Commonwealth Secretariat
  1. Home
  2. What's New
  3. Who We Are
  4. What We Do
    1. Democracy
    2. Economics
    3. Education
    4. Gender
    5. Governance
    6. Health
    7. Human Rights
    8. Law
    9. Small States
    10. Sport
    11. Sustainability
    12. Youth
    13. Millennium Development Goals
    14. Funding
  5. News
    1. Events
    2. News Archive Search
    3. Picture Stories
  6. Media Room
    1. Press Archive Search
    2. Media Contacts
    3. Video
    4. Events
    5. In the Media
    6. Updates
    7. Downloads
  7. Resources
    1. Documents
    2. Image Library
    3. Libary & Archives
    4. Publications
  8. Publications
  9. Employment
  10. FAQs
    1. Acronyms
  11. Contact Us
Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth Law Ministers seek to boost global security and sustainable development

19 November 2002

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon has stressed that legal co-operation among Commonwealth countries was good news for global security. Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines yesterday, Mr McKinnon said, "In the post-September 11 world, international legal co-operation has become more important than ever. And we must constantly make sure our citizens are aware of the benefits of legal co-operation to make our planet more secure."

Over the past decades, the Commonwealth has increased co-operation through mutual assistance agreements in areas such as anti-money laundering and extradition. Commonwealth Law Ministers are discussing plans to update these agreements and implementation strategies.

"Commonwealth efforts to help member states, especially its smaller countries, comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1373 have been acknowledged globally - and cited as a model by other international organisations," said the Secretary-General.

Emphasising the role Law Ministers can play in helping to strengthen democratic values and institutions, Mr McKinnon said, "You can design the laws that will help individuals lead better lives and fulfil their true potential, free from injustice and insecurity. You can design the laws that will give citizens confidence in the society they live in."

The role of law in accelerating development is a central theme of the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting. The Secretary-General said, "Better laws can help achieve better standards of living. For example, an improvement in land law and a robust land title system can mean that poor farmers have a better chance of securing a loan and are therefore in a better position to produce food to feed their families."

"Laws are not made for lawyers or politicians, they are made for people," concluded Mr McKinnon. "Today, we have a real opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Commonwealth citizens, to help them create a fairer, more secure world. This - and only this - should be the true test of our success."
Share this page
About this

ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 6385/6 Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 9081
Email: info@commonwealth.int