Commonwealth Senior Officials Meeting London, 29-30 October 1996
30 October 1996
CONCLUSIONS1. Commonwealth Senior Officials held their thirteenth biennial Meeting in London on 29-30 October 1996, with 47 member countries represented.
Review of Developments and Progress in Implementation of Decisions of the 1995 CHOGM
2. The Meeting welcomed the significant progress made in the promotion of the fundamental political values of the Commonwealth, including the assistance provided by the Commonwealth to several member states in support of democratic processes and institutions. It heard with interest reports from some of these countries on their particular experiences.
3. Senior Officials noted that the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG) was continuing to work actively and that it would submit a Report to the Edinburgh CHOGM. It was emphasised that issues being addressed by CMAG were of importance to the Commonwealth as a whole.
4. Senior Officials urged that the Commonwealth should continue to adopt a comprehensive approach to the promotion of democracy in member states that sought such assistance, including the observation of elections when warranted. They underscored the need to ensure that the Commonwealth continued to focus on areas of comparative advantage and not unnecessarily duplicate the work of other organisations. They received a report from the Commonwealth Local Government Forum on its activities since the Auckland CHOGM.
5. The Meeting expressed warm appreciation to the Secretary-General for the skill and energy with which he had carried out his good offices role, and reaffirmed the value of that role. It encouraged member states to provide the Secretariat with names of nominees to be included on the roster of potential envoys.
6. Senior Officials welcomed the progress made by the Intergovernmental Group on the Criteria for Commonwealth Membership (IGCCM) and noted that the Group would submit a Report for consideration at the Edinburgh CHOGM.
7. The Meeting noted that the Intergovernmental Group on Refugees and Displaced Persons (IGRDP), established on the recommendation of the Intergovernmental Group on the Emergence of a Global Humanitarian Order (IGGHO), whose Report was welcomed by Heads of Government at Auckland, had begun its study of this problem. However, as the IGGHO did not anticipate a direct role for the Commonwealth in these matters, Senior Officials cautioned that the work of the IGRDP should keep in view the need for Commonwealth efforts to be clearly placed in the context of its comparative advantage and the need to conserve scarce resources, and in particular to avoid duplication of efforts made by Commonwealth member countries in the United Nations, its specialised agencies and other fora which are engaged in this area of activity.
8. The Meeting heard a statement from the representative of Cyprus about the situation relating to that country. It expressed continuing Commonwealth concern about the situation and reaffirmed its support for the efforts led by the United Nations to find a settlement of this issue.
9. Senior Officials also noted the statement made by the representative of Belize about the situation relating to Belize, and expressed their concern that this situation remained unresolved. They reaffirmed their continuing support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Belize.
10. The Meeting emphasised the continuing importance of Commonwealth functional co-operation and, in this context, expressed strong support for the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC). It recalled the statement by Commonwealth Finance Ministers in Bermuda in September 1996 and urged all governments to ensure that the CFTC was provided with the resources needed to continue delivering technical assistance in a cost-effective manner.
11. Senior Officials noted the importance for Commonwealth countries of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Singapore in December 1996 and welcomed the intention of the Secretariat to make available to member countries, before the conference, a study of new issues on the post-Uruguay Round. They requested the Secretariat to provide advice and assistance to Commonwealth countries as they approached the next stage of multilateral trade negotiations.
12. The Meeting affirmed the Commonwealth's continuing interest in the future of the Lomé Convention and requested the Secretariat to pay close attention to developments in this regard and to provide support to the ACP Group of countries in the ongoing discussions on a successor arrangement to Lomé IV.
13. The Meeting welcomed the establishment of the Commonwealth Africa Investment Fund (COMAFIN), the first regional investment fund to be established under the Commonwealth Private Investment Initiative (CPII). It noted that plans were well advanced for establishing a similar fund for the Pacific and that discussions were also in progress on a Caribbean Fund.
14. Senior Officials welcomed the Secretariat's Report on the implementation of the 1995 Commonwealth Plan of Action on Gender and Development. They reaffirmed the importance they attached to gender equality in all member states.
15. The Meeting noted the special difficulties which continue to confront small states and that these issues would be addressed at the meeting of the Consultative Group of Small States to be held in London on 31 October 1996.
16. The Meeting reaffirmed the importance attached by the Commonwealth to co-operation in combatting money laundering. It noted the Secretariat's intention to convene a further meeting of Senior Officials in 1997 to consider progress in this matter and to implement the measures endorsed by the Finance Ministers at their meeting in Bermuda.
17. The Meeting received a Report from the Secretariat on the current state of arrears of contributions to Commonwealth budgets. It was encouraged by the fact that the arrears of the Commonwealth Secretariat Assessed Budget had been reduced since the previous year, while noting that overall a large amount of contributions remained outstanding. It urged all member states to clear outstanding payments without further delay and to meet current obligations.
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1997
18. The Meeting considered a Memorandum on the Organisation and Format of the 1997 CHOGM at Edinburgh. It endorsed the timetable proposed for that Meeting. It agreed that the Communiqué should be a short two-part statement, with one section dealing with those principal issues that Heads actually discuss, and the other section listing other issues of concern; references to Commonwealth Functional Co-operation would be included as an Annex, reflecting the outcome of the Committee of the Whole's consideration of the matters specifically referred to Heads of Government from Commonwealth meetings. Senior Officials also agreed that the size of delegations in Executive Sessions should reflect traditional practice.
19. The Meeting agreed that the special theme for the Edinburgh CHOGM would be Trade, Investment and Development: The Road to Commonwealth Prosperity.
20. Senior Officials endorsed the proposal for a Commonwealth Business Forum to be held on the eve of the CHOGM. They requested the Secretary-General, in consultation with the host government, to provide further details in this regard.
21. The Meeting also noted the proposal from Commonwealth Non-Governmental Organisations for an NGO Centre in Edinburgh.
Commonwealth of Learning
22. Senior Officials expressed appreciation for the valuable work done by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). At the same time, they recognised the serious financial situation confronting COL. They undertook to bring the situation to the attention of their Education Ministers, with a view to considering assistance that could be provided in the short term but also to ensure that the next meeting of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Botswana in July 1997 addressed the problem on a long-term basis.
Commonwealth Foundation
23. The Meeting appreciated the work of the Commonwealth Foundation. It noted that, in accordance with the decisions of the Auckland CHOGM, the Foundation was drawing up medium and long-term plans for its work in the light of the recommendations made by the Second NGO Forum. It further noted the request for augmentation of the resources of the Foundation, and that this matter would be submitted to the next CHOGM. It expressed the hope that arrears of contributions to the Foundation would be settled as soon as possible.
24. The Meeting expressed warm appreciation to Sir Richard Luce for the admirable manner in which he had chaired the Foundation over the previous five years. It unanimously elected the Hon Donald O Mills of Jamaica as the new Chairman for the next two years.
The New Agenda for Diplomacy
25. Senior Officials heard a presentation by Sir David Hannay on 'The New Agenda for Diplomacy', and the particular role of the Commonwealth in this context. They held a useful and wide-ranging discussion on various aspects of modern diplomacy, both bilateral and multilateral, including the impact thereon of the increase in the number of member states, the enhanced role of the electronic media, the rising prominence of global issues and resource constraints faced by member states. They expressed their appreciation to Sir David for making a valuable contribution to their deliberations.
Governance and Administrative Matters
26. Senior Officials considered a proposal by the Secretariat on the timing and frequency of meetings of the Steering Committee of Senior Officials (SCOSO), and decided that in future SCOSO meetings would take place once in every three years, in line with the Secretariat's three-year plan cycle, in advance of Resource Week. In years two and three of the three-year cycle, SCOSO would be replaced by a joint meeting of the Finance Committee and the Board of Representatives of the CFTC, to be held for one day at the beginning of Resource Week. The purpose of this joint meeting would be to take an overview of programme performance and consider priorities for the following year.
Classification of Documents
27. Senior Officials reviewed the existing practice governing the classification of Commonwealth Secretariat documents and accepted the proposals contained in the Secretariat's paper, subject to points made by delegations in discussion. They agreed that the Secretariat should guard against over-classification of documents and use terminology which would facilitate their transmission, while recognising the need to maintain the confidentiality of communications as appropriate.
XVI Commonwealth Games 1998
28. Senior Officials were given a presentation on the 1998 Commonwealth Games to be held in Kuala Lumpur by Gen. (Rtd.) Tan Sri Hashim Mohamed Ali, Executive Chairman of SUKOM Ninety Eight Berhad. They wished the Games success.
Venue of the Next Meeting
29. The Meeting requested the Secretary-General to consult member governments regarding the venue of the next Meeting of Commonwealth Senior Officials in 1998.
Acknowledgement
30. Senior Officials expressed their warm appreciation to the British Government for the excellent arrangements made for their Meeting, and the hospitality extended to them.
Issued by the Information and Public Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat,
Marlborough House,
Pall Mall,
London SW1Y 5HX,
United Kingdom.
Tel: 0207-839 3411;
Fax: 0207-839 9081;
Telex: 27678
96/53 30 October 1996
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