A Grenadian has just released a publication called, "Poor Commonwealth No Longer".

The 158-page book is written by former employee of Cable & Wireless G’da Ltd, Stephen Fletcher, who is a PhD Candidate at Aston University in the England. The book focuses on challenges faced by the Commonwealth Countries in Achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UNMDGs).

Fletcher’s work provides a global and regional analysis of the realities of development, highlights the changing global realities, and assesses progress at poverty reduction and alleviation in Commonwealth Countries.

The book provides an overview of the challenges that globalization poses to the Commonwealth and proffer the view, that whereas globalization has the potential for creating opportunities for improved human conditions, it has not always been a positive force for "Pro-Poor" development, and as such the benefits from globalization are ambiguous.

A section of the book is devoted to exploring the nexus between corruption and development, and reinforces the Commonwealth's stance on corruption. Grenada is used as a case study of home-grown structural adjustment in the book and highlights, that whereas structural adjustment (carried out properly) can have medium and long term economic benefits, it also carries short term political causalities.

Fletcher made a call in the book for the International Financial and Trading Community to reinstate and maintain the special and preferential treatment to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) due to the inherent economic and environmental vulnerability of those states. The publication calls on developing countries, to develop a new paradigm on development, strategically rethink domestic policies, become more competitive, eliminate corruption and waste, while deepening democracy and embracing change.

The book was launched last Saturday (March 11, 2006) during the Commonwealth Scholars Annual Conference at the Institute of the Commonwealth Studies. The event was attended by over 50 Commonwealth Scholars.

Among the officials present were Sir Peter Marshall, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat and Honorary Fellow at the University of Westminster and Matthew Neuhaus, Director of Political Affairs, Commonwealth Secretariat.