The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent

countries. It is home to 2.2 billion citizens and over 60% of these are under the
age of 30. The Commonwealth includes some of the worlds largest, smallest,
richest and poorest countries, spanning five regions. Thirty-one of its members are
small states, many of them island nations.
The Commonwealths guiding principles are in its Charter.
Commonwealth policies are shaped by member countries, who have an equal say
on decisions affecting them. Commonwealth organisations put these decisions and
plans into action.
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the Commonwealth is an association of sovereign nations which support each
other and work together towards international goals. It is also a family of
peoples. With their common heritage in language, culture, law, education and
democratic traditions, among other things, Commonwealth countries are able
to work together in an atmosphere of greater trust and understanding than
generally prevails among nations. There are 53 member countries in the
Commonwealth.
However, the Commonwealth has no formal constitutional structure. It works from
understood procedures, traditions and periodic statements of belief or commitment to
action. Intergovernmental consultation is its main source of direction, enabling
member governments to collaborate to influence world events, and setting up
programmes carried out bilaterally or by the Commonwealth Secretariat, the
associations main executive agency. The most widely-used definition of the
Commonwealth is taken from the Declaration of Commonwealth Principles, 1971:
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent sovereign states
consulting and cooperating in the common interests of their peoples and in the
promotion of international understanding and world peace.

Our history
The Commonwealth is one of the worlds oldest political association of states. Its roots go back
to the British Empire when some countries were ruled directly or indirectly by Britain. Some of
these countries became self-governing while retaining Britains monarch as Head of State.
They formed the British Commonwealth of Nations.
In 1949 the association we know today The Commonwealth came into being. Since then,
independent countries from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Pacific have joined The
Commonwealth.
Membership today is based on free and equal voluntary co-operation. The last two countries to
join The Commonwealth - Rwanda and Mozambique - have no historical ties to the British
Empire.
History of the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth has been described as an organism which could evolve,
but could not have been constructed from a blueprint. This distinguishes it
from the United Nations, built around its charter in the conscious endeavour
to establish universally-recognised standards for international conduct.

Unlike other international official organisations, the character of the Commonwealth is
less markedly that of an alliance or contractual arrangement then it is a family. Many
Commonwealth presidents and prime ministers, and its Head, Queen Elizabeth II, have
drawn attention to this feeling of family. Like a family, the Commonwealth exists
because its members feel they have a natural connection of long standing. Its work for
development has been possible because the Commonwealth connection was already
there.
Members see the connection as natural because they have a shared past, a common
language and, despite their differences, an enhanced capacity to trust one another.
They have used this link to strengthen each others development, and to work in
partnership to advance global agreement over crucial issues such as trade, debt,
gender equality, the environment, the threat of terrorism and the international
financial system.

A product of history and foresight
The Commonwealth of today was by no means an inevitable development. It came
about through the powerful bonds which developed among leaders and people, notably
during the decolonising process and in the early years of the Commonwealths
evolution as an association of sovereign states. The consequences of changes led by
Jawaharlal Nehru and Kwame Nkrumah are best known, but there are several such
turning points.

Dominion Status
In the early nineteenth century, British imperial policy began to soften under pressure
for greater self-determination, initially mainly from the British-descended populations
of the most advanced colonies. Canada was first to obtain self-government (in the
1840s) and also the first to become a dominion (1867). Dominion status, which
allowed self-government and extensive independence in foreign affairs, fundamentally
changed the relationship between colony and imperial power. It was perhaps in this
spirit that British politician Lord Rosebery, visiting Adelaide in Australia in 1884, called
the empire a Commonwealth of nations.
Australia achieved dominion status when its states united as the Commonwealth of
Australia in 1901. New Zealand followed in 1907, South Africa in 1910, and the Irish
Free State in 1921. The five dominions and India had their own representation in the
League of Nations, the forerunner of the UN.
Great Britain and the dominions were characterised in the Balfour Report of 1926 as
autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way
subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though
united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the
British Commonwealth of Nations.
The Statute of Westminster, passed by the UK parliament in 1931, gave legal
recognition to the de facto independence of the dominions. The parliaments of Canada,
South Africa and the Irish Free State swiftly passed legislation enacting the statute.
Australia adopted it in 1942 and New Zealand in 1947. Newfoundland relinquished its
dominion status and was incorporated into Canada in 1949.

Republican Membership
At the same time, the struggle for self-government in India (then also including
Bangladesh and Pakistan) was growing. India and Pakistan achieved independence
as dominions and members of the Commonwealth in 1947, and Sri Lanka followed in
1948.
These events marked a change in direction for the Commonwealth, as these were the
first countries where the pressure for independence came from the indigenous
populations rather than communities descended mainly from British settlers. This laid
the groundwork for the evolution of a multiracial Commonwealth.
Then the Commonwealth faced a constitutional crisis. It was assumed that the
associations principal bond would be that all members would have the monarch of the
United Kingdom as head of state. Indias constituent assembly decided to adopt a
republican form of government, yet wished to remain within the Commonwealth. At
the Commonwealth Prime Ministers Meeting of 1949, it was agreed that India might
remain a member as a republic but accepting the monarch as the symbol of the free
association of independent member nations and as such Head of the Commonwealth.
This development opened the way for other countries which adopted republican
constitutions (or had a national monarch) to become Commonwealth members. At the
start of 2006, 37 of the 53 members did not have Queen Elizabeth II as titular head of
state, but all accepted her as Head of the Commonwealth.
The Queen is also head of state in 16 Commonwealth countries, all of them fully
independent. She is head of each of these states individually. Excluding the UK, the
countries of which the Queen is sovereign are now formally known as realms (though
the term is, in practice, virtually obsolete) and the Queen is represented by a
governor-general who carries out the formal offices of head of state.

Wind of Change
The Gold Coast, in West Africa, became independent as the Republic of Ghana and
joined the Commonwealth in 1957, the first majority-ruled African country to join. This
marked the start of a new development, what UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
called the wind of change sweeping through Africa. Over the next two decades, the
UKs rule ended in many parts of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and
the Pacific. Commonwealth membership expanded rapidly.
Malaya (later incorporated into Malaysia) also achieved independence in 1957, followed
by Nigeria and Cyprus (1960), Sierra Leone and Tanzania (1961), Jamaica, Trinidad
and Tobago, and Uganda (1962), and so on. The vast majority of countries coming to
independence chose to join the Commonwealth. With South Africas readmission after
the elections of 1994, membership rose to 51 countries. Cameroon, independent since
1960, joined in October 1995 and Mozambique, which had long expressed a desire to
join the association and had been connected with it throughout the long Southern
African struggle for racial equality, was admitted to membership in November 1995.
A few countries did not join. Myanmar (then Burma, independent 1947) chose not to
join, and Ireland withdrew in 1949. A number of mainly Middle Eastern countries
former UK dependencies, mandates, protectorates or protected states elected not to
join the Commonwealth on independence. Maldives became independent in 1965 but
did not join the association until 1982. Samoa (formerly a UN Trust Territory
administered by New Zealand) became independent in 1962, but did not join until
1970.
Three countries left the Commonwealth and then rejoined. Pakistan left in 1972, after
other members recognised the new state of Bangladesh (previously part of Pakistan),
but was welcomed back into the association in 1989 when the democratically-elected
government applied to rejoin.
South Africas membership lapsed in 1961. Having become a republic it was required
to make a formal reapplication for membership. The Commonwealths resistance to the
apartheid policies of the government of the time made it clear that this would not be
granted and so South Africa withdrew. Following the democratic elections of 1994,
South Africa, too, was welcomed back into the association, and rejoined on 1 June
1994.
Fiji Islands ceased to be a member in 1987: following a military coup and the
declaration of a republic, Fiji Islands allowed its membership to lapse when it too
received little encouragement from other members to reapply. Ten years later and
after embarking on a process of constitutional reform, the country once again became
a member in October 1997.
Nigeria, a member of the Commonwealth since independence in 1960 and an active
participant in many important initiatives, was suspended from membership in
November 1995 when Heads of Government decided it had violated the principles of
the 1991 Harare Declaration. The suspension was initially for two years. The
Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group monitored developments in Nigeria (and The
Gambia and Sierra Leone) from 1995. In mid-1998, with the accession of a new head
of state, Nigeria embarked on a transition programme towards a civilian democracy.
After completing its electoral timetable in early 1999, its suspension from the
Commonwealth was lifted with the swearing in on 29 May 1999 of a democratically
elected civilian president.
Three members, Fiji Islands, Pakistan and Zimbabwe, have each in recent years been
suspended from the councils of the association, pending restoration of democracy in
accordance with the constitution. Fiji Islands suspension was lifted in December 2001.
Following the CHOGM Statement on Zimbabwe in December 2003, the Government of
Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth. Pakistans suspension was lifted in May
2004.

Expanding Commonwealth Role
While the Commonwealths membership has evolved, its functions have evolved in
parallel. In 1965, the Commonwealth Secretariat was set up in London, providing the
association with its own administrative capacity to service consultation and other forms
of co-operation. The Commonwealth Foundation was also established by
Commonwealth leaders in 1965 and started operations the following year, initially to
link members of the professions, and subsequently also to support non-governmental
organisations and promote Commonwealth culture and arts, and latterly, civil society.
Then in 1988 the Commonwealth of Learning was established to encourage
development and sharing of open learning and distance education knowledge,
resources and technology.
In 1971, the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation was launched,
establishing the Commonwealth as a channel through which member countries could
assist each other in their development. The CFTC was from the start envisaged not as
a capital fund, but as a mutual scheme for the exchange of skills. Member countries
contribute to it, on a voluntary basis, and may draw on its resources, according to
need. The CFTC was an early pioneer of technical cooperation among developing
countries, since its finance enables experienced specialists from developing countries
to offer their skills to other countries, one or two steps behind them in that area of
development. In part through its work in technical cooperation, the Commonwealth
developed particular skills in assisting countries in such areas as the advancement of
women, protection of the environment and participation of young people in
development.
The Commonwealth role in international politics grew from the 1960s. The association
became one of the major centres of global pressure against racism, particularly in
Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), South Africa and Namibia countries with a Commonwealth
connection.
It has also made an important contribution to global debates on international economic
issues, notably through its expert group reports on subjects such as the world financial
and trading systems, and the debt of developing countries. These reports were
prepared by groups of specialists from rich and poor countries in different parts of the
world, and represented a consensus between North and South on the way to make
progress in these global debates.
Especially since the adoption of the Harare Commonwealth Declaration by Heads of
Government in October 1991, the Commonwealth has attached considerable
importance to the promotion of democracy. The four main ways in which the
Commonwealth Secretariat has helped has been by observing elections, providing
democracy experts on request, organising workshops and producing publications.
Since 1991, Commonwealth Secretaries-General have constituted some 47 observer
groups and 11 expert teams to be present at elections and make recommendations for
the future. In the 13-month period between June 2002 and June 2003 alone, the
Secretariat sent 13 democracy experts to six countries; it has also organised a major
series of workshops with attendant publications, for chief election officers, leaders of
political parties and civil society. And since 1995, the Commonwealth has had a self-
disciplinary mechanism, through the Millbrook Programme and the Commonwealth
Ministerial Action Group, to deal with serious or persistent violations of the principles
contained in the Harare Declaration.
The Commonwealth has also embarked on a programme of assisting member countries
in economic development through, for example, reform of the public sector,
encouragement of the growth of the private sector, and promotion of trade and
investment through the setting up of a Commonwealth Business Council, the
Commonwealth Private Investment Initiative, and the Trade and Investment Access
Facility.

The Commonwealths guiding principles are in its Charter.
We the people of the Commonwealth
Recognising that in an era of changing economic circumstances and uncertainty, new trade
and economic patterns, unprecedented threats to peace and security, and a surge in popular
demands for democracy, human rights and broadened economic opportunities, the potential of
and need for the Commonwealth as a compelling force for good and as an effective network
for co-operation and for promoting development has never been greater,
Recalling that the Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent and equal
sovereign states, each responsible for its own policies, consulting and co-operating in the
common interests of our peoples and in the promotion of international understanding and world
peace, and influencing international society to the benefit of all through the pursuit of
common principles and values,
Affirming that the special strength of the Commonwealth lies in the combination of our diversity
and our shared inheritance in language, culture and the rule of law; and bound together by
shared history and tradition; by respect for all states and peoples; by shared values and
principles and by concern for the vulnerable,
Affirming that the Commonwealth way is to seek consensus through consultation and the
sharing of experience, especially through practical co-operation, and further affirming that the
Commonwealth is uniquely placed to serve as a model and as a catalyst for new forms of
friendship and co-operation in the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations,
Affirming the role of the Commonwealth as a recognised intergovernmental champion of small
states, advocating for their special needs; providing policy advice on political, economic and
social development issues; and delivering technical assistance,
Welcoming the valuable contribution of the network of the many intergovernmental,
parliamentary, professional and civil society bodies which support the Commonwealth and
which subscribe and adhere to its values and principles,
Affirming the validity of and our commitment to the values and principles of the Commonwealth
as defined and strengthened over the years including: the Singapore Declaration of
Commonwealth Principles, the Harare Commonwealth Declaration, the Langkawi Declaration
on the Environment, the Millbrook Action Programme, the Latimer House Principles, the
Aberdeen Agenda, the Trinidad and Tobago Affirmation of Commonwealth Values and
Principles, the Munyonyo Statement on Respect and Understanding, the Lake Victoria
Commonwealth Climate Change Action Plan, the Perth Declaration on Food Security
Principles, and the Commonwealth Declaration on Investing in Young People,
Affirming our core Commonwealth principles of consensus and common action, mutual
respect, inclusiveness, transparency, accountability, legitimacy, and responsiveness,
Reaffirming the core values and principles of the Commonwealth as declared by this Charter:

1. Democracy
2. Human rights
3. International peace and security
4. Tolerance, respect and understanding
5. Freedom of Expression
6. Separation of Powers
7. Rule of Law
8. Good Governance
9. Sustainable Development
10. Protecting the Environment
11. Access to Health, Education, Food and Shelter
12. Gender Equality
13. Importance of Young People in the Commonwealth
14. Recognition of the Needs of Small States
15. Recognition of the Needs of Vulnerable States
16. The Role of Civil Society
We are committed to ensuring that the Commonwealth is an effective association, responsive
to members needs, and capable of addressing the significant global challenges of the future.
We aspire to a Commonwealth that is a strong and respected voice in the world, speaking out
on major issues; that strengthens and enlarges its networks; that has a global relevance and
profile; and that is devoted to improving the lives of all peoples of the Commonwealth.
Commonwealth Members
Member Country Joined Commonwealth
Antigua and Barbuda 1981
Australia 1931 (Statute of Westminster*)
The Bahamas 1973
Bangladesh 1972
Barbados 1966
Belize 1981
Botswana 1966
Brunei Darussalam 1984
Cameroon 1995 (independent 1960)
Canada 1931 (Statute of Westminster*)
Cyprus 1961 (independent 1960)
Dominica 1978
Fiji Islands 1970 (left in 1987, rejoined in 1997**)
Ghana 1957
Grenada 1974
Guyana 1966
India 1947
Jamaica 1962
Kenya 1963
Kiribati 1979
Lesotho 1966
Malawi 1964
Malaysia 1957
Maldives 1982 (independent 1965)
Malta 1964
Mauritius 1968
Mozambique 1995 (independent 1975)
Namibia 1990
Nauru 1968
New Zealand 1931 (Statute of Westminster*)
Nigeria 1960 (suspended 199599)
Pakistan 1947 (left in 1972, rejoined in 1989)
Papua New Guinea 1975
Rwanda 2009 (independent 1962)
St Kitts and Nevis 1983
St Lucia 1979
St Vincent and the Grenadines 1979
Samoa 1970 (independent 1962)
Seychelles 1976
Sierra Leone 1961
Singapore 1965
Solomon Islands 1978
South Africa 1931 (Statute of Westminster*,left in 1961, rejoined in 1994)
Sri Lanka 1948
Swaziland 1968
Tonga 1970
Trinidad and Tobago 1962
Tuvalu 1978
Uganda 1962
United Kingdom
United Republic of Tanzania 1961
Vanuatu 1980
Zambia 1964
Cuando los jefes de la Commonwealth Gobierno se reuni en Singapur en Enero
de 1971, se acord un conjunto de ideales que son abrazados por todos los bro
bros y proporcionar una base para la paz, la comprensin y la buena voluntad
entre todos naciones y personas. Las creencias fundamentales de la
Commonwealth se expresan en la presente Declaracin, que abrazar la igualdad
de derechos para todos, independientemente de raza, color, credo o creencia
poltica, el compromiso de la asociacin para autodeterminacin democrtica y no
racismo, la paz mundial y el fin de grave falta de equidad, y su compromiso con la
practicar la cooperacin internacional en consecucin de estos objetivos.
SINGAPUR DECLARACIN DE MANCOMUNIDAD PRINCIPIOS
1971 el progreso en el mundo moderno. La asociacin se basa en la consulta,
discusin y cooperacin operacin.
SINGAPUR DECLARCIN DE PRINCIPIOS COMMONWEA LTH, 1971 Expedido
en la Reunin de Jefes de Gobierno en Singapur el 22 de enero 1971
1. La Comunidad de Naciones es un asociacin voluntaria de soberano
independiente estados, cada uno responsable de sus propias polticas, consultar y
cooperar en la comn intereses de sus pueblos y en la promocin de la
comprensin y el mundo internacional paz. 2.
2. miembros de la Comunidad proceden de territorios en los seis continentes
y cinco ocanos, incluir a los pueblos de diferentes razas, lenguas y las religiones,
y muestran todas las etapas de el desarrollo econmico de los pobres en vas de
desarrollo naciones a las naciones ricas e industrializadas. Ellos abarcar una gran
variedad de culturas, tradiciones e instituciones.
3. Composicin de la Commonwealth es compatible con la libertad de
miembro gobiernos sean de Pases No Alineados o de pertenecer a cualquier otra
agrupacin, asociacin o alianza.
4. Dentro de esta diversidad, todos los miembros de la Commonwealth
mantener ciertos principios en comn. Es mediante la aplicacin de estos
principios que la Comunidad puede seguir influyendo en la sociedad internacional
para el beneficio de la humanidad.
5. Creemos que internacional paz y orden son esenciales para la seguridad y la
prosperidad de la humanidad; Por lo tanto, apoyamos los Estados Naciones y
buscan fortalecer su influencia para paz en el mundo, y sus esfuerzos para
eliminar las causas de la tensin entre las naciones.
6. Creemos en la libertad del individuo, en igualdad de derechos para todos los
ciudadanos sin distincin de raza, color, credo o ideologa poltica, y en su derecho
inalienable a participar por medio de procesos polticos libres y democrticas en
enmarcando la sociedad en que viven. Nosotros por lo tanto, tratar de promover
en cada uno de nuestros pases esas instituciones representativas y garantas
para la libertad personal en virtud de la ley que son nuestro patrimonio comn.
7. Reconocemos el prejuicio racial como un peligroso enfermedad que amenaza el
desarrollo saludable de la raza humana y la discriminacin racial como un mal
absoluto de la sociedad. Cada uno de nosotros lo har combatir enrgicamente
este mal dentro de nuestra propia nacin. Ningn pas va a permitirse el lujo de
regmenes que practicar la asistencia discriminacin racial que en su propio juicio,
contribuye directamente a la bsqueda o consolidacin de esta poltica mal.
8. Nos oponemos a todas las formas de dominacin colonial y la opresin racial y
se comprometen a los principios de la dignidad humana y la igualdad. Por lo tanto,
utilizaremos todos nuestros esfuerzos para fomentar la igualdad y la dignidad
humana en todas partes, y para promover los principios de la autodeterminacin y
el no racismo.
9. Creemos que las grandes disparidades en la riqueza existente en la actualidad
entre las diferentes secciones de la humanidad son demasiado grandes para ser
tolerado. Ellos Tambin crear tensiones mundiales. Nuestro objetivo es su
eliminacin progresiva. Por lo tanto, tratamos de utilizar nuestros esfuerzos para
superar la pobreza, la ignorancia y enfermedad, en elevar el nivel de vida y el
logro de una sociedad ms equitativa internacional la sociedad.
10. Para ello nuestro objetivo es lograr la ms libre posible el flujo del comercio
internacional en trminos justa y equitativa para todos, teniendo en cuenta las
necesidades especiales de los pases en desarrollo pases, y para fomentar el flujo
de recursos adecuados, incluidas las gubernamentales y los recursos privados, a
los pases en desarrollo pases, teniendo en cuenta la importancia de la haciendo
esto en un verdadero espritu de colaboracin y de establecer para este fin en el
desarrollo pases las condiciones que conduzcan a la inversin sostenida y el
crecimiento.
11. Creemos que la cooperacin internacional es esencial para eliminar las causas
de la guerra, promover la tolerancia, combatir la injusticia, y desarrollo seguro
entre los pueblos de la mundo. Estamos convencidos de que la Commonwealth es
una de las ms fructferas asociaciones para estos fines.
12. consecucin de los mencionados principios, los miembros de la
Commonwealth creer que pueden proporcionar un ejemplo constructivo de la multi
enfoque nacional, que es vital para la paz y el progreso en el mundo moderno. La
asociacin se basa en la consulta, discusin y cooperacin operacin.
13. Al rechazar la coaccin como instrumento de poltica, reconocen que la
seguridad de cada estado miembro de la agresin externa es un motivo de
preocupacin para todos los miembros. Proporciona muchos canales para la
continuacin de los intercambios de conocimientos y opiniones sobre
profesionales, culturales, cuestiones econmicas, jurdicas y polticas entre la
Estados miembros.
14. Estas relaciones que tienen la intencin de fomentar y extender, porque
creemos que nuestra multinacional asociacin puede ampliar el entendimiento
humano y el entendimiento entre las naciones, ayudar en la eliminacin de la
discriminacin basada en las diferencias de raza, color o credo, mantienen y
fortalecer la libertad personal, contribuir a el enriquecimiento de la vida para todos,
y proporcionar una influencia poderosa para la paz entre las naciones.