Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma is back in the country after attending the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he used the opportunity to share South Africa’s experience in national reconciliation.
Zuma met with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the leadership of the Tamil National Alliance for bilateral talks on the side-lines of the three-day CHOGM meeting, which ended on Sunday.
According to the Presidency, Zuma discussed “the role that could be played by South Africa in assisting the people of Sri Lanka to resolve their problems through engagement”.
The Sri Lankan government is under international scrutiny for the conduct of the final stages of its military campaign against Tamil Tiger rebels, when tens of thousands of civilians died.
The civil conflict ended in 2009 after nearly three decades of fighting.
As many as 40 000 civilians were killed in the last months of the conflict, as government troops advanced on the last stronghold of the Tamil Tiger rebels, fighting for an independent homeland.
Zuma also participated in the dialogue between the Heads of State and youth leaders, which saw the establishment of the Commonwealth Youth Council. The council will ensure that youth matters are taken forward in an organised manner.
With regard to the United Nations' Post-2015 Development Agenda, which was the theme of the summit, Zuma recommended that countries must build on progress accomplished thus far, and take into account regional programmes.
“Poverty eradication, addressing income inequalities and job creation must remain the overarching objectives of the Development Agenda beyond 2015.”
According to Zuma, the theme of the CHOGM meeting -- Growth with Equity: Inclusive Development -- resonated very well with South Africa's National Development Plan (NDP), which aims to eradicate poverty and inequality by 2030.
He urged Commonwealth leaders to continue championing the aspirations of the youth and ensure that their voice is represented in Commonwealth actions at national and international level.
Meanwhile, in their joint communique, the leaders committed to work on post-2015 development, including debt financing and climate change.
The leaders also agreed that achieving growth with equity and inclusivity must be one of the main policy priorities for the Commonwealth.
They reaffirmed the right to development for all individuals, and vowed to eliminate disparities and focus on making growth more inclusive for all, including for vulnerable groups, women, youth and the disabled.
The communique also welcomed progress being made in strengthening relations between the G20 and Commonwealth members, including the establishment of the Annual Commonwealth Dialogue and regular G20 outreach with the Commonwealth.
Leaders further requested Commonwealth finance ministers to develop proposals for adoption at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers’ Meeting in 2014, which can further deepen the Commonwealth's engagement with the G20.
"Heads [of state] also acknowledged the work being done by the Commonwealth members of the Global Governance Group 3G in encouraging the G20 to engage the wider UN membership. They welcomed Australia's forthcoming assumption of the G20 presidency, and noted that this offers an important opportunity to reflect Commonwealth priorities in advancing global development policy challenges." - SAnews.gov.za-Xinhua
