Friday Forum wants good governance, rule of law discussion at C’wealth Peoples’ Forum

The Citizens’ Group Friday Forum has called on Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma to make the Commonwealth Charter-led Good Governance and rule of law to realise the Millenium Development Goals a sub-theme of the Peoples’ Forum scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the groupings Heads of Government Meet (CHOGM) in November this year.

In a letter to the Secretary General dated 31 May 2013 and copied to Minister of External Affairs G.L. Peiris, the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Peoples Forum and the Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala on behalf of the Friday Forum requested that a full day be reserved for the discussion on the suggested sub-theme.

 “With the Commonwealth Heads of Government in 2009 reaffirming their strong and abiding commitment to upholding Commonwealth’s fundamental values and principles (now embodied in the Commonwealth Charter 2013) and further extended by the Commonwealth Latimer House Principles, good governance and rule of law become key drivers of growth and development,” the letter to Secretary General Sharma said.

The Friday Forum said it believed that that enhanced awareness of these values and principles, through effective exchanges amongst the civil society representatives attending the Peoples Forum, can help promote cultures and environments in the respective countries conducive to the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals by the targeted date.