TNAG-1152-FCO40-1432-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-the-Commonwealth-1982 — Page 11

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CONFIDENTIAL

ANNEX A

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SWIA 2AH

29 February 1980

His Excellency Mr. Shridath Surendranath Ramphal, Kt, CMG, QC, Commonwealth Secretary-General,

Marlborough House,

Pall Mall,

SW1.

THE GAMBIAN PROPOSAL FOR A COMMONWEALTH HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

In your circular letter number 73/79 of 7 November 1979, you asked for the views of the United Kingdom Government on the initiative of The Gambia in proposing the establishment of a Commonwealth Human Rights Commission.

The protection of human rights is legitimately a matter of international concern, well expressed through the United Nations and its different subsidiary bodies, notably the Commission on Human Rights which is currently meeting in Geneva. In the view of the United Kingdom Government, the Commission has on occasion proved a most useful forum for keeping under review the implementation of the corpus of international covenants and conventions which draw their inspiration from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and for considering ways of improving the international record in this respect.

Other human rights bodies with similar purposes exist at regional level, for example the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the organs created by the European Convention on Human Rights to which the United Kingdom is a party. To supplement the universal fora provided by the United Nations, these can offer an effective mechanism for the protection of human rights in their respective regions. There are also now the very interesting ''Monrovia proposals for the setting up of an African Commission on Human Rights'' which have been submitted to the Organisation of African Unity and were commended by the UN General Assembly at its last session.

We believe it is right that the Commonwealth collectively should demonstrate a keen interest in supporting human rights throughout the world. Such an attitude would be wholly consistent with the policies which successive British Governments have pursued. As in London in 1977, Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings can provide an occasion for reviewing problems of particular concern to the Commonwealth as a whole.

CONFIDENTIAL

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