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Working for democracy

The Commonwealth is committed to a set of fundamental values spelt out in the Harare Commonwealth Declaration of 1991, at the core of which is belief in and adherence to democratic principles.

Commonwealth Expert Team, Mozambique 2004We promote democracy through advocacy of democratic principles and practical action to help make them a reality:

Mutual Assistance - we work to improve democratic arrangements through the observation of elections and the provision of technical assistance and training.

Promotion of Best Practice - through the organisation of workshops, seminars and conferences and the production and circulation of publications we work to promote 'best practice' and in general to strengthen democratic values and culture.

CMAG - the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group , a group of eight Foreign Ministers, can take action against countries which are in "serious or persistent violation" of the democratic principles.

The purpose is to ensure that democracy in the Commonwealth is a matter of substance, not merely the adoption of democratic forms.

EXPLORE Working for democracy