Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group
Dipu Moni elected chairperson
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni has been elected chairperson unanimously to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) at its 38th Session held in New York.
With the election, she has become the first female chair of CMAG. She has also become the first from a South Asian country to chair the Commonwealth body, said a foreign ministry press release yesterday.
In her introductory statement after the election on Friday, Dipu Moni, who is now attending the UN General Assembly in New York, said she would work closely with other members of the group to uphold the values and principles of the Commonwealth.
The CMAG, a nine-member group of foreign ministers of Commonwealth countries, is the custodian of the political values of the Commonwealth.
The body is mandated to assess serious or persistent violations of the Commonwealth values of democracy, the rule of law and human rights in member states. It is also mandated to take decisions for collective Commonwealth action to preserve and restore democracy and good governance.
Foreign ministers of Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Jamaica, the Maldives, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu are members of body now.
The CMAG was established as part of the Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme adopted during 1995 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in New Zealand.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments