Global News Post: Commonwealth

Commonwealth Summit Ends with Modest Human Rights Gains

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Dozens of nations once linked to the former <st1:place w:st="on">British Empire</st1:place> have failed to find consensus on several human rights concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The three-day Commonwealth Summit wrapped up Sunday in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Perth</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Australia</st1:country-region></st1:place>. Leaders said they had made modest progress on implementing reforms, but the steps fell short of what some member countries had said they were hoping for.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">For instance, the 54-nation group postponed its decision on whether to create a new Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights. The official would track human rights abuses among member nations and propose possible sanctions against any country persistently committing abuses.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Countries opposed to creating the commissioner position included <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">South  Africa</st1:country-region>, and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sri Lanka</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> is slated to host the next summit, set for 2013. But Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper says he will boycott the meeting unless the Sri Lankan government investigates allegations its army committed war crimes during the final months of its civil war.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The Commonwealth leaders also discussed such issues as climate change, the high rates of child brides in many Commonwealth nations, and laws that criminalize homosexuality.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">On the sidelines of the meeting, the member nations approved a historic agreement to repeal a centuries-old rule that favors sons over daughters to take the royal throne, even if the daughter is the first born. ---VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Commonwealth Summit Ends with Modest Human Rights Gains

Dozens of nations once linked to the former British Empire have failed to find consensus on several human rights concerns. The three-day ...

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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">By Phil Mercer from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Sydney</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Australia</st1:country-region></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;"><span> </span><span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Commonwealth leaders meeting in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Australia</st1:country-region></st1:place> are divided over the appointment of an independent commissioner for the rule of law and human rights across the group of former British colonies.<span>   </span>An internal review has recommended that the organization appoint an impartial monitor to help members deal with issues of human rights, but the proposal is not likely to be adopted.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Commonwealth leaders meeting in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Western Australia</st1:place></st1:state> agreed to give foreign ministers more power to intervene if member states deprive their citizens of human rights or threaten the judiciary or the media. Other powers agreed to would allow members to investigate allegations of vote rigging and the jailing of political leaders. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">However, it is not likely that the group of former British colonies will appoint an independent human rights commissioner to ensure that early diplomatic solutions can be found to sensitive issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Rich countries such as <st1:country-region w:st="on">Australia</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> favor a stronger action to protect human rights, but many developing nations resent outside influence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Some members consider the move intrusive or unnecessary.<span>  </span>But former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser says it would be a mistake to abandon the idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"It's not something that's aimed at third world countries, because especially since 9/11 some of the developed countries I believe have transgressed quite seriously in relation to human rights in the so-called fight against terrorism, in attitudes to refugees and sometimes in relation to their attitudes towards indigenous peoples," said Fraser.<span>  </span>"So it's not only going to be African countries that would be subject to reports, Australia would be subject to report, Canada would, and I think that would be good."<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">One area of agreement has been over the British monarchy.<span>  </span>The leaders of the 16 Commonwealth countries, who have Queen Elizabeth as their head of state, have agreed to scrap outdated succession laws.<span>  </span>New legislation will allow the daughters and sons of future British monarchs to have equal right to the throne.<span>   </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Britain</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">'s Prime Minister, David Cameron, said the old laws were at odds with modern countries, and needed to be changed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Other topics of discussion have included piracy off <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Somalia</st1:place></st1:country-region>, forced marriage and efforts to eradicate the viral disease, polio.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">There were also calls for <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Sri   Lanka</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the host of the next Commonwealth leaders' summit in 2013, to properly investigate war crimes committed during its civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The Commonwealth summit comprises the leaders of 53 countries, most of them former British colonies.<span>  </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Fiji</st1:place></st1:country-region> was suspended from the organization following a military coup.<span>  </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Delegates will also discuss the entry of a new member, <st1:place w:st="on">South Sudan</st1:place>, which recently gained independence after splitting from its northern neighbor.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The Commonwealth meeting concludes in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Perth</st1:place></st1:city> Sunday. ---VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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Human Rights Divides Commonwealth

By Phil Mercer from Sydney , Australia Commonwealth leaders meeting in Australia are divided over the appointment of an independent c...