Secretary-General to advance Commonwealth's agenda on human rights, trade, and health
13 March 2007
Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon will visit Geneva, Switzerland, on 14 March 2007 to advance the Commonwealth's strategic relationships with the Office of the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, the World Trade Organisation, and the World Health Organisation.
Mr McKinnon has calls scheduled with the heads of all three organisations. The Secretary-General will also participate in a Commonwealth Day reception hosted by the Geneva-based ambassadors of Malta, Uganda and the United Kingdom.
The centerpiece of the visit to Geneva will be the Secretary-General’s attendance at the 4th High Level Segment of the United Nations Human Rights Council where he will deliver the first ever statement to this pre-eminent UN human rights body on behalf of the Commonwealth.
The Secretary-General’s statement is expected to underline that Commonwealth membership includes obligations to meet human rights standards which are being raised and protected practically in ways that exceed international norms.
The statement will draw attention to the capacity constraints faced by small states in meeting human rights treaty obligations, and will also call on the UN Human Rights Council to provide tangible and practical assistance to support implementation of its decisions.
The Secretary-General is expected to reiterate Commonwealth support for efforts to entrench a credible and effective new UN Human Rights Council.
Later in the day, Mr McKinnon will meet with the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Pascal Lamy. Trade issues, such as the 'Aid for Trade' initiative and the state of the Doha Development Agenda, are likely to feature on the agenda.
With the Commonwealth accounting for 20 per cent of global trade, the Secretary-General plans to explore options for the Commonwealth to inject fresh political momentum into concluding the Doha Round.
Mr McKinnon will also call on the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Margaret Chan, to discuss issues such as HIV/AIDS, polio, malaria, and other infectious diseases, as well as the impact of the migration of health workers from developing countries. The Secretary-General will brief Dr Chan on the Commonwealth's Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health Workers and the forthcoming Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting in Geneva in May.
Note to Editors
Commonwealth Heads of Government mandated the Secretary-General in 2002 actively to pursue strategic relationships with other international organizations where the Commonwealth’s values and priorities can be advanced more fully and effectively through high level dialogue underpinned by practical collaboration and resource partnerships.
The Human Rights Council was established in June last year and its inaugural meeting was held on 19 June 2006. Prior to that, the organisation was known as the Human Rights Commission.
The Human Rights Council comprises 47 members. Commonwealth members of the Commission are Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, Ghana, India, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, UK and Zambia.
For media enquiries, please contact Victoria Holdsworth, Communications Officer, on +44-20-7747-6383 (London) or Email: v.holdsworth@commonwealth.int
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