Latest content: Governance and law

Senior officials from law ministries across the Commonwealth welcomed innovative projects by the Secretariat to promote the rule of law and justice reform, following through on mandates given by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting earlier this year.

Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, has recommended that small member countries put legal measures in place to prepare for the impacts of climate change.

The Commonwealth has announced the start of informal consultations on an important set of benchmarks designed to help governments tackle corruption.

Senior officials from law ministries across the Commonwealth are gathering from 1 to 3 October in London, to agree on priority areas for the forthcoming Commonwealth Law Ministers’ Meeting. The biennial gathering of ministers and attorneys-general, scheduled for autumn 2019, is a key platform for collaboration and exchange amongst Commonwealth countries, which share a common legal tradition.

Sri Lanka needs further help to strengthen its human rights promotion and protection. That's according to the country’s Human Rights Commission, which has called on the Commonwealth Secretariat for technical assistance.

A team of Commonwealth experts has been working with the government of Botswana to improve its legal system.

Policy experts from across the Caribbean will work towards strengthening human rights commitments in the region this week.

The Commonwealth has pledged to work with member countries to identify best practices and tools to counter violent extremism. These include making it more difficult to use the internet for terrorist purposes and challenging hate speech online with positive narratives.

The Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies issued a joint statement after a week-long meeting in Turks and Caicos.

Experts from around the Commonwealth have been meeting in London this week to craft legislative guidance on how to effectively regulate the use of virtual currencies which will allow member states to reap the benefits of the new technology but also guard against its abuse.

The legal frameworks and mechanisms of Seychelles have been strengthened further, following capacity building and technical assistance from Commonwealth experts.

The Commonwealth is assisting Guyana to create the regulations, policies and legislation it needs for a new petroleum industry that could inject billions into its economy.

Businesses in Cameroon are poised to take advantage of new proposals to boost their digital economy.

Each year, between US $1.5 to $2 trillion is lost from the global economy in bribes, not counting forgone tax revenues and economic growth. Africa alone is drained of US $50 billion annually due to illicit financial flows, of which corruption is a major component.

Heads and senior leaders of the 19 Commonwealth anti-corruption agencies in Africa have called for countries to find ways to strengthen cooperation and partnership in the tracing, recovering and the returning of assets.

Reforming audit frameworks to strengthen good governance was at the heart of discussions amongst public officials from Africa and the Caribbean at a five-day workshop in Ghana.

Nigeria’s foreign minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, has praised the leadership of Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland and the work being carried out by the Secretariat.

Commonwealth countries in Africa say they are working together to recover millions of dollars by seizing assets from criminals and corrupt officials.

The Commonwealth is creating new resources to help judges and prosecutors confiscate and recover stolen assets in money laundering and financing of terrorism.

The Commonwealth is set to host a timely exchange-learning programme that aims to improve the management of public finance.

A meeting of Caribbean judges and prosecutors will help to identify strategies to strengthen money laundering and terrorist financing laws, says Guyana President David Granger.