AUSTRALIA: Commonwealth leaders fail to support appointment of a human rights commissioner, a move seen by rights advocates that would prevent the institution from sliding into irrelevance

Record ID: 559524

  • Title: AUSTRALIA: Commonwealth leaders fail to support appointment of a human rights commissioner, a move seen by rights advocates that would prevent the institution from sliding into irrelevance
  • Date: 30th October 2011
  • Summary: PERTH, AUSTRALIA (OCTOBER 29, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EMINENT PERSON'S GROUP NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEMBER OF EMINENT PERSON'S GROUP AND FORMER BRITISH DEFENCE MINISTER, MALCOLM RIFKIND, SAYING: "Its purpose is being questioned, its relevance is being questioned and part of that is because its commitment to enforce the values for which it stands is becoming ambiguous in the eyes of many member states." VARIOUS OF AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER JULIA GILLARD AT PODIUM
  • Embargoed: 14th November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Australia, Australia
  • Country: Australia
  • Topics: Legal System,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA93XWX29TSYK2ECSSR3TVEIERA
  • Story Text: A Commonwealth leaders summit on Saturday (October 29) failed to agree to appoint a human rights commissioner, despite Australia, Britain and Canada backing the move seen by rights advocates as vital for the 54-nation group to remain credible.
    Leaders of the mostly former British colonies are meeting in the Australian city of Perth under pressure to reform and toughen measures against human rights abuses in member states.
    But after two days of talks the leaders only agreed to take tentative steps to deal with human rights, an issue which has focused squarely on Sri Lanka and accusations of war crimes in the final stages of its civil war that ended in 2009.
    A group of eminent persons group chaired by former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi set up to recommend Commonwealth reforms , said failure to adopt the groups' proposals which include the commissioner would be a failure.
    The group said the Commonwealth in recent years had failed to maintain its strong stance in defence of human rights seen during its campaign for an end to South African apartheid.
    "Its purpose is being questioned, its relevance is being questioned and part of that is because its commitment to enforce the values for which it stands is becoming ambiguous in the eyes of many member states," said one of the members, former British defence minister Malcolm Rifkind.
    Badawi's panel decided to make its report public with Rifkind calling it a "disgrace" that Commonwealth leaders had not authorised its release themselves.
    Responding to Mr Rifkind's comments, British Prime Minister David Cameron said: "I think we'll make good progress on this excellent report. The Commonwealth is an organisation based on important values about freedom and democracy and rights and it's important that we state those values clearly and that's what this new charter is going to be all about. Of course the Commonwealth is an organisation that proceeds on the basis of consensus so everyone has to agree so sometimes things take some time. But I think this report is good and I think the lion's share of it will be put into action and the Commonwealth will be stronger because of it."
    Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the leaders agreed to be more proactive with the Secretary General intervening early to protect political and human rights, but deferred the proposal for a commissioner.
    "Australia and a number of delegations indicated they were supportive of this proposal but there were a number of delegations concerned by it," said Gillard.
    Many states were concerned a human rights commissioner would overlap the work done by the Secretary General and Commonwealth watchdog, the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group.
    The leaders agreed to further evaluate the proposal and report back.
    Sri Lanka opposed the plan for a high commissioner.
    Sri Lanka is under international pressure to allow an independent inquiry into accusations of war crimes during its 25-year civil war. It says will wait for the results of its own investigation next month, calling the pressure over human rights a propaganda war waged by the defeated Tamil Tigers.
    Canada, home to a large ethnic Tamil community, has said it will boycott the 2013 Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka unless the host country improves its human rights record.
    Leaders spent Saturday in seclusion in the west Australian city's King's Park and are expected to finalise their communique on Sunday. Some leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, are due to fly out before Sunday's final day.
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