It is fundamental to the vision of the Commonwealth Institute that ways are found for the Commonwealth to support and facilitate this process. Our new vision has found much resonance with opinion-formers. We believe strongly that there is a pressing imperative, as well as an exciting opportunity, for the Commonwealth to embrace the cultural diversity agenda as a core element in its policy programme alongside development, good governance and human rights. We therefore recommend that the Commonwealth incorporates the management of cultural diversity as a substantive policy priority for the new century. In addition to the intrinsic benefits of putting the issue at the forefront of the Commonwealth, it would also demonstrate the commitment of the association to addressing and dealing with the root causes of ethnic and racial intolerance.
Pluralism has to be accepted and celebrated rather than being merely tolerated.
The attempt should be to pursue unity rather than uniformity of cultures. Ministers also congratulated the Institute for its work in citizenship education, recognising the essential role that education plays in inculcating and sustaining the fundamental values of democracy, human rights, peace and justice on which the Commonwealth is founded. This strong affirmation by Commonwealth Ministers of the role of citizenship education in promoting cultural pluralism greatly encourages the Institute in its work in this field. We also welcome and support the Secretary-General's commitment to engage with the youth of the Commonwealth and believe that giving substance to this is key to its future success. These endorsements reaffirm our belief that education and a focus on young people should remain a primary focus for the Commonwealth.