in consultation and in partnership in any worthwhile field or activity.
About the Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements
The Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements seeks to advance knowledge of the diverse economic, social, political and cultural dimensions to global movements.
Based at Monash, Clayton campus, it undertakes high-quality research, fosters public discussion and offers expert advice.
While serving Monash University as a whole, the Institute draws especially on co-operative initiatives in the faculties of Arts, Art and Design, Education, Law and Business and Economics.
The Institute is concerned with three key questions:
- What are the nature and implications of the global movement of people, resources and ideas?
- What institutions, systems and structures are evolving to facilitate global flows, movements, and global interdependence; and what are the implications for national and local institutions?
- What is the impact on security, human rights and national identities in an increasingly mobile and often borderless world?
About the Statesman
The Statesman is one of Asia's oldest English daily newspapers. It was founded in Kolkata (then Calcutta) in 1875 and is directly descended from The Friend of India (founded 1818). The Englishman (founded 1821) was merged with The Statesman in 1934. In short, the newspaper's roots go back 190 years. The Delhi edition of The Statesman began publication in 1931, the Siliguri edition in 1998 and the Bhubaneswar edition in 2003.
The Statesman has distinguished itself through objective coverage of events, its value as an honest purveyor of news emphasised at times of crisis such as the Bengal Famine of 1943 and the infamous internal Emergency of the mid-1970s. It is forthright in the expression of its views. Its pursuit of the truth has been relentless and often at considerable cost to itself, as when the government of Indira Gandhi, in gross abuse of power, attempted to suppress its voice and when the government of Rajiv Gandhi interfered with the grant of statutory clearances to its modernisation plans unless the paper changed its editorial stance. T he Statesman prevailed, as the truth must prevail, and remains a favourite of readers in various parts of India.
The Statesman is a founding member of Asia News Network, a grouping of 19 Asian newspapers that have joined hands for coverage of Asian events through Asian eyes.
Majority control in The Statesman, a public limited company, is held by public charitable trusts. This ownership structure keeps the newspaper insulated from corporate and political interests.
As part of its editorial policy which, uniquely, forms part of its Articles of Association, The Statesman is committed to support and defend humanist causes and oppose all forms of tyranny and oppression, and to foster goodwill between India and other countries, especially those countries which like India cherish values of free and democratic institutions and representative government.
It is in furtherance of these objectives that
The Statesman is committed to the effective and equitable management of diversity in the world.
About the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute
ASLI is an independent not-for-profit research institute that promotes thought leadership, Asian leadership, international business relations, economic cooperation and strategic thinking. ASLI's mission is to help organizations enhance leadership and strategic capabilities through the interchange of ideas, information and knowledge. Towards that end, ASLI continuously engages in the research and implementation of strategic leadership programmes, publications, conferences, CEO Membership Forums, and international business missions. ASLI's vision is to create a better society.
ASLI has also established a Centre for Public Policy Studies. As a private sector think-tank, ASLI focuses on the areas of economic policy and competitiveness, regional economic cooperation, education reforms and human capital development, national unity and national integration. ASLI's CEO and Board Members participate in a number of high level government dialogues and put forward the voice of business.
ASLI actively promotes International Relations especially enhancing business partnerships through our collaboration with the China Council for Promotion of International Trade, the Confederation of Indian Industry, the UKTI/ Asia House London, the Russia-ASEAN Cooperation Fund, the Keizai Koho Centre (Japan Institute for Economic and Social Affairs), the China Development Institute and the Asia Society. ASLI has also co-organized the Williamsburg Conference with Asia Society, New York and worked with the World Economic Forum on the East Asia Summit in Malaysia . ASLI has also organized the Asia Economic Summit and ASEAN Leadership Forum series. ASLI also initiated the World Islamic Economic Forum and World Ethics & Integrity Forum. ASLI is also the Event Manager for the Global Peace Forum and the Annual Asia Oil & Gas Conference.
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