Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group

CMAG, March 2009

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) was established by Commonwealth Heads of Government in November 1995 to deal with serious or persistent violations of the Harare Declaration, which lays down the Commonwealth's fundamental political values.

The Group is convened by the Commonwealth Secretary-General and made up of Foreign Ministers from nine countries.

Their task is to asses the nature of the infringement and recommend measures for collective Commonwealth action aimed at the speedy restoration of democracy and constitutional rule.

The composition, terms of reference and operation of the group is decided and reviewed every two years and Ministers generally serve two terms. CMAG was last reconstituted by Commonwealth Heads of Government at their meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago in November 2009.

The current membership of the group is as follows: Australia, Bangladesh, Ghana, Jamaica, Maldives, Namibia, New Zealand, Vanuatu and Trinidad and Tobago (as Chair-in-Office.)

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG) held its thirty-fourth regular meeting in New York on 25 September 2010.