Profile: The Commonwealth

See a list of members

Formerly known as the British Commonwealth of Nations, the Commonwealth is a loose association of former British colonies, dependencies and other territories - and Mozambique, which has no historical ties to Britain.

The modern Commonwealth has its roots in the 19th century, when the British Empire began to disintegrate. As some of its constituent parts gained varying degrees of independence from the motherland, a new constitutional definition of their relationship with each other had to be found.

OVERVIEW

OVERVIEW | FACTS | LEADERS | ISSUES

But it was only after India's and Pakistan's independence in 1947 that the Commonwealth defined its modern shape. It dropped the word British from its name, the allegiance to the crown from its statute, and became a receptacle for decolonised nations. The British monarch, however, remained the official "head of the Commonwealth".

The Commonwealth has no constitution or charter, but the heads of government of its member states hold Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) every two years to discuss issues of common interest.

In between the summits, the London-based Secretariat - the Commonwealth's executive arm - takes responsibility for carrying out programmes agreed upon during the various meetings. The Secretariat is headed by a secretary-general.

FACTS

OVERVIEW | FACTS | LEADERS | ISSUES

• Founded: 1931
• Members: 53 states
• Headquarters (secretariat): Marlborough House, London
• Population: 1.8 billion (30% of world population)
• Key bodies: Commonwealth Foundation, Commonwealth of Learning

LEADERS

OVERVIEW | FACTS | LEADERS | ISSUES

Leader: Queen Elizabeth II

As head of the Commonwealth, the Queen is recognised by its members as the "symbol of their free association". She attends the Commonwealth summits and the Commonwealth Games, which are held every four years. Also, on every Commonwealth Day, which is the second Monday in March, she broadcasts a message to all member countries.

Secretary-general: Donald McKinnon

New Zealander Don McKinnon is into his second term

The secretary-general acts as the chief executive of the Commonwealth. He is elected by heads of government from among Commonwealth diplomats and foreign ministers for a maximum of two four-year terms.

The present secretary-general, Don McKinnon, was elected in November 1999 and assumed office on 1 April 2000. A New Zealander, he had previously served as foreign minister and deputy prime minister.

Mr McKinnon won re-election for a second term in the post in December 2003.

ISSUES

OVERVIEW | FACTS | LEADERS | ISSUES

The Commonwealth has been criticised for being a post-colonial club. But to its members it is a voluntary association of independent states which is in the business of promoting democracy, good government, human rights and economic development.

It has also been criticised for having little influence and no teeth. The Commonwealth in fact does not act as a bloc in international affairs and so has little influence over non-members.

However, its influence over its own members derives from the benefits which membership brings in the form of developmental support and collaboration towards the achievement of international goals.

Also, the fact that members share a common heritage in many fields, including a common language, enables them to work together in an atmosphere of cooperation and understanding, strengthening even further the prestige of the Commonwealth.

Commonwealth Games 2002, held in Manchester, UK

Unlike the United Nations, Commonwealth members have no contractual obligations, but members commit themselves to the statements of beliefs set out by heads of government.

In 1995 the Commonwealth set up a Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), comprising eight ministers, whose function is to deal with governments which persistently violate Commonwealth principles. It can take such punitive collective measures as imposing economic sanctions or suspending recalcitrant members.

However, the Commonwealth draws its main strength from its moral authority. Committed to racial equality and national sovereignty, it was the focus of the campaign against apartheid in the 1980s. In 1995 it suspended Nigeria's membership after the military regime there passed the death sentence on the writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and other activists, and in 2000 it suspended Fiji after the overthrow of the elected government.

Zimbabwe was suspended in March 2002, after elections which observers said were marred by violence and intimidation. In December 2003 the suspension was extended indefinitely. The Zimbabwean government responded by announcing the country was leaving the Commonwealth for good.

Membership of the Commonwealth brings some practical benefits through the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC). This is the main way in which the Commonwealth promotes economic and social development and the alleviation of poverty.

COMMONWEALTH MEMBERS
Antigua & Barbuda	Jamaica	Sierra Leone
Australia	Kenya	Singapore
The Bahamas	Kiribati	Solomons
Bangladesh	Lesotho	South Africa
Barbados	Malawi	Sri Lanka
Belize	Malaysia	St Kitts
Botswana	Maldives	St Lucia
Brunei	Malta	St Vincent
Cameroon	Mauritius	Swaziland
Canada	Mozambique	Tanzania
Cyprus	Namibia	Tonga
Dominica	Nauru	Trinidad
Fiji (suspended)	New Zealand	Tuvalu
The Gambia	Nigeria	Uganda
Ghana	Pakistan (suspended)	United Kingdom
Grenada	Papua NG	Vanuatu
Guyana	Seychelles	Zambia
India	Samoa	Zimbabwe (out)

Back to the top