C’wealth searches for lawyers’ pool area for Rohingya genocide case
Commonwealth Secretary Standard Patricia Scotland said her business office looks for ways to support Gambia in its legal challenge over the Rohingya genocide circumstance and continue steadily to stand by Bangladesh since it hosts world’s most significant group of forcibly displaced people.
In an exclusive virtual interview with BSS from her office in London she explained Commonwealth Secretariat was reviewing likelihood of forming a “large pool area of lawyers” drawn from the grouping’s member states to aid Gambia in fighting the case in International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Scotland said being a Commonwealth member Canada joined hands with Gambia found in its legal battle found in the ICJ while her business office planned to support the move extending possible legal competence obtainable in the Commonwealth.
“(Simultaneously) Commonwealth relatives stands in ‘total solidarity’ with Bangladesh upon this issue and will continue to support Bangladesh, commensurate with your choice by Commonwealth Heads of Government at their assembly on 2018,” she said.
The very best Commonwealth executive highly praised Bangladesh Primary Minister Sheikh Hasina on her behalf example setting humanitarian gesture by offering refuge to the Rohingyas.
Scotland’s comments came carrying out a high-level dialogue jointly structured by Bangladesh High Commission in the UK and Commonwealth Secretariat in London last week.
Bangladesh currently hosts over 1.1 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and the majority of them arrived there since August 25, 2017 amid a ruthless military crackdown at their homeland in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
In November this past year, Gambia brought the case against Myanmar to the ICJ with the backing of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Canada and holland, while ICJ held its primary hearing on December 10-12.
On January 23 previous, the ICJ manufactured the historic unanimous decision and ruled that there was sufficient cause for a circumstance and that Myanmar should take on all steps to cure the position quo regarding alleged human being legal rights violations against the Rohingya.
Aside from unveiling the Commonwealth’s ideas more than the Rohingya crisis, Scotland appreciated Sheikh Hasina’s leadership for victory in maintaining Bangladesh’s great economic growth fee amid the COVID-19 pandemic that upset progress rate in lots of developing economies.
Scotland, who right now serves seeing that the Commonwealth’s sixth secretary-general, said her workplace was campaigning for equivalent access to probable COVID-19 vaccines and reviewing a recovery plan in economic front against the background of the pandemic.
COVID-19 vaccine:
Scotland said the Commonwealth absolutely helps equitable access to vaccines if they become available, and “we will be strongly advocating or our member claims to get access to these invaluable vaccines if they become available”.
She said the Commonwealth was also establishing a “price sharing data source” to aid the equitable sharing or distribution of excess supplies of essential items such as test packages, ventilators, personal protective equipment, medical technology and goods.
“This is to guarantee the poorest nations that need these most, have access to these supplies, while adding to the supply chain management during the global emergency,” the Commonwealth secretary general said.
Scotland pointed out that her office works with the ‘Access to COVID-19 Equipment (Take action) Accelerator’ - a G20 initiative - to fast-track exploration, innovation and knowledge posting towards supporting and growing diagnostics, vaccine, and therapeutics for COVID-19.
Monetary recovery from COVID-19:
She said the recent high-level dialogue was valuable chance of trade ministers and business leaders from over the Commonwealth to check out how they can work jointly to spur a digitally-inclusive and green restoration as trade is fundamental for just about any post-COVID recovery.
“Though the impact of COVID-19 has been devastating, new history has demonstrated that the Commonwealth supported by ‘Commonwealth Advantage’ gets the potential to rebound strongly from the pandemic,” she said.
The ‘Commonwealth Benefit’ is based on the fact that member countries all speak the same terminology, have similar laws and regulatory systems, customs and shared values, really helps to facilitate trade processes.
“We are concentrating on construction and strengthening connectivity between countries in five major areas: digital, physical (infrastructure), regulatory, supply-area and business-to-business connectivity,” Scotland said.
Bangladesh, she said, while the lead in Business-to-Business Connection for the Commonwealth, plays an essential role by working together with the exclusive sector to make sure that the Commonwealth initiatives react to the needs.
“That way, they (individual sector) can create the jobs and drive the growth that will be necessary for Covid-19 recovery,” said the secretary general.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries, almost all former territories of the British Empire. It is home to 2.4 billion people, and includes the two advanced economies and developing countries.
The members of the association interact to market prosperity, democracy and peace, amplify the voice of tiny states, and protect the environment.
The Commonwealth secretary-general may be the head of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the central body which has served the Commonwealth of Countries since its establishment in 1965.
They're accountable for promoting and protecting the Commonwealth’s ideals, representing the Commonwealth publicly
and the managing of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
A good Dominican by nationality, Scotland may be the 2nd secretary-standard from the Caribbean islands and the very first woman to hold the position.
