National Consultation on Commonwealth Charter held in Yaounde on April 13 and 14.

Experts drawn from accredited Commonwealth civil society organisations, academia and government institutions on April 13 and 14, 2012 at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel, drafted proposals as contributions to the ongoing work on the Commonwealth Charter.

Cameroon’s Minister Delegate at the Ministry of External Relations in charge of Relations with the Commonwealth, Chief Joseph Dion Ngute chaired the national consultation on behalf of Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang. He said the Commonwealth did not yet have any charter but declarations on its values and principles which in a legal sense hardly compel its signatories to abide by their pledges. The Charter, Dion Ngute said, will not be legally binding but will command compliance. The national consultations, the Minister said, were taking place in all the 54-member Commonwealth countries. The Commonwealth, he stated, was working to meet the demands of the changing times and the aspirations of the people.

The experts worked on the draft charter which is a document of nine pages, divided into three parts: a preamble, the values of the Commonwealth and finally its aspirations. Their work consisted of examining and analysing the draft document in order to reach a consensus on what could be endorsed in the Charter or could be removed. The results of the opinions expressed by various stakeholders will be recorded and validated, then forwarded to the Task Force of the Commonwealth Secretariat appointed to analyse the findings of the national consultations, for further process. The process is expected to instil and enhance a sense of awareness and project ownership in the people about the Commonwealth and its values and how to uphold and defend them.

The Charter will be a compendium of the major Declarations made by the commonwealth member States dating as far back as the Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles of 1971, which forms the association’s fundamental values and principles. The national consultations on the charter will ensure that it contains the core values and principles of the Commonwealth and aspirations of the citizens reflected in it.