CHOGM agrees communique in Perth and releases EPG report
(Closing Press Conference CHOGM 2011, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard centre, right)
30 Oct 2011
Commonwealth Heads of Govenment released the CHOGM communique in Perth, Western Australia, today. The full text can be read by clicking here:
The highlights:
1. Kamalesh Sharma has been re-appointed Commonwealth Secretary-General for another four years;
2. A Commonwealth Charter will be agreed by Headsof Government in 2012 following work by a Task Force of Ministers who will take it to a meeting of Foreign Ministers in September 2012;
3. The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) will now comprise: Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Jamaica, Maldives, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu. This group is tasked with monitoring the status of democracy and the rule of law in Commonwealth member states;
4. The Secretary-General and CMAG are to further 'evaluate relevant options' on the proposal of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) for a Commissioner of Democracy, Human Rightsand Rule of Law. This evaluation will be reported to Foreign Ministersin September 2012;
5. Heads of Government adopted 30 EPG recommendations,and will adopt 12 more subject to 'financial considerations'. They asked the Task Force of Ministers for more detailed advice on a further 43. They said 11 recommendations were 'inappropriate';
6. Heads of Government asked the Commonwealth Secretariat to pursue established procedures with regard to the application for membership for South Sudan;
7. Heads of Government reaffirmed Sri Lanka as CHOGM host in 201 and, Mauritius in 2015. They noted Malaysia's offer to host CHOGM 2019.
EPG Report
The Heads of Government also released the EPG Report. A copy of the report, released by The Commonwealth Association, is available for download as a PDF file by clicking here. You will need to read it with Adobe Acrobat reader.
CMAG recommendations
More details on the CMAG recommendations to strengthen itself are to be found in a statement issued at CHOGM. Click here.Declaration on Food Security
On 29 October, the Heads of Governmnt issued the Perth Declaration on Food Security Principles. They listed 12 such principles which they hoped would be implemented by the next CHOGM in 2013. They recognised in particular the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa and to support African agricultural production, they pledged direct action through major investments in agricultural productivity. Read the Declaration here.
Follow our bloggers
Read the thoughts of Stuart Mole, Our Man in Perth, and other guest bloggers on the events as they happened in Perth. Click here.
FOLLOW CHOGM speeches, the press conferences and the latest news and pictures at www.chogm2011.org or at www.thecommonwealth.org.
The Commonwealth Organisations Committee on Zimbabwe released today the report detailing two years of assistance in the rehabiliation of Zimbabwe. Committee chairperson Chis Paterson said the report, which also contains recommendations for action to governments, would be presented to Commonwealth leaders at their summit in Perth, Australia, at the end of October. The Commonwealth Association is a member of this committee. A PDF copy of the report can be downloded here.
14 March 2011 - the Commonwealth celebrates Women as Agents of Change
The Commonwealth celebrates Women as the Agents of Change in 2011 with events all over the 54-member association. At Westminster Abbey in London, the traditional Observance on 11 March will hear the Queen's message as Head of the Commonwealth and include celebrities such as singer Anne Lennox. On 17 March, Sonia Gandhi will deliver the Commonwealth Lecture, also in London.
£5,000 to help the albinos of Tanzania
Commonwealth Association members and supporters raised £5,000 for the Tanzania Albino Centre at a fundraiser in London on 11 September 2010. A cheque for this amount was handed to Franck Alphonse, representing the charity, by Association Secretary Cheryl Dorall on 1 March 2011. The funds will go towards the education of young albinos in Tanzania. Read more here and here.
UK multilateral aid review rates Secretariat as 'poor'
The UK's Department for International Development has rated the Commonwealth Secretariat as 'poor' in its multilateral aid review announced on 1 March 2011. The Secretariat has issued a detailed response to the criticisms and has said it will work closely with DFID on the issues raised.
DFID has also announced it will cease its bilateral country programmes with a number of countries, including the Commonwealth countries of Cameroon, The Gambia and Lesotho. It will be concentrating on 27 countries including from the Commonwealth Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
UK Foreign Secretary wants 'reinvigorated Commonwealth'
William Hague, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, has called for the Commonweath to be 'reinvigorated' and hailed its 'unique character' and often 'unsung achievements', on a visit to Australia on 19 Jan 2011. His speech is here. In 2010, he said the UK needs to 'embrace the opportunities of the networked world' and described the Commonwealth as 'one of the world's long-standing global networks ... which spans continents and world religions, contains six of the fastest growing economies and is underpinned by an agreed framework of common values.' Read the full speech ...