A group of international statespersons and experts tasked with examining ways to boost the impact and profile of the Commonwealth began their initial meeting this week with a goodwill message to Nelson Mandela on his 92nd birthday.
The ten-member Eminent Persons Group (EPG), which will present recommendations to Commonwealth leaders at their next meeting in Australia in 2011, is convening for the first time at Marlborough House in London, United Kingdom, between 19 and 20 July 2010.
Chair Tun Abdullah Badawi, writing on behalf of the EPG on 18 July 2010, thanked the former South African leader – who in 1994 steered South Africa back into Commonwealth membership after more than thirty years' absence – for his “immense personal contribution” to the association.
“It gives me great pleasure to convey very best wishes and salutations to you on the occasion of your birthday,” wrote Tun Badawi. “Today [18 July 2010] is auspicious also as the launch of the first meeting of the Commonwealth’s Eminent Persons Group, which has been convened to consider options for strengthening the networks, sharpening the impact, and raising the profile of the Commonwealth.
Nelson Mandela Day
“You have made an immense personal contribution in this regard in the past, which continues to be deeply appreciated across the Commonwealth. We hope and trust that the celebration of your natal day is a joyous occasion for you and your family.”
Mr Mandela’s birthday yesterday coincided with the first ever international Nelson Mandela Day endorsed by the United Nations to help celebrate the life and birth of the Apartheid-era prisoner and civil rights champion.
The Eminent Persons Group, meeting at the request of Commonwealth Heads of Government in Trinidad and Tobago late last year, is expected to consult extensively with governments, civil society groups and professional associations and individuals, as well as those beyond the membership with an interest in its work. The group is also tasked with looking at the format, frequency, and content of Commonwealth ministerial meetings.
Members include:
- Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Malaysia, Chairperson)
- Ms Patricia Francis (Jamaica)
- Dr Asma Jahangir (Pakistan)
- Mr Samuel Kavuma (Uganda) – (Commonwealth Youth Caucus)
- The Hon Michael Kirby (Australia)
- Dr Graca Machel (Mozambique)
- Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind (UK)
- Sir Ronald Sanders (Guyana)
- Senator Hugh Segal (Canada)
- Sir Ieremia Tabai (Kiribati
Source: http://www.thecommonwealth.org/news/34580/34581/227039/190710epgmandela.htm
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