The Commonwealth comprises a significant number of states that will be affected by the migratory consequences of climate change, including a number of small island states. On 14 May the Ramphal Commission on Migration and Development heard evidence from academics about the implications of migration for the Commonwealth, exploring the possibility that migration – or certain aspects of migration – might offer the organisation a unifying theme for the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Australia in 2011. As I argued to the Commission, it is important that the focus remains not on ‘climate refugees’ or ‘environmental displacement’ per se but rather on the broader issue of ’survival migration’.

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In the debate about how to develop a long-term sustainable response to HIV/AIDS in Africa, the behaviour of donors has to be taken into account. So too does the difficult question of who should decide and be responsible for how public funding is allocated within a country.

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