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VALETTA, MALTA, Nov 27 (UNB): The Commonwealth heads of government meeting (CHOGM) resolved to promote good governance as a means of tackling insecurity and conflict. They also called for more dialogue and tolerance in order to effectively counter the menace of terrorism, now rocking the world.
The leaders of the 53-nation forum reiterated their commitment to root out, both at national and international levels, systematic corruption, including extortion and bribery. They said this is undermining good governance, respect for human rights and economic development.
The Commonwealth heads of government issued a 40-page end-of-summit final communiqué here Sunday. They reaffirmed their commitment to the Commonwealth's fundamental political values of tolerance, international peace and security, democracy and good governance.
They also pledged to uphold human rights, gender equality, the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, freedom of expression and a political culture that promotes transparency, accountability and economic development.
In the 103-point comprehensive document, the leaders condemned all acts of terrorism in all its forms and recognised that terrorism continues to present a serious challenge to international peace and security.
On human trafficking, the government leaders acknowledged that eradicating human trafficking required a comprehensive approach focused on prevention, protection and prosecution. They also affirmed the principle of solidarity and burden sharing with regard to assistance for refugees and their host communities.
The heads of government also highlighted the significant potential contribution of information and communication technologies to development. In line with this, they issued the Malta Commonwealth Declaration on Networking for Development, which was the theme of the Malta CHOGM.
The heads endorsed the report of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) on the Harare Declaration and commended its work for the promotion of the Commonwealth's fundamental political values.
The heads of government agreed to meet in Kampala, Uganda, in 2007 and also accepted an offer from the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago to host the 2009 CHOGM.
Meanwhile, BDNEWS adds: Bangladesh Foreign Minister Morshed Khan proposed for developing a Commonwealth programme for natural disaster management in the final session of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Malta Sunday.
The Foreign Minister also stressed on the issues of LDCs multilateral trade and in getting the Summit's endorsement for working together for duty free and quota free market access for LDCs to the market of developed and developing countries. The issue is counted as a strong message to the Hong Kong Ministerial to uphold the purpose of least developed and developing economies.
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