Carl W. Wright (born 18 February 1950) is a

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

, former director of the

Commonwealth Trade Union Group The Commonwealth Trade Union Group (abbreviated CTUG) was a London-based international alliance of trade union in the Commonwealth countries. It was previously known as the Commonwealth Trade Union Council (abbreviated CTUC). As of 2007, the combine ...

(1980–1994) and Secretary-General of the

Commonwealth Local Government Forum The Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) is a global local government organisation, bringing together local authorities, their national associations and the ministries responsible for local government in the member countries of the Commonwe ...

(1994–2016). Author 'Global Citizen: Grass Roots Activism and High Diplomacy' (Hansib Publication 2022)

Education

Wright spent his childhood in

Tenby Tenby () is a seaside town and community (Wales), community in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It lies within Carmarthen Bay. Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, the 13th-century Tenby Town Walls, me ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, and studied European Politics at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...

, and Regional Economic and Urban Planning at the

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

. While at the latter, Wright became Chair of the London University Europe Club, and in 1971-72 Co-chair (with

Julian Priestley Sir Julian Gordon Priestley (26 May 1950 – 22 April 2017) was an English civil-servant who served as Secretary-General of the European Parliament 1997–2007. He was the second President of the Young European Federalists 1974–1976. Biograp ...

) of the UK-wide Students for a United Europe, just as Britain's negotiations to join the European Communities were at a crucial point.

Early career

In 1973, Wright joined the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

as adviser to Commissioner

George Thomson George Thomson may refer to: Government and politics * George Thomson (MP for Southwark) (c. 1607–1691), English merchant and Parliamentarian soldier, official and politician * George Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth (1921–2008), Scottish p ...

, as one of the first Britons to work for the Commission and Secretary of the

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) was an international trade union. It came into being on 7 December 1949 following a split within the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), and was dissolved on 31 October 2006 whe ...

(1974–80).

Commonwealth career

From 1980 to 1988 he was the founding Director of the

(at that time called the Commonwealth Trade Union Council), which campaigned for human and labour rights, and Assistant Director at the

Commonwealth Secretariat The Commonwealth Secretariat is the main intergovernmental agency and central institution of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is responsible for facilitating co-operation between members; organising meetings, including the Commonwealth Heads of ...

(198894) where he dealt with Commonwealth programmes for

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

. In 1994 he became the founding director of the

and its Secretary-General from 1995 to 2016. One key achievement during this time was the adoption of the Aberdeen Agenda: Commonwealth Principles on Good Practice for Local Democracy and Good Governance which guides the Commonwealth advocacy and engagement on local democracy and was incorporated into the Commonwealth Charter in 2013. Wright has been a member of the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Government on Post-2015 and

Habitat III Habitat III, the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, took place in Quito, Ecuador, from 17 – 20 October 2016. The UN Conferences on Housing (Habitat) are occurring in the bi-decennial cycle (1976, 1996 and 201 ...

representing global local government organisations at the Addis Ababa Conference on Financing for Development and COP21 Paris and chaired key UN consultations on 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2013–16). In 2016 he joined the board of trustees of the UN Association UK, the Ramphal Institute and editorial board of '' The Round Table'' journal. For his work in "international co-operation" and other areas, Wright received an honorary doctorate in Administration from the

University of KwaZulu-Natal The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN; , ) is a public research university with five campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University ...

in 2013. Wright published his biographical memoir 'Global Citizen Grass Roots Activism and High Diplomacy: Recollections 1972-2022' with Hansib Publications in 2022

External links

Carl Wright - photo

References

– {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Carl 1950 births Living people Alumni of University College London Alumni of the University of Reading British civil servants People from Tenby