Visit of the Secretary-General to Geneva

The Commonwealth Secretary-General Mr Kamalesh Sharma was on visit to Geneva from 1-3 March 2010.

The highlight of the visit included an address to the High Level Segment of the UN Human Rights Council’s 13th Session. A Joint Declaration was also signed with the High Commissioner for Human Rights signalling the Commonwealth’s continuing priority to strengthening its practical collaboration on human rights. In the margins, the Secretary-General met the Director General of the World Trade Organisation Mr Pascal Lamy as well as the Secretary-General of UNCTAD Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi. The programme also included a reception for Commonwealth Permanent Rrepresentatives in Geneva co-hosted by the Secretary-General with the Trinidad and Tobago Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Geneva.

Separately and as part of the outreach effort, the Secretary-General also addressed an audience at the Jacques Freymond Auditorium at the Graduate Institute of International Relations, a Geneva based think tank on “The Commonwealth and Global Challenges”

In his address to the High Level Segment, the Secretary-General emphasised the importance attached by the Commonwealth to the protection and promotion of human rights, which lie at the foundation of the core values and principles of the Commonwealth.

The Joint Declaration focuses on deepening links, undertaking shared activities and pooling resources including on the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council, supporting ratifications and implementation of international human rights instruments, and strengthening national human rights institutions.

In the meeting with the Director General of WTO, the two sides covered a wide range of issues relating to the Doha Development Round, including agriculture, market access negotiations, special products, trade finance and climate change and trade. There were also some exploratory talks on enhancing cooperation and partnership between the two organizations.

The meeting with the Secretary-General UNCTAD reviewed ongoing cooperation between the two institutions over the immediate and medium term. This covers three broad sectors: debt management, trade and enterprise development including youth enterprise. It was also agreed that the two sides would review collaboration with a view to maximizing output on an ongoing basis.

At his address to the Graduate Institute, the Secretary General focused on the strength of the Commonwealth- the Commonwealth of values, of its times, of the vulnerable, of partnerships-and presented his vision of what the institution could offer to contribute to the global challenge.

Secretariat Links:

• Commonwealth Secretary-General