Several Eminent Persons Groups, abbreviated to EPG, have been founded by the
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...
.
1985 Eminent Persons Group
The first EPG was established at the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1985, held in
Nassau. It was tasked to investigate and report on
apartheid
Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. It reported ahead of the special
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1986, held in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Former Australian Prime Minister
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and is the fourth List of ...
and former Nigerian Head of State
Olusegun Obasanjo
Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...
were appointed as the EPG's Co-Chairmen.
The group visited South Africa twice in early 1986, meeting with members of the South African government, as well as
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...
. During an official visit to South Africa in May 1986 the South African government launched cross-border attacks on supposed ANC bases in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. As a result the EPG's discussions with the government deteriorated and the EPG initiative was curtailed.
On the 12 June 1986 the group published their conclusion that there was "no genuine intention on the part of the South African government to dismantle apartheid".
They subsequently recommended
economic sanctions
Economic sanctions or embargoes are Commerce, commercial and Finance, financial penalties applied by states or institutions against states, groups, or individuals. Economic sanctions are a form of Coercion (international relations), coercion tha ...
against South Africa.
The EPG's report on publication sold 55 000 copies in its first week, going on to be translated into multiple languages and read worldwide.
2009 Eminent Persons Group
The latest EPG was appointed by the
2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...
in November 2009 to report at the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2011 on potential reforms to Commonwealth institutions and governance. The group's mandate is to set out recommendations on how to strengthen the Commonwealth and fulfill its potential in the 21st century.
The members of this EPG were:
*
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Malaysia, Chairperson)
*
Patricia Francis (Jamaica)
*
Asma Jahangir (Pakistan)
*
Samuel Kavuma (Uganda, Commonwealth Youth Caucus)
*
Michael Kirby (Australia)
*
Graça Machel
Graça Machel (; ; born 17 October 1945) is a Mozambique, Mozambican politician and humanitarian. Machel is an international advocate for women's and children's rights and was made an honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire ...
(Mozambique)
*
Sir Malcolm Rifkind (UK)
*
Sir Ronald Sanders (Guyana)
*
Hugh Segal (Canada)
*
Ieremia Tabai (Kiribati)
See also
*
Eminent Persons Group (disambiguation)
References
External links
Eminent Persons Group website
Commonwealth of Nations
{{international-org-stub