Commonwealth foreign ministers asked not to give Sri Lanka the chairmanship
- Thursday, 17 October 2013
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Commonwealth foreign ministers not to give Sri Lanka the chairmanship of the Commonwealth for the next two years.
Sri Lanka is to take over the chairmanship of the Commonwealth after the country hosts the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) next month.
HRW has made the appeal in a statement to the Committee of the Whole, made up of Commonwealth foreign ministers that will meet on October 17-18 in London to finalize the agenda for the meetings in Colombo.
The New York-based organization has said rewarding Sri Lanka with the chairmanship casts serious doubts on the Commonwealth’s commitment to supporting human rights and democratic reform enshrined in the Commonwealth Harare Declaration of 1991.
“It’s bad enough that the Commonwealth has allowed a government accused of massive rights abuses and war crimes to host its summit. But to effectively put the Commonwealth in the hands of an unrepentant government that doesn't meet the Commonwealth's official values on democracy or human rights would be the height of hypocrisy,” Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch said.
Pointing out that the Commonwealth is empowered to suspend a member country of the Commonwealth for serious infringements, the rights group has accused the Commonwealth Secretary - General Kamalesh Sharma of repeatedly ignoring Sri Lanka’s actions and apparently shielding the country from criticism.
According to Brad Adams, the Commonwealth can be an agent for improved human rights protections and justice in Sri Lanka or it can risk becoming a propaganda vehicle for an abusive government. “The meeting of the Committee of the Whole is a chance for the Commonwealth to show that its stated principles actually mean something,” he has noted.
Issuing a media release in response to the report released by British MPs, a Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said the Foreign and Commonwealth Office shares the FAC’s wish to see substantial and sustainable improvements in human rights in Sri Lanka. “However, we do not agree with the FAC’s assessment of the FCO as ‘timid and inconsistent’ on this issue. The FCO has consistently pursued progress in Sri Lanka on human rights through high-level bilateral lobbying, support for local and international non-governmental organisations on the ground and internationally through the EU and Human Rights Council,” the Spokesman said.
British Delegation Will Use CHOGM To Deliver Clear Message To Lanka On Human Rights: UK Foreign Office
October 17, 2013
Responding to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee’s report into the departments human rights work in 2012, the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the British Delegation to CHOGM in Colombo will deliver a clear message to Sri Lanka that it needs to make concrete progress on human rights.
William Hague
Issuing a media release in response to the report released by British MPs, a Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said the Foreign and Commonwealth Office shares the FAC’s wish to see substantial and sustainable improvements in human rights in Sri Lanka. “However, we do not agree with the FAC’s assessment of the FCO as ‘timid and inconsistent’ on this issue. The FCO has consistently pursued progress in Sri Lanka on human rights through high-level bilateral lobbying, support for local and international non-governmental organisations on the ground and internationally through the EU and Human Rights Council,” the Spokesman said.
The FCO Spokesman said the decision to hold CHOGM in Sri Lanka in 2013 was taken at the 2009 Port of Spain CHOGM, where all Commonwealth Heads agreed a package that included Australia’s bid to host in 2011 and Mauritius in 2015. When the issue of hosts for 2013 and 2015 was raised in the 2011 CHOGM in Perth there was no consensus amongst member states to revisit the decision made in Port of Spain for Sri Lanka to host CHOGM in 2013. “Since the decision was made the FCO has continuously urged Sri Lanka to make progress,” the FCO said.
“We see CHOGM as an opportunity to highlight the need for effective commitment to the shared values and human rights for which the Commonwealth stands. The CHOGM meeting will be a spotlight on Sri Lanka and highlight either progress or its absence. The British delegation to CHOGM will see the situation on the ground in Sri Lanka and deliver a clear message that Sri Lanka needs to make concrete progress on human rights,” the Spokesman said.
