Chogm: Group Tasks CommonWealth Leaders On Human Rights

by Paul Ibe published on December 06, 2003 in allafrica.com

As Commonwealth leaders begin their biennial meeting today in Abuja, a group, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has said that the organization must adopt an approach, which centralises human rights as framework on which to build a strategy that addresses the deficiencies in democracy and development plaguing so many of the countries of the Commonwealth.

Underscoring the imperative of a right-based approach togovernance in the Commonwealth, CHRI said that it "places value on transparency, participation, accountability, inclusiveness, accommodation of diversity and dissent, and equity of status, opportunity and benefit."

Noting the Commonwealth's record on democracy is far from exemplary, the India-based human rights group said, "Zimbabwe and Pakistanremain suspended from the Commonwealth as a result of their failure to abide by the principles of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights enshrined in the Harare Declaration."

It observed that throughout the Commonwealth, while many countries at least preserve a semblance of formal democracy, in reality their populations still do not truly enjoy their democratic rights.

It pointed out that official Commonwealth must ensure themeaningful mainstreaming of human rights in all its work. Moreover, the group said the Commonwealth needs to develop amechanism for monitoring and evaluating on a regular basis the human rights performance of Commonwealth member states andtheir implementation of Commonwealth commitments.

It noted that it is only through such practical measures can the Commonwealth demonstrate its serious commitment to human rights, democracy and development.