Latest content: Governance and law

Today Commonwealth Law Ministers unanimously agreed to recommend the 'Commonwealth Principles on Freedom of Expression and the Role of the Media in Good Governance' to Commonwealth Leaders to consider at the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). 

Law Ministers are meeting in Mauritius to set clear directions on a range of legal, rule of law and justice issues.

A blog by Dr Elizabeth Macharia, Legal Adviser, Law Development Section, Governance and Peace Directorate, Commonwealth Secretariat.

The Commonwealth will deploy a team to observe the general elections in Lesotho, scheduled for 7 October, 2022. The group will be led by the former president of Seychelles, His Excellency Danny Faure.

Over 100 Political Office Bearers from Namibia, including cabinet ministers, briefed on Government Performance Management ahead of the country implementing the Commonwealth’s state-of-the-art SMART software

More than 200 top civil servants from across the Commonwealth wrapped up their biennial meeting by adopting an outcome document that underscores the importance of implementing the Generally Accepted Performance Principles to enhance government performance.

The biennial Commonwealth Heads of Public Service and Cabinet Secretaries meeting is currently underway virtually. Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, and the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, opened the forum by delivering keynote addresses highlighting the need for collective efforts to deliver sustainable and effective performance in government.

The Commonwealth Secretariat will host its 2nd Biennial Pan-Commonwealth Meeting of Heads of Public Service and Cabinet Secretaries in June. Confirmed speakers include the Prime Ministers of Barbados and Bhutan, cabinet secretaries, former senior government officials, academics, and representatives of international organisations.

Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa call for greater regional collaboration among member states in the fight against corruption.

The 12th edition of the Secretariat’s landmark Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa is currently underway in Kigali to discuss the impacts of corruption on sustainable development and strategies for combating corruption

Commonwealth Secretary-General The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, QC, met this week with His Excellency, President Paul Kagame and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Vincent Biruta at Village Urugwiro.

Heads of anti-corruption agencies from the Commonwealth’s 19 African member states are set to gather in Kigali, Rwanda, from 3 – 7 May 2022 for a major conference that will seek to boost regional crime-fighting efforts.

The Commonwealth has conducted a pilot training programme in Trinidad and Tobago for its recently launched anti-corruption framework.

The growing problem of cybercrime requires countries to build effective laws, policies, and international cooperation frameworks, said Dr Tawanda Hondora, Head of the Rule of Law at the Commonwealth Secretariat.

On Human Rights Day, The Commonwealth's Dr Shavana Haythornthwaite and Dr Justin Pettit, explain that human rights are also a crucial part of the solution to effectively addressing environmental degradation and climate change.

At a time when the world is going through multiple challenges that have, to a large extent, been amplified by the debilitating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is incumbent upon peacebuilding institutions to ramp up investments in national and international efforts to strengthen inclusive, equitable and sustainable structures for long-term post-pandemic peace and prosperity.  

Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, shares a video message to mark International Day of Peace, which is observed globally on 21 September.

At a virtual ceremony today, the winner of the first ‘Christof Heyns Memorial Commonwealth Prize’ was announced during the 13th Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition.