Commonwealth team observe UK Elections

The RCS and Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK are delighted to announce the arrival of their Observation Team to the UK General Election.

The 11 Observers, all from Commonwealth countries, are taking part in the first Commonwealth observation of an election in a developed country. They will be taking advantage of a recent change in UK law which will allow them into polling stations for the very first time.

The Observers include young Parliamentarians from 7 Commonwealth countries, plus civil society democracy activists.

Their programme will include briefings from key political organisations, several days shadowing prospective candidates in constituencies around England and Scotland, observing polling stations and the count, and submitting a final report.

Visit the News section of the website to find out more and to see video blogs and updates from the delegates.

New research published by the RCS also suggests that over 1 million Commonwealth citizens living in the UK could vote in this week's General Election. Click here to see our Press Release.

Young delegates quiz Dr James Martin

At an RCS event on 28 April, 18 young delegates from around the Commonwealth quizzed eminent author, business leader and social entrepeneur, Dr James Martin on the potential impact of technology on economic growth in developing countries.

The young delegates, who included Commonwealth scholars and the UK Young Scientist of the Year, met Dr Martin before he delivered the annual Commonwealth Lecture at The Royal Institution on the subject 'Science and Technology: Impacts on Society in the 21st century'.

The lecture was streamed live online. You can watch it on the Commonwealth Foundation's website.

A leader in the fields of digital technology, education and international development, Dr Martin has written more than 100 books and is the founder of the James Martin 21st century school at the University of Oxford.

Butterfly Release

On 22 April, the RCS helped to organise the simultaneous release of 54 live butterflies by school children from Westminster School. The event took place in the picturesque College Gardens, in the shadow of Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament.

Danny Sriskandarajah, Director of the RCS, explained that each of the butterflies symbolised one of the 54 member states of the Commonwealth before they were released by the group of eager school children.

In keeping with this year's Commonwealth theme - Science, Technology and Society - the butterfly release was followed by a lecture on 'Why is Science Important?' by Alom Shaha, a physics teacher, broadcaster and science writer.

You can see stunning photos from the day in the 'What's New?' section of our Youth website.