By Razmi Farook, Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation

As I begin my tenure as Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, I am struck by the unique timing of this moment. We are currently witnessing a leadership realignment across our three “sister institutions.” This synchronisation offers a rare and exciting opportunity to reimagine how we collaborate to serve the 56 nations of our family.

For the Foundation, our mandate is clear: we exist to support the active participation of civil society in the Commonwealth. While we are guided by the Commonwealth Charter, we do not prescribe specific policy solutions. Instead, we champion the process — ensuring that governance is inclusive and that the voices of the people are not just heard but woven into the fabric of decision-making.

To ensure our future path is grounded in the experience of our citizens, the Foundation is currently undertaking an extensive series of regional civil society consultations. By convening diverse voices across our membership — from the Pacific to the Caribbean — we are listening to the aspirations and challenges of those on the front lines of driving Commonwealth values — of democracy and human rights — right across the globe. These dialogues are the foundation of our upcoming strategy. They ensure our priorities are shaped directly by the people we serve, allowing us to act as a truly responsive bridge between policy and people.

This grassroots insight allows us to better align with the Commonwealth Secretariat’s current strategic plan, specifically regarding democratic, economic, and climate resilience. The challenges facing Commonwealth citizens today cannot be solved by governments in isolation. When the Secretariat sets the framework for resilience, and COL provides the educational infrastructure, the Foundation works to ensure that civil society is empowered to implement and sustain these efforts on the ground.

Our partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning is particularly vital when we consider our greatest strength: the Commonwealth’s 2.7 billion citizens, the majority of whom are under the age of 30. To build a resilient Commonwealth, we must empower youth not only with the skills to work but with the capacity to engage. Education is the bedrock of civic participation. By aligning COL’s expertise in learning and capacity-building with the Foundation’s mission to strengthen civil society, we can do our part in transforming the “youth bulge” into a powerful democratic dividend.

Looking past Commonwealth Week in London, towards CHOGM and the People’s Forum 2026 in Antigua and Barbuda, our focus must be on the theme: “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth.” For the Foundation, this means advocating for a model where civil society is a primary stakeholder in prosperity. By weaving together learning, policy, and people, we can build a Commonwealth that is not only resilient but profoundly inclusive.

This reflection was originally published in the April 2026 issue of Connections. Read the full issue: https://hdl.handle.net/11599/6130