The Commonwealth of Nations
What is the Commonwealth of Nations and Fun Facts about it
The Commonwealth of Nations or The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of autonomous sovereign states most of which have been under British rule at some point in their history. It was formally established in 1931 and meets to discuss matters of common interest and concern.
No one of the government member exercises power over the others, but rather, the relationship is one of an international organization by which all the countries with diverse social, economic and political backgrounds regard each other as equal in status.
As outlined in the Singapore Declaration, the framework of common goals and values include the promotion of democracy, egalitarianism, free trade, good governance, human rights, individual liberty, multilateralism, rule of law, and world peace. All these are carried out through multilateral projects, and activities including the quadrennial Commonwealth Games.
The head of the Commonwealth of Nations is Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning British monarch. As Her Majesty’s position is symbolic, the Commonwealth Secretary-General is the chief executive of the organization.
Brief History of The Commonwealth of Nations
The official launch of The Commonwealth was in 1931 when the Statue of Westminster gave legal recognition to the independence of dominions known as the “British Commonwealth.” The first members were Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the Irish Free State and Dominion of Newfoundland and United Kingdom.
Ireland left after passing The Republic of Ireland Act in 1949. Newfoundland government was suspended on February 16, 1934, then joined Canada on March 31, 1949. Australia and New Zealand only adopted the statute in 1942 and 1947, respectively. The London Declaration was signed in 1949 marking the birth of the Commonwealth and renaming to its present name.
List of Member Countries of the Commonwealth Grouped by Year of Entry
There are currently 54 member states of the Commonwealth of Nations.
1931 Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, South Africa
1947 India, Pakistan
1948 Sri Lanka
1957 Ghana, Malaysia
1960 Nigeria
1961 Cyprus, Sierra Leone, Tanzania
1962 Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda
1963 Kenya
1964 Malawi, Malta, Zambia
1965 The Gambia, Singapore
1966 Barbados, Botswana, Guyana, Lesotho
1968 Mauritius, Nauru (special member), Swaziland
1970 Tonga, Samoa, Fiji (Suspended 2006 due to the 2006 Fijian coup d’etat)
1972 Bangladesh
1973 The Bahamas
1974 Grenada
1975 Papua New Guinea
1976 Seychelles
1978 Dominica, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu
1979 Kiribati, St. Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines
1980 Vanuatu
1981 Antigua and Barbuda, Belize
1982 Maldives
1983 St Kitts and Nevis
1984 Brunei
1990 Namibia
1995 Cameroon, Mozambique
2009 Rwanda
Presently, sixteen of the member states are “Commonwealth Realms” with the Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, also their head of state: Apart from the United Kingdom, the other nations include: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Queen Elizabeth is represented by a Governor-General in each realm.
Five other member nations are monarchies with their own separate monarchs: Brunei, Lesotho, Malaysia, Swaziland, and Tonga. The rest of the members are republics.
The Commonwealth Secretariat
The central institution and intergovernmental agency of the Commonwealth of Nations is the Commonwealth Secretariat under the leadership of a Secretary-General. The Secretary-General is responsible for facilitating cooperation between members including assisting and advising on policy development, and providing assistance to countries in implementing the policies and decisions of the Commonwealth. It has observer status in the United Nations General Assembly.
The Commonwealth Secretariat is located in London, the United Kingdom, at Marlborough House. It was a former royal palace given by Queen Elizabeth II.
The Commonwealth Secretaries-General, Term of office, and Nation of Origin
1965-1975 Arnold Smith, Canada
1975-1990 Shridath Ramphal, Guyana
1990-2000 Emeka Anyaoku, Nigeria
2000-2008 Donald C McKinnon, New Zealand
2008- Kamalesh Sharma, India
Resources about The Commonwealth of Nations:
Commonwealth of Nations / Commonwealth Home
Declaration of Commonwealth Principles
Tel Asiado is a writer, author, and business consultant, previously, IT manager & consultant. Her articles reflect her interests, from small business, biographies & histories, to classical music especially Mozart, art & literature, biographies, and Christian writings. Tel has produced non-fictions, e-books and anthologies. Her education is MBA in Computer Management, BSc Chemistry, Diploma in Small Business & Internet Mktg, and Cert IV Training and Assessment (TAA). Her small office/home site is homebizideasnow.com, and numerous information of Mozart and classical music, mozartandclassicalmusic.com.
Related Research For Teachers, Students, and Kids
The Commonwealth's unique and distinctive sporting event held every four years The Commonwealth Ga...
Corporate Headquarters of Blockbuster Inc. Renaissance Tower Downtown, Dallas TX 75270-2128 Phone: ...
Stocks are listed and traded in stock exchanges which are entities of a corporation or mutual organ...
Life insurance is all about protecting self, family, and material things owned. Life insurance, als...
The Coca-Cola Company Corporate Headquarters The Coca-Cola Company P.O. Box 1734 Atlanta, GA 30301,...
Follow and Socialize The Free Resource
