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Website
thecommonwealth.org
Member states have no legal obligation to one another. Instead, they are
united by language, history, culture and their shared values of democracy,
human rights, and the rule of law.[5] These values are enshrined in the
Commonwealth Charter[7] and promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth
Games. On 13th October 2016, after 31 years of full membership (preceded
by three years of special membership), Maldives became the most recent
nation to withdraw from the Commonwealth.
world product when measured in purchasing power parity (PPP) and 14% of
the gross world product when measured nominally.
Contents
1 History
1.1 Origin
1.2 Dominions
1.3 Republics
1.4 New Commonwealth
1.5 Plan G and inviting Europe to join
2 Structure
2.1 Head of the Commonwealth
2.2 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
2.3 Commonwealth Secretariat
2.4 Commonwealth citizenship and High Commissioners
3 Membership
3.1 Criteria
3.2 Members
3.3 Applicants
3.4 Suspension
3.5 Termination
4 Politics
4.1 Objectives and activities
4.2 Competence
4.3 Proposed free movement policy
5 Economy
5.1 Trade
6 Commonwealth Family
6.1 Commonwealth Foundation
6.2 Commonwealth Games
6.3 Commonwealth War Graves Commission
6.4 Commonwealth of Learning
6.5 Commonwealth Business Council
7 Culture
7.1 Sport
7.2 Literature
7.2.1 In English
7.3 Political system
7.4 Symbols
7.5 Recognition
8 See also
9 Notes
10 References
11 Further reading
12 External links
History
Origin
Main article: British Empire
The prime ministers of five members at the 1944 Commonwealth Prime
Ministers' Conference. (L-R) Mackenzie King (Canada); Jan Smuts (South
Africa); Winston Churchill (United Kingdom); Peter Fraser (New Zealand); John
Curtin (Australia)
In the Balfour Declaration at the 1926 Imperial Conference, Britain and its
dominions agreed they were "equal in status, in no way subordinate one to
another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by
common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the
British Commonwealth of Nations." These aspects to the relationship were
formalised by the Statute of Westminster in 1931, which applied to Canada
without the need for ratification, but Australia, New Zealand, and
Newfoundland had to ratify the statute for it to take effect. Newfoundland
never did, as on 16 February 1934, with the consent of its parliament, the
government of Newfoundland voluntarily ended and governance reverted to
direct control from London. Newfoundland later joined Canada as its 10th
province in 1949.[15] Australia and New Zealand ratified the Statute in 1942
and 1947 respectively.[16][17]
Although the Union of South Africa was not among the Dominions that
needed to adopt the Statute of Westminster for it to take effect, two laws
the Status of the Union Act, 1934, and the Royal Executive Functions and
Seals Act of 1934were passed to confirm South Africa's status as a
sovereign state[18]
After World War II ended, the British Empire was gradually dismantled to the
14 British overseas territories still held by the United Kingdom. In April 1949,
following the London Declaration, the word "British" was dropped from the
title of the Commonwealth to reflect its changing nature.[19] Burma (also
known as Myanmar, 1948) and Aden (1967) are the only states that were
British colonies at the time of the war not to have joined the Commonwealth
upon independence. Former British protectorates and mandates that did not
become members of the Commonwealth are Egypt (independent in 1922),
Iraq (1932), Transjordan (1946), British Palestine (part of which became the
state of Israel in 1948), Sudan (1956), British Somaliland (which united with
the former Italian Somaliland in 1960 to form the Somali Republic), Kuwait
(1961), Bahrain (1971), Oman (1971), Qatar (1971), and the United Arab
Emirates (1971).[citation needed]
Republics
The London Declaration is often seen as marking the beginning of the modern
Commonwealth. Following India's precedent, other nations became republics,
The term New Commonwealth has been used in Great Britain (especially in
the 1960s and 1970s) to refer to recently decolonised countries,
predominantly non-white and developing. It was often used in debates about
immigration from these countries.[21]
Plan G and inviting Europe to join
Under the formula of the London Declaration, Queen Elizabeth II is the Head
of the Commonwealth, a title that is by law a part of Elizabeth's royal titles in
each of the Commonwealth realms,[27] the 16 members of the
Commonwealth that recognise the Queen as their monarch. However, when
the monarch dies, the successor to the crown does not automatically become
Head of the Commonwealth.[28] The position is symbolic, representing the
free association of independent members,[27] the majority of which (31) are
republics, and five have monarchs of different royal houses (Brunei, Lesotho,
Malaysia, Swaziland, and Tonga).
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
Main article: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
challenged and removed. (October 2016) (Learn how and when to remove
this template message)
Main article: Commonwealth Secretariat
Marlborough House, London, the headquarters of the Commonwealth
Secretariat, the Commonwealth's principal intergovernmental institution
These criteria were unenforceable for two decades,[37] until, in 1991, the
Harare Declaration was issued, dedicating the leaders to applying the
Singapore principles to the completion of decolonisation, the end of the Cold
War, and the end of apartheid in South Africa.[38] The mechanisms by which
these principles would be applied were created, and the manner clarified, by
the 1995 Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme, which created the
Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which has the power to rule
on whether members meet the requirements for membership under the
Harare Declaration.[39] Also in 1995, an Inter-Governmental Group was
created to finalise and codify the full requirements for membership. Upon
reporting in 1997, as adopted under the Edinburgh Declaration, the InterGovernmental Group ruled that any future members would have to have a
direct constitutional link with an existing member.[40]
In addition to this new rule, the former rules were consolidated into a single
document. These requirements are that members must accept and comply
with the Harare principles, be fully sovereign states, recognise the monarch
of the Commonwealth realms as the Head of the Commonwealth, accept the
English language as the means of Commonwealth communication, and
respect the wishes of the general population with regard to Commonwealth
membership.[40] These requirements had undergone review, and a report on
potential amendments was presented by the Committee on Commonwealth
Membership at the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.[41]
New members were not admitted at this meeting, though applications for
admission were considered at the 2009 CHOGM.[42]
New members must "as a general rule" have a direct constitutional link to an
existing member. In most cases, this is due to being a former colony of the
United Kingdom, but some have links to other countries, either exclusively or
more directly (e.g. Samoa to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea to Australia,
and Namibia to South Africa). The first member to be admitted without
having any constitutional link to the British Empire or a Commonwealth
member was Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony, in 1995 following its
first democratic elections and South Africa's re-admission in 1994.
Mozambique's controversial entry led to the Edinburgh Declaration and the
current membership guidelines.[43] In 2009, Rwanda became the second
Commonwealth member admitted not to have any such constitutional links. It
was a Belgian trust territory that had been a German colony until World War I.
[44] Consideration for its admission was considered an "exceptional
circumstance" by the Commonwealth Secretariat.[45]
Members
Main article: Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations
Flags of the members of the Commonwealth in Parliament Square, London
The Commonwealth flag flies at the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa
The status of "Member in Arrears" is used to denote those that are in arrears
in paying subscription dues. The status was originally known as "special
membership", but was renamed on the Committee on Commonwealth
Membership's recommendation.[50] There are currently no Members in
Arrears. The most recent Member in Arrears, Nauru, returned to full
membership in June 2011.[51] Nauru has alternated between special and full
membership since joining the Commonwealth, depending on its financial
situation.[52]
Commonwealth of Nations members
Former Commonwealth of Nations members (Ireland, The Gambia, Maldives
and Zimbabwe)
British Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies
Applicants
Man have made calls of a similar nature for a more integrated relationship
with the Commonwealth,[61] including more direct representation and
enhanced participation in Commonwealth organisations and meetings,
including Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings.[62] The Chief
Minister of the Isle of Man has said: "A closer connection with the
Commonwealth itself would be a welcome further development of the Island's
international relationships"[63]
At the time of the Suez Crisis in 1956, in the face of colonial unrest and
international tensions, French Premier Guy Mollet proposed to British Prime
Minister Anthony Eden that their two countries be joined in a "union". When
that proposal was turned down, Mollet suggested that France joined the
Commonwealth, possibly with "a common citizenship arrangement on the
Irish basis." Talks regarding a form of union faded away with the end of the
Suez crisis.[64] No records of those confidential talks appear to exist in
French archives and it is likely that the project was the brainchild of Mollet, an
anglophile.[citation needed]
Suspension
Main article: Suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations
Termination
Africa and Asia as well as Canada, to its policy of racial apartheid. The South
African government withdrew its application to remain in the organisation as
a republic when it became clear at the 1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers'
Conference that any such application would be rejected. South Africa was readmitted to the Commonwealth in 1994, following its first multiracial
elections that year.[citation needed]
The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997 ended the colony's ties to
the Commonwealth through the United Kingdom. The government of Hong
Kong, as a special administrative region of China, did not pursue
membership. Hong Kong has nevertheless continued to participate in some of
the organisations of the Commonwealth family, such as the Commonwealth
Lawyers Association, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the
Association of Commonwealth Universities and the Commonwealth
Association of Legislative Counsel.[86][87]
Politics
Objectives and activities
In recent years, the Commonwealth has been accused of not being vocal
enough on its core values. Allegations of a leaked memo from the Secretary
General instructing staff not to speak out on human rights were published in
October 2010.[93]
In the end, two-thirds of the EPG's 106 urgently recommended reforms were
referred to study groups, an act described by one EPG member as having
them "kicked into the long grass". There was no agreement to create the
recommended position of human rights commissioner, instead a ministerial
management group was empowered with enforcement: the group includes
alleged human rights offenders. It was agreed to develop a charter of values
for the Commonwealth without any decision on how compliance with its
principles would be enforced.[94]
The result of the effort was that a new Charter of the Commonwealth was
signed by Queen Elizabeth on 11 March 2013 at Marlborough House, which
opposes "all forms of discrimination, whether rooted in gender, race, colour,
creed, political belief or other grounds".[97][98]
Proposed free movement policy
[citation needed][when?]
Trade
Further information: Commonwealth free trade
There have been various proposals for a Commonwealth free trade zone.
[108] Some politicians in the United Kingdom have suggested the idea as an
alternative to its membership in the European Union.[109][110] A UK
referendum in June 2016 resulted in 51.9% of participants voting to leave the
EU. However, this faith in the unlimited trade potential of the Commonwealth
has been labeled by The Economist as "the ultimate Eurosceptic fantasy".
[111] In addition, the EU is already in the process of negotiating free trade
agreements with many Commonwealth countries including India and Canada,
[112] and currently has free trade agreements with many others, including
South Africa, Cameroon, Zambia, and the 12 Commonwealth members of the
Caribbean Community. Furthermore, most other Commonwealth countries
already participate in existing, regional integration projects, including the
European Union (United Kingdom, Malta and Cyprus), Caribbean Community
(12 members), Southern African Customs Union (5 members), East African
Community (4 members), and the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (4 members).[citation needed]
Commonwealth Family
Main article: Commonwealth Family
The Commonwealth Games, a multi-sport event, is held every four years; the
2010 Commonwealth Games were held in New Delhi, India, and the 2014
Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, and the 2018 Commonwealth
Games will be on Gold Coast, Australia. As well as the usual athletic
disciplines, as at the Summer Olympic Games, the games include sports
particularly popular in the Commonwealth, such as bowls, netball, and rugby
sevens. Started in 1930 as the Empire Games, the games were founded on
the Olympic model of amateurism, but were deliberately designed to be "the
Friendly Games",[114] with the goal of promoting relations between
Commonwealth countries and celebrating their shared sporting and cultural
heritage.[115]
The games are the Commonwealth's most visible activity[114] and interest in
the operation of the Commonwealth increases greatly when the Games are
held.[116] There is controversy over whether the gamesand sport generally
should be involved in the Commonwealth's wider political concerns.[115]
The 1977 Gleneagles Agreement was signed to commit Commonwealth
countries to combat apartheid through discouraging sporting contact with
South Africa (which was not then a member), whilst the 1986 games were
boycotted by most African, Asian, and Caribbean countries for the failure of
other countries to enforce the Gleneagles Agreement.[117]
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Main article: Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission serves to commemorate 1.7
million Commonwealth war dead and maintains 2,500 war cemeteries around
the world, including this one in Gallipoli.
The Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) was formed at 1997 CHOGM. The
aim was to utilise the global network of the Commonwealth more effectively
for the promotion of global trade and investment for shared prosperity. The
CBC acts as a bridge for co-operation between business and government,
concentrating efforts on these specific areas enhancing trade, facilitating ICT
for Development, mobilising investment, promoting corporate citizenship,
and public-private partnerships. The CBC has a dedicated team, CBC
Technologies, based in London and is focused on the international technology
and global services industry throughout the Commonwealth.[citation needed]
Culture
See also: Postcolonial literature, Migrant literature, and the various national
literatures of the former British Commonwealth
Salman Rushdie is another post Second World War writers from the former
British colonies who permanently settled in Britain. Rushdie achieved fame
with Midnight's Children 1981. His most controversial novel The Satanic
Verses 1989, was inspired in part by the life of Muhammad. V. S. Naipaul
(born 1932), born in Trinidad, was another immigrant, who wrote among other
things A Bend in the River (1979). Naipaul won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
[128]
Anglosphere
Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Independent States, a grouping of Post-Soviet states
outside the European Union
Community of Portuguese Language Countries, an equivalent grouping of
Portuguese-speaking countries and territories
English-speaking world
List of economic communities
Representatives of the Commonwealth of Nations
Notes
References
with effect from 7 December 2003 Archived 5 July 2008 at the Wayback
Machine.
"The Commonwealth Secretariat". 2016-10-13. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
"The Maldives decides to leave the Commonwealth; commits to continue with
its international engagement". Maldivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 13
October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
"Membership of the Commonwealth: Report of the Committee on
Commonwealth Membership". Commonwealth Secretariat. 2007. Retrieved 2
September 2008.
OPC.gov.au
OPC.gov.au
"Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles 1971" (PDF).
thecommonwealth.org. Commonwealth Secretariat. 22 January 1971.
Retrieved 15 November 2013.
"Langkawi Declaration on the Environment". USM Regional Center of
Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development. 21 October 1989.
Retrieved 3 April 2008.
"Our Work". Commonwealth Secretariat. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
"Aso Rock Commonwealth Declaration" (PDF). Commonwealth Secretariat. 8
December 2003. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
"Commonwealth Secretariat". Commonwealth Secretariat. 7 August 1979.
Retrieved 3 April 2008.
guardian.co.uk "Commonwealth has abandoned human rights commitment"
(leaked memo).
Cheadle, Bruce (30 October 2011). "Commonwealth leaders agree to develop
charter of values and little else". Toronto Star. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
Cheadle, Bruce (29 October 2011). "Commonwealth leaders still haggling
over human rights reforms". Toronto Star. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
Watt, Nicholas (29 October 2011). "Commonwealth leaders under fire for
refusing to publish human rights report". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 October
2011.
"Queen to sign new charter backing equal rights for gay people across
Commonwealth". Standard.co.uk. 11 March 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
McDougall, Derek (July 2005). "Australia and the Commonwealth". The Round
Table. 94 (380): 339349. doi:10.1080/00358530500175033.
Muda, Muhammad (April 1998). "The significance of the Commonwealth
Games in Malaysia's foreign policy". The Round Table. 87 (346): 211226.
doi:10.1080/00358539808454416.
Dare, Annie (15 October 2000). "Ten Key Things About War Graves". The
Observer. p. 29.
Binyon, Michael (22 January 1999). "Millions trace war dead on Internet". The
Times. p. 3.
Perkin, Harold (September 1989). "Teaching the nations how to play: sport
and society in the British Empire and Commonwealth". International Journal of
the History of Sport. 6 (2): 145155. doi:10.1080/09523368908713685.
Michael, Dawson (February 2006). "Acting global, thinking local: 'Liquid
imperialism' and the multiple meanings of the 1954 British Empire &
Commonwealth Games". International Journal of the History of Sport. 23 (1):
327. doi:10.1080/09523360500386419.
Jonathan, Clayton (20 November 2007). "Schoolboy cricketers bat their way
to a place in the Commonwealth". The Times. London. Retrieved 27 March
2009.
Pflanz, Mike (24 July 2007). "Rwanda in drive to join Commonwealth". Daily
Telegraph. London. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
Hill, Douglas (1 October 1988). "A report on stories from the outposts of
Commonwealth literature". The Globe and Mail. p. 21.
McCrum, Robert (13 October 2003). "English Is a World Language and That's
to Be Prized". The Los Angeles Times. p. B15.
Iyer, Pico (12 February 1993). "The Empire writes back". The Straits Times. p.
1.
Drabble 1996, p. 697.
"2001 Laureates". Literature. The Nobel prize.
Man Booker official site: J. G. Farrell [1]; Hilary Mantel [2]; J. M. Coetzee: [3].
Royal Commonwealth Society, An Uncommon Association, a Wealth of
Potential: Final Report of the Commonwealth Conversation (London, Royal
Commonwealth Society, 2010)
Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah. "Canada, Commonwealth and the key to
Vinep A Kankam-da-Costa (2012). Who Is Fit to Rule America in the TwentyFirst Century and Beyond?. Xlibris. p. 271. ISBN 9781479739653. Retrieved
17 November 2013.
Further reading
External links
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
British Nationality Act (1981 c 61) Annex B The territories forming part of
the Commonwealth
Commonwealth Secretariat
The Commonwealth of Nations Network
Commonwealth Foundation
Commonwealth English Literature Forum
Commonwealth of Nations travel guide from Wikivoyage
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