Advocacy within the Commonwealth

Submission to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG)
1st March 2002

1. The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) regrets the premature readmission of Fiji Islands to the councils of the Commonwealth and an additional document detailing our concerns is attached.
2. The Initiative welcomes the decision, taken by the Group at its meeting on 30th January 2002, to recommend to the Heads of Government at their meeting in Coolum, Australia, in March 2002, that Pakistan's status within the Commonwealth should remain unchanged pending restoration of a democratic government.
3. In spite of a decision by the Group to call for an immediate end to the violence and intimidation, freedom to campaign freely without intimidation or fear of recrimination in the election and full access to information from the media, no effective action to address these concerns has been taken by the Government of Zimbabwe.
4. In fact, a significant increase in the levels of violence and intimidation of civil society and opposition supporters has been reported. The refusal to accredit Commonwealth observers of UK nationality and the selective accreditation of 'favourable' media organisations to cover the elections is setting a dangerous precedent for the Commonwealth. All of these actions make a mockery of the Commonwealth values of fundamental human rights, democracy and good governance.
5. CHRI continues to urge that where possible, Commonwealth observers should remain within Zimbabwe for several weeks after the election in order to monitor the results and ensure that situations such as those seen after the Presidential elections in The Gambia earlier this year are not repeated.
6. The Abuja Agreement establishes a reasonable framework within which a resolution to the issue of land reform in Zimbabwe can be achieved. The Group should continue to support this process and the United Kingdom should fulfil its 'half of the bargain' by placing the money earmarked for equitable land redistribution into a separate account.
7. It is widely reported that ordinary Zimbabweans face mass starvation within the next six to twelve months. In previous submissions, as in this, CHRI urges Commonwealth action for humanitarian relief in Zimbabwe, given the growth in malnutrition, the collapse in living standards and the flow of refugees into neighbouring Commonwealth countries that will inevitably result from a further implosion of the country.
8. The Commonwealth must not fail to be true to its guiding principles of fundamental human rights, democracy and good governance. It must be prepared to deal with the political, economic and humanitarian consequences of each possible outcome of the election in March, be it the retention of the existing government or a change. Above all, it must not fail the people of Zimbabwe.