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This week delegates from the Isle of Man, who had attended a Commonwealth (Commonwealth Parliamentary Association) meeting hosted in Belfast, seemed be be well pleased by the progress that had been made and the value of the discussions they had engaged in.
Notwithstanding the questionable value of these junkets the question which must be posed is should the Commonwealth be an organisation with which any self-respecting government wishes to be associated.
Behind the 'jolly facade' of a collective of nations once bound by Empire but who have rediscovered themselves as friends lies a pretty miserable existence for hundreds of millions of people.
In fact the Commonwealth has such a deplorable record on the treatment of its citizens that when the Celtic League recently compiled a Human rights report on the organisation we had to split the result into two sections for publication on the internet. You will find this information at Celtic News:
No. 2133 COMMONWEALTH DAY - IS THERE ANYTHING TO CELEBRATE? Mar 12, 2007
No. 2135 THE COMMONWEALTH - BEHIND THE FACADE Mar 12, 2007
It makes pretty depressing reading and it may well have given delegates to the Belfast meeting pause for thought had they taken time off from the dinners and receptions to scrutinize it.
However, the abysmal record of the Commonwealth is not the only thing that should make 'the wine go sour' at the many functions the Belfast delegates attended. We set out below our several key areas in which this 'cuddly club' headed by the Queen of England lets down its people.
1) Discrimination:
Despite the adoption by the Commonwealth of several sets of principles such as the Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles, 1971, the Lusaka Declaration of the Commonwealth on Racism and Racial Prejudice, 1979 and the Harare Commonwealth Declaration, 1991 discrimination in all its forms is still endemic throughout Commonwealth States.
2) Freedom of Assembly:
A fundamental right under the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights is widely restricted or curtailed in many Commonwealth States. A notable new adherent to this form of intolerance is the United Kingdom.
3) Freedom of the Press:
Again, a fundamental of civil liberties but one which many Commonwealth countries have difficulty with. In fact the situation is so bad that Amnesty International has in the past called on all Commonwealth heads of government to uphold the right to freedom of expression, and guarantee protection for journalists.
4) Globalisation:
The dangers (and advantages) of globalisation were swiftly realised by Commonwealth governments who once again passed wordy resolutions on the issue such as this from the 1999 Heads of Government meeting: "no country is untouched by the forces of globalisation. Our destinies are linked together as never before. The challenge is to seize the opportunities opened up by globalisation while minimising its risks."
The response of Commonwealth governments to globalisation has been to meet the aspirations of multi national business and not to protect the social and economic fabric for the well being of their peoples.
Large Commonwealth States have allowed wide-spread destruction of both their natural resources and environment with little appreciable benefit for their peoples. Even smaller States (such as the Isle of Man and other offshore dependencies) market themselves globally to facilitate the financiers, not to benefit their people.
5) Poverty and the Commonwealth:
Once again the Commonwealth is high on aspiration and low on delivery. It makes fine statements such as "Poverty is a human rights concern – the Commonwealth must strengthen and make explicit its commitment to human rights. Where there is a commitment to human rights, there is a commitment to eradicate poverty.
Junkets, such as the one in Belfast last week, adopt resolutions such as The Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles, 1971 which stated, "We believe that the wide disparities in wealth now existing between different sections of mankind are too great to be tolerated. ... We therefore seek to use our efforts to overcome poverty, ignorance and disease, in raising standards of life and achieving a more equitable international society." or The Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme on the Harare Declaration, 1995 which said, ""We reaffirmed our view that the Commonwealth should continue to be a source of help in promoting development and literacy and in eradicating poverty, particularly as these bear on women and children."
Once again poverty and inequality are the reality for the vast majority of the Commonwealth citizens and recent reports on child poverty in Scotland, England and Wales and N. Ireland show that this is not a phenomenon peculiar to developing countries.
6) Security legislation:
Amnesty International has expressed concerns about security and "anti-terrorist" legislation in several countries, including countries in the Commonwealth. There is no doubt that draconian anti-terrorism legislation has been introduced (including in the United Kingdom) Amnesty International recorded reports of torture from half the countries in the Commonwealth last year.
In many countries, impunity for torturers – the failure to bring those responsible for torture to justice – is endemic. It usually takes a combination of extraordinary circumstances for a successful prosecution to be brought against a suspected torturer.which goes far beyond what is required in many Commonwealth States and which is used as a crude cover for repression.
7) Torture:
Scandalously, half the countries of the Commonwealth have not even signed the United Nations Convention Against Torture. International human rights bodies have recorded reports of torture from many countries in the Commonwealth. In many countries, impunity for torturers – the failure to bring those responsible for torture to justice – is endemic. It usually takes a combination of extraordinary circumstances for a successful prosecution to be brought against a suspected torturer.
This is not simply a problem endemic to developing States. The United Kingdom in the past has allowed torture of detainees (in N. Ireland) and more recently allowed the extraordinary rendition through its territory of persons being abducted against their will who were subsequently tortured.
By any standard the Commonwealth is a deficient and inadequate organisation. Its image is not helped by endless meetings and conferences at which groups of civil servants and politicians get a free holiday whilst promising much and delivering little.
J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
19/05/07
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