Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group 40th Meeting Concluding Statement

New York

1. The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) held its Fortieth Meeting in New York on 27 September 2013.
2. Hon Dr Dipu Moni, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, chaired the meeting. It was also attended by the Hon Julie Bishop, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia; Hon John Baird, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Canada; Hon A J Nicholson, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica; Hon Mariyam Shakeela, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives; Hon Dr Samura Kamara, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sierra Leone; Hon Bernard Membe, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Tanzania; Hon Winston Dookeran, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago; and Hon Nipake Edward Natapei, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Vanuatu.
3. The Group expressed its condolences to the Government of Maldives on the recent demise of the country’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Abdul Samad Abdullah, who served as a member of CMAG.
4. CMAG also conveyed its sincere condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the 21 September terrorist attack in Nairobi. The Group condemned this despicable act and affirmed its solidarity with the Government of Kenya as it carries out a full investigation of this tragedy.
5. The Group also expressed its deepest sympathy to the Government of Pakistan and those bereaved by the tragic earthquake in that country on 25 September, calling for international support to Pakistan for relief and rehabilitation efforts.

Fiji

6. The Group reviewed developments in Fiji, recalling that the country had been on its agenda since 2006.
7. CMAG reiterated the Commonwealth’s unwavering solidarity with the people of Fiji, and CMAG’s commitment to Fiji’s reinstatement as a full member of the Commonwealth family, through the restoration of constitutional civilian democracy, the rule of law and human rights, in accordance with the fundamental political values of the Commonwealth.
8. CMAG noted the promulgation of the new Constitution of Fiji as a positive step towards the restoration of democracy.
9. Ministers welcomed the progress towards holding national elections in 2014, as well as the Commonwealth’s engagement to provide technical advice and support to the electoral preparations. They urged that an independent election commission be established rapidly, to oversee the conduct of credible and inclusive elections on a level playing field.
10. The Group looked forward to reviewing Fiji’s status in the Commonwealth once credible elections are held in the country. In this context, it urged the Fiji authorities to hold elections within a time-frame that could facilitate Fiji’s participation in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July 2014. They also hoped that the Commonwealth would be invited to observe the elections.
11. CMAG requested the Secretary-General to remain engaged with the Fiji authorities with a view to restoring full adherence to Commonwealth values.