Nigeria has launched a first-of-its-kind joint case team to step up its response to cybercrimes that affect people and businesses at home and abroad.
Read press release -
Nigeria launches national cybercrime team with Commonwealth and UK support
Main page for this area of work
ÌÇÐÄ̽»¨ Observer Group (COG) has commended key election stakeholders of Trinidad and Tobago on a well-organised parliamentary election, in preliminary findings on the 2025 polls, but urged action to regulate campaign finance to ensure a level playing field for all candidates.
Read press release -
Commonwealth Observer Group says Trinidad and Tobago elections well organised, and notes areas for improvement
22 April 2025 to 26 April 2025
(AST Atlantic Standard Time)
Event
A Commonwealth Observer Group is in Trinidad and Tobago to observe the country's 28 April Parliamentary polls.
By Raj Nair, Public Sector Governance Adviser at the ÌÇÐÄ̽»¨
Read news -
Blog: Digital colonialism and AI - A call to action to policy makers
The ÌÇÐÄ̽»¨ has launched five new model contracts intended to help governments negotiate fairer and more transparent investment contracts.
Read news -
New model contracts to help governments negotiate fairer investment contracts
A recent Commonwealth workshop has bolstered the ability of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone to better apply human rights principles in protecting fundamental freedoms across the country.
Read news -
Sierra Leone Human Rights Commission strengthened to protect fundamental freedoms
This edition of the Commonwealth Cyber Journal brings to the forefront key issues that demand our collective attention and action. We are proud to present articles offering insights and practical approaches to protecting critical information infrastructure, an area of growing concern as essential services and national assets increasingly rely on interconnected systems. Lessons shared in this edition highlight the vulnerabilities of member countries and the innovative strategies being deployed to secure these vital sectors. As digital platforms become arenas for harassment, coercion, and harm, the need for a coordinated response rooted in human rights and gender-sensitive approaches becomes more paramount. The contributions in this issue challenge us to consider how cyber policies practices and guidelines may better protect the most vulnerable among us.
Read publication -
Commonwealth Cyber Journal: Volume 3
Election management officials in Cameroon have expressed their appreciation to the ÌÇÐÄ̽»¨ for a series of capacity building workshops to help deliver credible, transparent and inclusive elections. Â
Read news -
Cameroon election officials commend Commonwealth workshop ahead of poll
At the ÌÇÐÄ̽»¨, a discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and access to justice, as part of its Rule of Law Conversations series, generated robust conversations and spirited debates long after the session ended.Â
Read news -
ÌÇÐÄ̽»¨ holds vital dialogue about AI and its impact on legal systems
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has launched two new initiatives to help countries, particularly the least developed nations, find the right pro bono legal support to improve access to justice for all.
Read press release -
New initiatives launched to improve access to justice in least developed countries
More than 70 judges, prosecutors, and investigators in Seychelles have received a critical skills upgrade to better handle complex cybercrime cases that harm people at home and abroad.
Read press release -
70 Seychellois judges and officials trained to tackle cybercrime head-on
Felicity grew up in a township under apartheid, where laws dictated her future before she could dream of one. Now, as Namibia’s chief legislative drafter, she is rewriting those laws with the Commonwealth support to ensure they support the rights and aspirations of all Namibians.
Read news -
Namibia’s drive for just laws gains momentum with Commonwealth support
6 March 2025 to 6 March 2025
(GMT)
Event
The ÌÇÐÄ̽»¨ will host a hybrid rule of law seminar on the advisory opinions on climate change on 6 March 2025.
ÌÇÐÄ̽»¨ Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, will join Caribbean leaders at the upcoming Caribbean Community (CARICOM) meeting to find solutions to pressing regional challenges, including climate resilience, economic development, and food security.
Read press release -
Commonwealth Secretary-General joins CARICOM leaders in Barbados to tackle regional challenges
This report provides a summary of the findings and recommendations contained in the five regional reports Addressing the Role of Bystanders on Online Violence Against Women and Girls in the Commonwealth produced by the Secretariat in 2023.
The report presents the root causes and impacts of cyberviolence as being gender based, with a disproportionate impact on females where there is intersectionality of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, poverty, disability and other socioeconomic factors.
Read publication -
Cyberviolence Against Women and Girls in the Commonwealth
The report presents the root causes and impacts of cyberviolence as being gender based, with a disproportionate impact on females where there is intersectionality of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, poverty, disability and other socioeconomic factors.
Statements by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC:
Read news -
Peace and justice in Mozambique
The ÌÇÐÄ̽»¨ has launched a publication, A Commonwealth Guide to Case Management, that seeks to help courts manage civil cases more efficiently. The guide, produced by the Secretariat’s Office of Civil and Criminal Justice Reform (OCCJR), is designed for practitioners, judicial officers and policymakers. It provides best practice and practical advice to improve court administration and proceedings.
Read news -
A guide aims to accelerate improved access to justice across the Commonwealth
A Commonwealth team has arrived to observe Ghana’s general elections. They began by observing the special vote, which allows registered members of the security agencies, media and electoral officials to cast their ballots ahead of the election scheduled for 7 December 2024.
Read press release -
Commonwealth observers start work on Ghana’s election
The Handbook on Designing and Implementing RIA Systems is intended to assist Commonwealth governments in designing and implementing programmes of Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) across multiple regulatory institutions. It identifies major risk factors that have led to failure of RIA programmes in other countries and suggests options that countries should consider to reduce the risks of failure. It is impossible to reduce risks to zero, but this Handbook will help increase the probability that RIA programmes will, in the end, improve the quality of government policies.
Read publication -
Handbook on Designing and Implementing Regulatory Impact Assessment Systems
Commonwealth leaders are being urged to work harder to get rid of the barriers and biases that continue to hold back women and girls in the 56 member countries.
Read news -
Commonwealth leaders urged to work harder to leave no woman behind
Fourteen Commonwealth African countries were trained last week to improve reporting on their human rights obligations, including the protection of basic economic, social and cultural rights for all.
Read news -
African countries ‘better equipped’ to report progress on human rights obligations
The purpose of A Commonwealth Guide to Case Management is to provide principled and practical guidance to the judiciary and to responsible policy-makers on justice modernisation and case management.
The objective of this Guide is to inform forward-looking best practices through a comparative analysis of member countries and to soberly align efficiency with the enduring constitutional values underlying the administration of justice.
Without a doubt, nimble, well-designed case management systems, alongside transformative technology, not only facilitate and support effective court proceedings, but also allow for the modernisation of justice.
Read publication -
A Commonwealth Guide to Case Management
The objective of this Guide is to inform forward-looking best practices through a comparative analysis of member countries and to soberly align efficiency with the enduring constitutional values underlying the administration of justice.
Without a doubt, nimble, well-designed case management systems, alongside transformative technology, not only facilitate and support effective court proceedings, but also allow for the modernisation of justice.
The 65th Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) met in New York yesterday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss developments in member states.
Read news -
65th Meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group
A Commonwealth Observer Group (COG), led by His Excellency Danny Faure, former President of Seychelles, will observe Sri Lanka's Presidential Election, which will be held on 21 September 2024.
Read news -
Commonwealth to observe Sri Lanka’s presidential election
Heads of anti-corruption agencies in the Commonwealth Caribbean concluded their annual conference in Nassau, The Bahamas, last week with a unanimous pledge to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in the fight against corruption.
Read news -
Caribbean anti-corruption chiefs endorse AI solutions to tackle illicit financial flows