Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group invites feedback on the direction of its recommendations

The Eminent Persons Group was established at the initiative of Commonwealth Heads of Government at their meeting, in Port of Spain in November 2009. Its mandate is to explore and recommend ways, in the context of promoting the Commonwealth’s values and principles, that would sharpen the impact, strengthen the networks and raise the profile of the Commonwealth to ensure it “will remain relevant to its times and people in future”.

At the end of their fourth meeting in London on 21 and 22 March, the group stated: “The Commonwealth is in danger of becoming irrelevant and unconvincing as a values-based association” and “to safeguard against this danger we will recommend to leaders the adoption of proposals that will strengthen the Commonwealth, both as an association of governments and of peoples.”

From its first meeting in July 2010, the group has encouraged wide involvement in its work and it was pleased to receive over 230 written submissions from Commonwealth civil society organisations as well as numerous communications from individuals. The group placed great value on the observations and suggestions it received and gave careful consideration to each of them.

While its report is not yet complete, the group is inviting comments by 15 June 2011 from interested parties on the direction of its report before it is finalised and submitted to Heads of Government for their collective consideration in Perth, Australia, in October 2011.

Click on the link below for the outline of the report’s general direction:

EPG Consultation

Feedback on the synopsis above should be returned by 15 June 2011 to Daisy Cooper at d.cooper@commonwealth.int or at the following address: Daisy Cooper, Secretary-General’s Office, Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HX, UK.

Key Links:

• Eminent Persons Group