Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

March. Heads of state and government will consider it in October at the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2011 in Perth, Australia.
We are encouraging the Eminent Persons Group to recommend a new
Commonwealth Charter, a strengthened Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group,
and a modernised secretariat. We would like the Commonwealth to be more active
in upholding its core values. The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group should
also react more quickly to events and have a wider range of responses that allow it
to address situations in a way that reflects the nature and gravity of the violation.
The Secretary-General should also be mandated to make timely statements in
support of Commonwealth values when they are at risk. We also support the
appointment of a Commonwealth Commissioner for the Rule of Law, Democracy and
Human Rights to advise the Secretary-General and the chair of the Commonwealth
Ministerial Action Group on violations of human rights and international law.
Separately, the current members of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group –
Ghana, Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Namibia, Maldives, Bangladesh, Jamaica
and Trinidad and Tobago – are carrying out a review of the Group. All members
agree that the Group is vitally important as a custodian of the core Commonwealth
values and that it should be proactive rather than reactive and able to respond and
take appropriate action when it is satisfied that human rights violations have
occurred in a Commonwealth member state. Recommendations from this review will
also be considered at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2011.
We will work with member states to ensure that the outcome is a stronger, more
responsive group.
In 2010 we supported the work of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Human Rights
Unit in facilitating and strengthening member states’ engagement with the UN’s
Universal Periodic Review process. This included part-funding a project officer to
facilitate sharing of expertise between Commonwealth member states on the review.
In 2011 we will support the Secretariat as they shift their focus away from helping
member states to prepare for the review to helping them implement the
recommendations they receive during the review. This will include regional seminars
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