(CU)_The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) held its fifty-ninth meeting recently. The meeting was chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Kenya, Ambassador Raychelle Omamo. It was held virtually on account of COVID-19 restrictions, with the participation of ministers and representatives of the United Kingdom, Australia, Ghana, Namibia, Malaysia, Barbados, Belize and Samoa.
One of the major subjects of discussion during the meeting was the impact of the pandemic, as the ministers expressed their concern over the ongoing disruptions caused by the global health crisis. The highlighted the significant progress made with the distribution of vaccines, and reaffirmed their commitment to a fair and equitable distributions of the jabs, particularly among small and vulnerable Commonwealth member states, which continue to report disproportionately low vaccination rates in comparison with their larger counterparts.
According to a statement published by the Commonwealth Secretariat, the delegates also discussed Barbados becoming the newest republic in the world on 30th November, as the Caribbean island continues to maintain a close and trusted relations with the United Kingdom as a member of the Commonwealth. During the meeting, the Secretary-General Patricia Scotland provided the Group with an update on her bilateral visits and her Good Offices engagements. She also detailed technical support provided by the Commonwealth Secretariat to enhance the efforts of member government in strengthening their rule of law, human rights and democratic processes.
“Ministers reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to advancing and supporting the fundamental political values and principles in the Commonwealth Charter, in accordance with the Group’s enhanced mandate,” the Secretariat said in the statement. “The Group committed to working proactively and constructively with member governments to address these challenges, and to recommend measures for collective Commonwealth action aimed at addressing the root causes of these issues.”
