Issued
by Heads of Government in
1.The Heads
of Government of the countries of the Commonwealth, meeting in Harare, reaffirm
their confidence in the Commonwealth as a voluntary association of sovereign
independent states, each responsible for its own policies, consulting and
co-operating in the interests of their peoples and in the promotion of
international understanding and world peace.
2.Members of the Commonwealth include people of many different races
and origins, encompass every state of economic development, and comprise a rich
variety of cultures, traditions and institutions.
3.The special strength of the Commonwealth lies in the combination of
the diversity of its members with their shared inheritance in language, culture
and the rule of law. The Commonwealth way is to seek consensus through
consultation and the sharing of experience. It is uniquely placed to serve as a
model and as a catalyst for new forms of friendship and co-operation to all in
the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations.
4.Its members also share a commitment to certain fundamental
principles. These were set out in a Declaration of Commonwealth Principles
agreed by our predecessors at their Meeting in
·
we believe that international peace and order, global economic
development and the rule of international law are essential to the security and
prosperity of mankind;
·
we believe in the liberty of the individual under the law, in
equal rights for all citizens regardless of gender, race, colour,
creed or political belief, and in the individual's inalienable right to
participate by means of free and democratic political processes in framing the
society in which he or she lives;
·
we recognise racial prejudice and
intolerance as a dangerous sickness and a threat to healthy development, and
racial discrimination as an unmitigated evil;
·
we oppose all forms of racial oppression, and we are committed to
the principles of human dignity and equality;
·
we recognise the
importance and urgency of economic and social development to satisfy the basic
needs and aspirations of the vast majority of the peoples of the world, and
seek the progressive removal of the wide disparities in living standards
amongst our members.
5.In
6.Internationally, the world is no longer locked in the iron grip
of the Cold War. Totalitarianism is giving way to democracy and justice in many
parts of the world. Decolonisation is largely
complete. Significant changes are at last under way in
7.In the last twenty years, several Commonwealth countries have made
significant progress in economic and social development. There is increasing
recognition that commitment to market principles and openness to international
trade and investment can promote economic progress and improve living
standards. Many Commonwealth countries are poor and face acute problems,
including excessive population growth, crushing poverty, debt burdens and
environmental degradation. More than half our member states are particularly
vulnerable because of their very small societies.
8.Only sound and sustainable development can offer these millions
the prospect of betterment. Achieving this will require a flow of public and
private resources from the developed to the developing world, and domestic and
international regimes conducive to the realisation of
these goals. Development facilitates the task of tackling a range of problems
which affect the whole global community such as environmental degradation, the
problems of migration and refugees, the fight against communicable diseases,
and drug production and trafficking.
9.Having reaffirmed the principles to which the Commonwealth is
committed, and reviewed the problems and challenges which the world, and the
Commonwealth as part of it, face, we pledge the Commonwealth and our countries
to work with renewed vigour, concentrating especially
in the following areas:
·
the protection and promotion of the fundamental political values
of the Commonwealth:
·
democracy, democratic processes and institutions which
reflect national circumstances, the rule of law and the independence of the
judiciary, just and honest government;
·
fundamental human rights, including equal rights and opportunities
for all citizens regardless of race, colour, creed or
political belief;
·
equality for women, so that they may exercise their full and equal
rights;
·
provision of universal access to education for the population of
our countries;
·
continuing action to bring about the end of apartheid and the
establishment of a free, democratic, non-racial and prosperous
·
the promotion of sustainable development and the alleviation of
poverty in the countries of the Commonwealth through:
o
a stable international economic framework within which growth can
be achieved;
o
sound economic management recognising
the central role of the market economy;
o
effective population policies and programmes;
o
sound management of technological change;
·
the freest possible flow of multilateral trade on terms fair and
equitable to all, taking account of the special requirements of developing
countries;
·
an adequate flow of resources from the developed to developing
countries, and action to alleviate the debt burdens of developing countries
most in need;
·
the development of human resources, in particular through
education, training, health, culture, sport and programmes
for strengthening family and community support, paying special attention to the
needs of women, youth and children;
·
effective and increasing programmes of
bilateral and multilateral co-operation aimed at raising living standards;
·
extending the benefits of development within a framework of
respect for human rights;
·
the protection of the environment through respect for the
principles of sustainable development which we enunciated at Langkawi;
·
action to combat drug trafficking and abuse and communicable
diseases;
·
help for small Commonwealth states in tackling their particular
economic and security problems;
·
support of the United Nations and other
international institutions in the world's search for peace, disarmament and
effective arms control; and in the promotion of international consensus on
major global political, economic and social issues.
10.To give weight and effectiveness to our commitments we
intend to focus and improve Commonwealth co-operation in these areas. This
would include strengthening the capacity of the Commonwealth to respond to
requests from members for assistance in entrenching the practices of democracy,
accountable administration and the rule of law.
11.We call on all the intergovernmental institutions of the
Commonwealth to seize the opportunities presented by these challenges. We
pledge ourselves to assist them to develop programmes
which harness our shared historical, professional, cultural and linguistic
heritage and which complement the work of other international and regional organisations.
12.We invite the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and
non-governmental Commonwealth organisations to play
their full part in promoting these objectives, in a spirit of co-operation and
mutual support.
13.In
reaffirming the principles of the Commonwealth and in committing ourselves to
pursue them in policy and action in response to the challenges of the 1990s, in
areas where we believe that the Commonwealth has a distinctive contribution to
offer, we the Heads of Government express our determination to renew and
enhance the value and importance of the Commonwealth as an institution which
can and should strengthen and enrich the lives not only of its own members and
their peoples but also of the wider community of peoples of which they are a
part.
20 October 1991