Several Eminent Persons Groups, abbreviated to EPG, have been founded by the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...

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: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. It reported ahead of the special Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1986, held in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. 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, holding office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Fraser was raised on hi ...

and former Nigerian Head of State

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its presid ...

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. 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 are commercial and financial penalties applied by one or more countries against a targeted self-governing state, group, or individual. Economic sanctions are not necessarily imposed because of economic circumstances—they ma ...

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

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2009 The 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was the 21st Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, between 27 and 29 November 2009, and was hosted by that country' ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

in November 2009 to report at the

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2011 The 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, commonly known as CHOGM 2011, was the 22nd Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. Held in Perth, Western Australia, between 28 and 30 October 2011 and hosted by the Pr ...

. The members of this EPG were: * Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Malaysia, Chairperson) * Patricia Francis (Jamaica) *

Asma Jahangir Asma Jilani Jahangir ( ur, , ''ʿĀṣimah Jahāṉgīr''; 27 January 1952 – 11 February 2018) was a Pakistani human rights lawyer and social activist who co-founded and chaired the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Jahangir was known ...

(Pakistan) * Samuel Kavuma (Uganda, Commonwealth Youth Caucus) * Michael Kirby (Australia) *

Graça Machel Graça Machel (; née Simbine; , born 17 October 1945) is a Mozambican politician and humanitarian. She is the widow of former President of Mozambique Samora Machel (1975–1986) and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela (1998–20 ...

(Mozambique) *

Sir Malcolm Rifkind Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind (born 21 June 1946) is a British politician who served in the cabinets of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1986 to 1997, and most recently as chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament from ...

(UK) * Sir Ronald Sanders (Guyana) * Hugh Segal (Canada) *

Ieremia Tabai Ieremia Tienang Tabai (modern spelling: Tabwai; born 16 December 1949) is an I-Kiribati politician who served as the first Beretitenti President of the Republic of Kiribati, after being the youngest ever Chief minister of the Commonwealth of ...

(Kiribati)

References

External links

Eminent Persons Group website
Commonwealth of Nations {{organization-stub

1985 Eminent Persons Group

2009 Eminent Persons Group

See also

References

External links