Commonwealth Summit Ends

Don’t worry, you didn’t miss much. Turns out leaders like human rights, but not enough to do anything about it.

The three-day, 53 nation Commonwealth summit kicked off by Queen Elizabeth II has come to an end in Perth, Australia. Though leaders failed to appoint a human rights watchdog in an effort to stay relevant, they did agree to engage earlier and more constructively with nations accused of violating human rights and gave an internal group more authority to intervene. They also agreed to change the rules of royal succession, help the WHO eradicate polio, reduce forced marriage, and coordinate global emergency relief for food supply crises. Harper said Canada will not attend the next summit slotted to take place in Sri Lanka in 2013, due to Sri Lanka’s abysmal human rights record.