The Commonwealth's guiding principles and values in the 1991 Harare Declaration, reaffirmed in the 2011 Perth Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM), emphasised improving gender equality and women's empowerment in the Commonwealth, and called on Heads to demonstrate commitment by entrenching measures to advance women's political participation and leadership at all levels of decision-making. The proposed 'target of no less than 30 per cent of women in decision-making in the political, public and private sectors by 2005' (Commonwealth Secretariat 1996) is attracting increasing support from member countries. Actions to realise this global target, especially the equitable representation of women in the political arena, are constantly evolving.