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Commonwealth of Nations#Adoption and formalisation of the Commonwealth
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{{Short description|Political association of mostly former British Empire territories}}{{Distinguish|Commonwealth of Independent States|Commonwealth realm}}{{Redirect|The Commonwealth||Commonwealth (disambiguation)}}{{EngvarB|date=July 2023}}{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}- the content below is remote from Wikipedia
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Voluntary associationHTTP://THECOMMONWEALTH.ORG/OUR-CHARTER | DATE=6 JUNE 2013 | ACCESS-DATE=5 MARCH 2019 | ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20190306044606/HTTP://THECOMMONWEALTH.ORG/OUR-CHARTER, dead, | membership_type = Member states| membership = {hide}collapsible list
| titlestyle = background: transparent; text-align: left; font-weight: normal;
| title = 56 states | {{nowrap|{{flagcountry|Antigua and Barbuda{edih}}} | {{flaglist|Australia}} | {{flaglist|Bahamas}} | {{flaglist|Bangladesh}} | {{flaglist|Barbados}} | {{flaglist|Belize}} | {{flaglist|Botswana}} | {{flaglist|Brunei}} | {{flaglist|Cameroon}} | {{flaglist|Canada}} | {{flaglist|Cyprus}} | {{flaglist|Dominica}} | {{flaglist|Eswatini}} | {{flaglist|Fiji}} | {{flaglist|Gabon}} | {{flaglist|Gambia}} | {{flaglist|Ghana}} | {{flaglist|Grenada}} | {{flaglist|Guyana}} | {{flaglist|India}} | {{flaglist|Jamaica}} | {{flaglist|Kenya}} | {{flaglist|Kiribati}} | {{flaglist|Lesotho}} | {{flaglist|Malawi}} | {{flaglist|Malaysia}} | {{flaglist|Maldives}} | {{flaglist|Malta}} | {{flaglist|Mauritius}} | {{flaglist|Mozambique}} | {{flaglist|Namibia}} | {{flaglist|Nauru}} | {{nowrap|{{flaglist|New Zealand}}}} | {{flaglist|Nigeria}} | {{flaglist|Pakistan}} | {{nowrap|{{flaglist|Papua New Guinea}}}} | {{flaglist|Rwanda}} | {{nowrap|{{flaglist|Saint Kitts and Nevis}}}} | {{nowrap|{{flaglist|Saint Lucia}}}} | {{nowrap|{{flaglist|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}}}} | {{flaglist|Samoa}} | {{flaglist|Seychelles}} | {{nowrap|{{flaglist|Sierra Leone}}}} | {{flaglist|Singapore}} | {{nowrap|{{flaglist|Solomon Islands}}}} | {{nowrap|{{flaglist|South Africa}}}} | {{nowrap|{{flaglist|Sri Lanka}}}} | {{flaglist|Tanzania}} | {{flaglist|Togo}} | {{flaglist|Tonga}} | {{nowrap|{{flaglist|Trinidad and Tobago}}}} | {{flaglist|Tuvalu}} | {{flaglist|Uganda}} | {{nowrap|{{flaglist|United Kingdom}}}} | {{flaglist|Vanuatu}} | {{flaglist|Zambia}} }}| admin_center_type = Headquarters| admin_center = Marlborough House, London, United Kingdom | English in the Commonwealth of Nations>Working language| languages = English | Head of the Commonwealth>Head| leader_name1 = Charles III | Secretary-General}} | Patricia Scotland>The Baroness Scotland of Asthal | Chair-in-Office}}| leader_name3 = Paul Kagame | Balfour Declaration}}| established_date1 = 19 November 1926 | Statute of Westminster}} | 11 December 1931HTTP://WWW.CIVILSERVICE.GOV.UK/WP-CONTENT/UPLOADS/2011/09/ANNEXB_COMMONWEALTH.PDF >ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20111206072849/HTTP://WWW.CIVILSERVICE.GOV.UK/WP-CONTENT/UPLOADS/2011/09/ANNEXB_COMMONWEALTH.PDF | ARCHIVE-DATE=6 DECEMBER 2011 | DATE=SEPTEMBER 2011 | HER MAJESTY'S CIVIL SERVICE >ACCESS-DATE=19 NOVEMBER 2013, }} | London Declaration}}| established_date3 = 28 April 1949| area_km2 = 29,958,050| area_sq_mi = 11,566,870| population_estimate = 2,418,964,000| population_estimate_year = 2016| population_density_km2 = 75| population_density_sq_mi = 194 | weblink|thecommonwealth.org}}| footnotes = | demonym = | area_rank = | GDP_PPP = | GDP_PPP_year = | HDI = | HDI_year = | today = }}The Commonwealth of Nations, often simply referred to as the Commonwealth,NEWS,weblink BBC News â Profile: The Commonwealth, news.bbc.co.uk, February 2012, 15 September 2015, 6 September 2020,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20200906101930weblink">weblink live, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire from which it developed.WEB, About Us,weblink thecommonwealth.org, The Commonwealth, 25 March 2024, 10 September 2022,weblink live, They are connected through their use of the English language and historical-cultural ties. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Commonwealth Secretariat, which focuses on intergovernmental aspects, and the Commonwealth Foundation, which focuses on non-governmental relations among member states.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100619122827weblink">weblink dead, 19 June 2010, The Commonwealth, The Commonwealth, 30 June 2013, Numerous organisations are associated with and operate within the Commonwealth.WEB, Commonwealth Family,weblink dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070831143745weblink">weblink 31 August 2007, 29 July 2007, Commonwealth Secretariat, The Commonwealth dates back to the first half of the 20th century with the decolonisation of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories. It was originally created as the British Commonwealth of NationsWEB,weblink Imperial Conference 1926 Inter-Imperial Relations Committee Report, Proceedings and Memoranda, November 1926, 14 June 2018, Their position and mutual relation may be readily defined. They are 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.,weblink 16 July 2005, live, through the Balfour Declaration at the 1926 Imperial Conference, and formalised by the United Kingdom through the Statute of Westminster in 1931. The current Commonwealth of Nations was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which modernised the community and established the member states as "free and equal".WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100706045924weblink">weblink dead, 6 July 2010, The London Declaration, The Commonwealth, 4 July 2013, The head of the Commonwealth is Charles III. He is king of 15 member states, known as the Commonwealth realms, while 36 other members are republics, and five others have different monarchs. Although he became head upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, the position is not technically hereditary.WEB, The Commonwealth,weblink 1 September 2021, The Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship, 21 May 2019, en, 24 January 2021,weblink live, Member states have no legal obligations to one another, though some have institutional links to other Commonwealth nations. Citizenship of a Commonwealth country affords benefits in some member countries, particularly in the United Kingdom, and Commonwealth countries are represented to one another by high commissions rather than embassies. The Commonwealth Charter defines their shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,WEB,weblink Commonwealth Charter, The Commonwealth, 11 April 2023, 1 April 2023,weblink live, as promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games.HistoryOrigins of the concept and establishment of the termFile:British Commonealth of Nations handwritten on Anglo-Irish Treaty draft.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Draft of the 1921 Anglo-Irish TreatyAnglo-Irish TreatyFile:CommonwealthPrimeMinisters1944.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|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) and John CurtinJohn CurtinQueen Elizabeth II, in her address to Canada on Dominion Day in 1959, pointed out that the Confederation of Canada on 1 July 1867 had been the birth of the "first independent country within the British Empire". She declared: "So, it also marks the beginning of that free association of independent states which is now known as the Commonwealth of Nations."VIDEO, Queen Elizabeth's 1959 Dominion Day Message, CBC,weblink 1 July 1959, Government House (Rideau Hall), Ottawa, Queen Elizabeth II, 9 November 2015, 20 November 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20151120073412weblink">weblink live, As long ago as 1884 Lord Rosebery, while visiting Australia, had described the changing British Empire, as some of its colonies became more independent, as a "Commonwealth of Nations".WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100619122654weblink">weblink dead, 19 June 2010, History â Though the modern Commonwealth is just 60 years old, the idea took root in the 19th century, Commonwealth Secretariat, thecommonwealth.org, 29 July 2011, Conferences of British and colonial prime ministers occurred periodically from the first one in 1887, leading to the creation of the Imperial Conferences in 1911.JOURNAL, Mole, Stuart, Seminars for statesmen': the evolution of the Commonwealth summit, The Round Table Journal, The Round Table, September 2004, 93, 376, 533â546, 10.1080/0035853042000289128, 154616079, free, The Commonwealth developed from the imperial conferences. A specific proposal was presented by Jan Smuts in 1917 when he coined the term "the British Commonwealth of Nations" and envisioned the "future constitutional relations and readjustments in essence"WEB, 2018-03-12, Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting 2018 - Civil Service,weblink 2023-06-01, civilservice.blog.gov.uk, en, 1 June 2023,weblink live, at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, attended by delegates from the Dominions as well as the United Kingdom.F.S. Crafford, Jan Smuts: A Biography (2005) p. 142The Irish Oath of Allegiance, agreed in 1921, included the Irish Free State's "adherence to and membership of the group of nations forming the British Commonwealth of Nations". The term first received imperial statutory recognition in the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, when the term British Commonwealth of Nations was substituted for British Empire in the wording of the oath taken by members of parliament of the Irish Free State.BOOK, Peace by ordeal: an account, from first-hand sources of the negotiation and signature of the Anglo-Irish Treaty 1921, Pakenham, Frank, Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, 1972, Sidgwick and Jackson, 978-0-283-97908-8,Adoption and formalisation of the CommonwealthIn the Balfour Declaration at the 1926 Imperial Conference, the United Kingdom 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". The term "Commonwealth" was officially adopted to describe the community.BOOK, Historical Dictionary of European Imperialism, 1991, Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport, Connecticut, 978-0-313-26257-9, 297â298,weblink 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 due to economic hardship and the need for financial assistance from London, Newfoundland voluntarily accepted the suspension of self-government in 1934 and governance reverted to direct control from London. Newfoundland later joined Canada as its tenth province in 1949.WEB,weblink The Commission of Government, 1934â1949, Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Website, heritage.nf.ca, January 2003, 29 July 2011, Webb, Jeff A., 20 December 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141220171931weblink">weblink live, Australia and New Zealand ratified the statute in 1942 and 1947 respectively.WEB,weblink Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 (Cth), Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, foundingdocs.gov.au (Documenting a Democracy), 29 July 2011, 15 August 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110815075419weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110522195038weblink">weblink dead, 22 May 2011, New Zealand Sovereignty: 1857, 1907, 1947, or 1987?, Parliament of New Zealand, parliament.nz, August 2007, 29 July 2011, 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 â the Status of the Union Act, 1934, and the Royal Executive Functions and Seals Act, 1934 â were passed by the Parliament of South Africa to confirm South Africa's status as a sovereign state, and to incorporate the Statute of Westminster into the law of South Africa.BOOK, Dugard, John, Bethlehem, Daniel, Plessis, Max du, Katz, Anton, International law: a South African perspective, 2005, Juta, Lansdowne, South Africa, 978-0-7021-7121-5, 19,Decolonisation and self-governanceAfter the Second World War ended, the British Empire was gradually dismantled. Most of its components have become independent countries, whether Commonwealth realms or republics, and members of the Commonwealth. There remain the 14 mainly self-governing British overseas territories which retain some political association with 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.WEB,weblink Celebrating thecommonwealth@60, 26 April 2009, thecommonwealth.org, Commonwealth Secretariat, 29 July 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090804012916weblink">weblink 4 August 2009, Burma (Myanmar since 1989) and Aden (now part of the Yemen) 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), 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).Chris Cook and John Paxton, Commonwealth Political Facts (Macmillan, 1978).The post-war Commonwealth was given a fresh mission by Queen Elizabeth II in her Christmas Day 1953 broadcast, in which she envisioned the Commonwealth as "an entirely new conception â built on the highest qualities of the Spirit of Man: friendship, loyalty, and the desire for freedom and peace".Brian Harrison, Seeking a Role: The United Kingdom 1951â1970 (Oxford UP, 2009), p. 102. However, the British treasury was so weak that it could not operate independently of the United States. The loss of defence and financial roles, furthermore, undermined Joseph Chamberlain's early 20th-century vision of a world empire that could combine Imperial preference, mutual defence, and social growth. In addition, the United Kingdom's cosmopolitan role in world affairs became increasingly limited, especially with the losses of India and Singapore.Harrison, Seeking a Role: The United Kingdom 1951â1970, p. 103. While British politicians at first hoped that the Commonwealth would preserve and project British influence, they gradually lost their enthusiasm, argues Krishnan Srinivasan. Early enthusiasm waned as British policies came under fire at Commonwealth meetings. Public opinion became troubled as immigration from non-white member states became large-scale.Krishnan Srinivasan, "Nobody's Commonwealth? The Commonwealth in Britain's post-imperial adjustment." Commonwealth & Comparative Politics 44.2 (2006): 257â269.RepublicsOn 18 April 1949, Ireland formally became a republic in accordance with the Irish Republic of Ireland Act 1948; in doing so, it also formally left the Commonwealth.BOOK, Whyte, J. H., John Henry Whyte, Hill, J. R., A New History of Ireland, VII: Ireland, 1921â84, 2010, Oxford University Press, 978-0-19-161559-7, 277 (footnote 20),weblink 6 August 2019, Economic crisis and political cold war, 1949-57, The Republic of Ireland Act, 1948...repealed the external relations act, and provided for the declaration of a republic, which came into force on 18 Apr. 1949, when Ireland left the commonwealth., 15 February 2023,weblink live, While Ireland had not actively participated in the Commonwealth since the early 1930s, other dominions wished to become republics without losing Commonwealth ties. The issue came to a head in April 1949 at a Commonwealth prime ministers' meeting in London. Under the London Declaration, as drafted by V. K. Krishna Menon, India agreed, when it became a republic in January 1950, it would remain in the Commonwealth and accept the British Sovereign as a "symbol of the free association of its independent member nations and as such the Head of the Commonwealth". Upon hearing this, King George VI told Menon: "So, I've become 'as such'".WEB,weblink Staying loyal to George, indianexpress.com, 19 February 2010, 13 April 2011, 15 May 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110515213125weblink">weblink live, Some other Commonwealth countries that have since become republics have chosen to leave, while others, such as Guyana, Mauritius and Dominica, have remained members.NEWS,weblink Barbados to remove Queen Elizabeth as head of state, BBC News, 16 September 2020, 18 March 2021, 11 March 2021,weblink live, The London Declaration is often seen as marking the beginning of the modern Commonwealth. Following India's precedent, other nations became republics, or constitutional monarchies with their own monarchs. While some countries retained the same monarch as the United Kingdom, their monarchies developed differently and soon became essentially independent of the British monarchy. The monarch is regarded as a separate legal personality in each realm, even though the same person is monarch of each realm.{{citation| last=Bogdanor| first=Vernon| author-link=Vernon Bogdanor| title=The Monarchy and the Constitution| publisher=Oxford University Press| date=12 February 1998| location=New York| page=288| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mN6SzMefot4C&q=%22overseas+realms%22&pg=PA289| isbn=978-0-19-829334-7}}JOURNAL, High Commissioner in United Kingdom, Royal Style and Titles, Documents on Canadian External Relations > Royal Style and Titles, 18, 2, 24 November 1952,weblink DEA/50121-B-40, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20111123050633weblink">weblink 23 November 2011, dmy, JOURNAL, Smy, William A., Royal titles and styles, The Loyalist Gazette, XLVI, 1, 2008,weblinkweblink" title="archive.today/20120711172851weblink">weblink dead, 11 July 2012, 3 January 2011, WEB, The Invisible Crown, Monarchy Canada,weblink Toporoski, Richard, 20 April 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080209220704weblink">weblink 9 February 2008,New CommonwealthPlanners in the interwar period, like Lord Davies, who had also taken "a prominent part in building up the League of Nations Union" in the United Kingdom, in 1932 founded the New Commonwealth Society, of whose British section Winston Churchill became the president.WEB,weblink A Message from the Rt. Hon. Winston S. Churchill, C.H., M.P. President, British Section, New Commonwealth Society by Winston S. Churchill on Churchill Book Collector, www.bibliopolis.com, Churchill Book Collector, 16 August 2015, 3 August 2021,weblink dead, The term New Commonwealth gained usage in the UK (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.NEWS,weblink Blair calls for quotas on immigrants from 'New Commonwealth', Patrick, Hennessy, Daily Telegraph, The Telegraph, 5 June 2004, 6 April 2018, 19 August 2018,weblink live, The United Kingdom and the pre-1945 dominions became informally known as the Old Commonwealth, or more pointedly as the 'white Commonwealth',JOURNAL, de Villiers, Marq, 1998, Review of The Ambiguous Champion: Canada and South Africa in the Trudeau and Mulroney Years by Linda Freeman, International Journal, 53, 4, 783â785 : 783, 0020-7020, 10.2307/40203728, 40203728, ;JOURNAL, Miles, Robert, 2016, The Racialization of British Politics, Political Studies, 38, 2, 277â285, 0032-3217, 10.1111/j.1467-9248.1990.tb01493.x, 145691345, in reference to what had been known as the 'White Dominions'.Plan G and inviting Europe to joinAt a time when Germany and France, together with Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, were planning what later became the European Union, and newly independent African countries were joining the Commonwealth, new ideas were floated to prevent the United Kingdom from becoming isolated in economic affairs. British trade with the Commonwealth was four times larger than its trade with Europe. In 1956 and 1957 the British government under Prime Minister Anthony Eden considered a "Plan G" to create a European free trade zone while also protecting the favoured status of the Commonwealth.BOOK, David, Gowland, Britain and European Integration Since 1945: On the Sidelines,weblink 2009, Routledge, 46, etal, 978-1-134-35452-8, James R. V. Ellison, "Perfidious Albion? Britain, Plan G and European Integration, 1955â1956", Contemporary British History (1996) 10#4 pp 1â34.Martin Schaad, "Plan G â A "Counterblast"? British Policy Towards the Messina Countries, 1956", Contemporary European History (1998) 7#1 pp 39â60. The United Kingdom also considered inviting Scandinavian and other European countries to join the Commonwealth, so that it would become a major economic common market.At the time of the Suez Crisis in 1956, in the face of colonial unrest and international tensions, French prime minister 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 join the Commonwealth, possibly with "a common citizenship arrangement on the Irish basis". These ideas faded away with the end of the Suez Crisis.NEWS,weblinkweblink 10 January 2022, subscription, live, France offered to 'merge' with UK in 1950s, Laura, Clout, 15 January 2007, The Telegraph, {{cbignore}}NEWS,weblink UK â When Britain and France nearly married, BBC NEWS, Mike, Thomson, 15 January 2007, 12 September 2016, 23 January 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090123072141weblink">weblink live, BOOK, Frank Heinlein, British Government Policy and Decolonisation, 1945â63: Scrutinising the Official Mind,weblink 2013, Taylor & Francis, 137â43, 978-1-135-28441-1,StructureHead of the CommonwealthFile:Queen Elizabeth II official portrait for 1959 tour (retouched) (cropped) (3-to-4 aspect ratio).jpg|thumb|upright|Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving head of the Commonwealthhead of the CommonwealthUnder the formula of the London Declaration, Charles III is the head of the Commonwealth.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090426044116weblink">weblink dead, 26 April 2009, Report of the Committee on Commonwealth Membership, 29 June 2008, Patterson, Percival, P.J. Patterson, 24 October 2007, Commonwealth Secretariat, When the monarch dies, the successor to the crown does not automatically become the new head of the Commonwealth.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20060930063803weblink">weblink dead, 30 September 2006, Head of the Commonwealth, Commonwealth Secretariat, 29 June 2008, However, at their meeting in April 2018, Commonwealth leaders agreed that Prince Charles should succeed his mother Elizabeth II as head after her death.NEWS,weblink Prince Charles to be next head of Commonwealth, Walker, Peter, 20 April 2018, The Guardian, 3 December 2018, 22 April 2021,weblink live, The position is symbolic, representing the free association of independent members, the majority of which (36) are republics, and five have monarchs of different royal houses (Brunei, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malaysia, and Tonga).Commonwealth Heads of Government MeetingThe main decision-making forum of the organisation is the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), where Commonwealth heads of government, including (amongst others) prime ministers and presidents, assemble for several days to discuss matters of mutual interest. CHOGM is the successor to the Commonwealth Prime Ministers Meetings and, earlier, the Imperial Conferences and Colonial Conferences, dating back to 1887. There are also regular meetings of finance ministers, law ministers, health ministers, etc. Members in arrears, as special members before them, are not invited to send representatives to either ministerial meetings or CHOGMs.The head of government hosting the CHOGM is called the chair-in-office (CIO) and retains the position until the following CHOGM. Since the most recent CHOGM, in Rwanda in 2022, the chair-in-office has been the president of Rwanda.WEB,weblink How we are run, The Commonwealth, 22 August 2013, 17 November 2020, 14 November 2020,weblink live, The 26th CHOGM was initially to be held in Kigali, Rwanda, in June 2020. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was rescheduled to be held there in the week of 21 June 2021 before again being postponed to 25-26 June 2022. It was accompanied by meetings of a Commonwealth Business Forum, a Commonwealth Youth Forum, a Commonwealth Women's Forum and a Commonwealth People's Forum.WEB,weblink Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), The Commonwealth, 5 August 2021, 5 July 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080705152643weblink">weblink live,Commonwealth SecretariatFile:Marlborough House.jpg|thumb|Marlborough House, London, the headquarters of the Commonwealth SecretariatCommonwealth SecretariatThe Commonwealth Secretariat, established in 1965, is the main intergovernmental agency of the Commonwealth, facilitating consultation and co-operation among member governments and countries.WEB, The Commonwealth,weblink 2023-06-01, Commonwealth, en, 16 November 2020,weblink live, It is responsible to member governments collectively. The Commonwealth of Nations is represented in the United Nations General Assembly by the secretariat as an observer. The secretariat organises Commonwealth summits, meetings of ministers, consultative meetings and technical discussions; it assists policy development and provides policy advice, and facilitates multilateral communication among the member governments. It also provides technical assistance to help governments in the social and economic development of their countries and in support of the Commonwealth's fundamental political values.Cook and Paxton, Commonwealth Political Facts (1978) part 3.The secretariat is headed by the Commonwealth secretary-general, who is elected by the Commonwealth heads of government for no more than two four-year terms. The secretary-general and two deputy secretaries-general direct the divisions of the Secretariat. The present secretary-general is Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, from Dominica, who took office on 1 April 2016, succeeding Kamalesh Sharma of India (2008â2016). The first secretary-general was Arnold Smith of Canada (1965â75), followed by Sir Shridath Ramphal of Guyana (1975â90), Chief Emeka Anyaoku of Nigeria (1990â99), and Don McKinnon of New Zealand (2000â2008).Commonwealth citizenship and high commissionersFile:The Gambia High Commission in New Delhi.jpg|thumb|The high commission of The Gambia in New DelhiNew DelhiInitially, Commonwealth countries were not considered to be "foreign" to each other as their citizens were British subjects.JOURNAL, Dale, William, July 1982, Is the Commonwealth an International Organisation?, International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 31, 3, 451â73, 10.1093/iclqaj/31.3.451, JOURNAL, Clute, Robert E., Wilson, Robert R., July 1958, Commonwealth and Favored-Nation Usage, American Journal of International Law, 52, 3, 455â468, 10.2307/2195461, 2195461, 147526549, JOURNAL, Hedley, Bull, July 1959, What is the Commonwealth?, World Politics, 11, 4, 577â87, 10.2307/2009593, 2009593, 154764036, Citizenship laws have evolved independently in each Commonwealth country. For example, in Australia, for the purpose of considering certain constitutional and legal provisions no distinction is made between Commonwealth and foreign countries: in the High Court case of Sue v Hill, other Commonwealth countries (specifically, the United Kingdom) were held to be 'foreign powers'; similarly, in Nolan v Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, the nationals of other Commonwealth realms were held to be 'aliens'.Nevertheless, some members treat resident citizens of other Commonwealth countries preferentially to citizens of non-Commonwealth countries (see Commonwealth citizen). The United Kingdom and several others, mostly in the Caribbean, grant the right to vote to Commonwealth citizens who reside in those countries.The closer association amongst Commonwealth countries is reflected in the diplomatic protocols of the Commonwealth countries. For example, when engaging bilaterally with one another, Commonwealth governments exchange high commissioners instead of ambassadors.BOOK, Lloyd, Lorna, Diplomacy with a Difference: The Commonwealth Office of High Commissioner, 1880-2006, 2007, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 978-90-04-15497-1, 119â120,weblink 18 April 2020, en, In non-Commonwealth countries in which their own country is not represented, Commonwealth citizens may seek consular assistance at the British embassy although it is for the embassy to decide, in its discretion, whether to provide any.WEB,weblink Support for British nationals abroad: a guide, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 5, We may also help Commonwealth nationals in non-Commonwealth countries where they do not have any diplomatic or consular representation, but will normally ask their nearest embassy to provide any ongoing assistance required., 2013, dead,weblink 19 October 2013, Other alternatives can also occur such as the consular services agreement between Canada and Australia that began in 1986.WEB,weblink Canada-Australia Consular Services Sharing Agreement, Travel.gc.ca, 25 September 2014, 16 November 2012, 18 October 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141018062851weblink">weblink live,Membership(File:Commonwealth realms republics and monarchies.svg|275px|thumb|The members of the Commonwealth shaded according to their political status. Commonwealth realms are shown in blue, while republics are shaded pink, and members with their own monarchies are displayed in green.)CriteriaThe criteria for membership of the Commonwealth of Nations have developed over time from a series of separate documents. The Statute of Westminster 1931, as a fundamental founding document of the organisation, laid out that membership required dominionhood. The 1949 London Declaration ended this, allowing republican and indigenous monarchic members on the condition that they recognised King George VI as "Head of the Commonwealth".JOURNAL, de Smith, S.A., July 1949, The London Declaration of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers, 28 April 1949, The Modern Law Review, 12, 3, 351â354, 1090506, Stanley Alexander de Smith, 10.1111/j.1468-2230.1949.tb00131.x, free, In the wake of the wave of decolonisation in the 1960s, these constitutional principles were augmented by political, economic, and social principles. The first of these was set out in 1961, when it was decided that respect for racial equality would be a requirement for membership, leading directly to the withdrawal of South Africa's re-application (which they were required to make under the formula of the London Declaration upon becoming a republic). The 14 points of the 1971 Singapore Declaration dedicated all members to the principles of world peace, liberty, human rights, equality, and free trade.These criteria were unenforceable for two decades,JOURNAL, Williams, Paul D., July 2005, Blair's Britain and the Commonwealth, The Round Table Journal, The Round Table, 94, 380, 381â391, 10.1080/00358530500174960, 154400556, 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.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20040207030954weblink">weblink dead, 7 February 2004, 20 October 1991, Harare Commonwealth Declaration, 29 July 2007, Commonwealth Secretariat, 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.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20060930122424weblink">weblink dead, 30 September 2006, Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, 29 July 2007, Commonwealth Secretariat, 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 Inter-Governmental Group ruled that any future members would "as a rule" have to have a direct constitutional link with an existing member.WEB,weblink The future of the modern Commonwealth: Widening vs. deepening?, 29 July 2007, 10 October 2005, Victoria, te Velde-Ashworth, Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070722134850weblink">weblink 22 July 2007, 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 King Charles III as 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. 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.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070313234502weblink">weblink dead, 13 March 2007, Commonwealth membership in focus at London meeting, 29 July 2007, 6 December 2006, Commonwealth Secretariat, New members were not admitted at this meeting, though applications for admission were considered at the 2009 CHOGM.NEWS, Osike, Felix, Rwanda membership delayed,weblink New Vision, 24 November 2007, 29 November 2009, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130123172352weblink">weblink 23 January 2013, 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., Bangladesh to Pakistan, Samoa to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea to Australia, and Singapore to Malaysia). The first member to be admitted without having any constitutional link to the British Empire was Mozambique in 1995 following its first democratic elections. Mozambique was a former Portuguese colony and the Edinburgh Declaration and the current membership guidelines came after its entry.NEWS, Rwanda: Joining the Commonwealth, The New Times (Rwanda), The New Times, AllAfrica, 27 November 2009, In 2009, Rwanda became the second Commonwealth member admitted not to have any constitutional links to Britain. It was a Belgian trust territory that had been a district of German East Africa until World War I.NEWS, Kron, Josh, Rwanda Joins British Commonwealth,weblink The New York Times, 28 November 2009, 29 November 2009, 18 April 2021,weblink live, Consideration for Rwanda's admission was considered an "exceptional circumstance" by the Commonwealth Secretariat.NEWS, Conference on Rwanda's Commonwealth bid to be held,weblink The New Times (Rwanda), The New Times, 3 August 2008, 25 September 2015, 25 September 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150925133322weblink">weblink live, Rwanda was permitted to join despite the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) finding that "the state of governance and human rights in Rwanda does not satisfy Commonwealth standards", and that it "does not therefore qualify for admission".WEB,weblink Rwanda's application for membership, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, 27 July 2021,weblink 17 July 2018, live, CHRI commented that: "It does not make sense to admit a state that already does not satisfy Commonwealth standards. This would tarnish the reputation of the Commonwealth and confirm the opinion of many people and civic organisations that the leaders of its governments do not really care for democracy and human rights, and that its periodic, solemn declarations are merely hot air."In 2022, Togo, a former French mandate territory, and Gabon, a former French colony, joined the Commonwealth, despite never having been under British rule.NEWS, Turner, Camilla, 22 June 2022, Togo and Gabon to become newest members of Commonwealth this week, The Telegraph,weblink 26 June 2022, 27 June 2022,weblink live, Gabon was partially suspended from the Commonwealth on 18 September 2023 following the military coup that ousted President Ali Bongo the previous month, with two years given by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group for the country to hold new elections before a full suspension of Commonwealth membership would be considered.WEB,weblink Gabon partially suspended from the Commonwealth pending restoration of democracy, 1 October 2023, 30 September 2023,weblink live, NEWS, 2023-09-20, Gabon partially suspended from Commonwealth after coup, en-GB, BBC News,weblink 2023-10-03, 4 October 2023,weblink live,MembersFile:Parliament Square 11 3 09 (3346753423).jpg|thumb|Flags of the members of the Commonwealth in Parliament SquareParliament SquareFile:Commonwealth flag Ottawa.jpg|thumb|upright|The Commonwealth flag flying at the Parliament of Canada in OttawaOttawaThe Commonwealth comprises 56 countries, across all inhabited continents.Three Commonwealth countries also have long-standing claims to sovereignty in Antarctica, although these claims are not widely recognised. The claims, which each include permanent research stations and together cover most of the continent, are the Australian Antarctic Territory, the British Antarctic Territory and the Ross Dependency (New Zealand). The members have a combined population of 2.4 billion people, almost a third of the world population, with 1.6 billion living in India and Pakistan, and 94% living in either Asia or Africa.WEB,weblink Country Comparisons â Population, 22 March 2009, 19 March 2009, The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 27 September 2011,weblink dead, After India, the next-largest Commonwealth countries by population are Pakistan (227 million), Nigeria (213 million), Bangladesh (167 million), and the United Kingdom (68 million). Tuvalu is the smallest member, with about 12,000 people.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071029235015weblink">weblink dead, 29 October 2007, Tuvalu: Key Facts, 18 May 2011, 19 March 2009, Commonwealth Secretariat, The land area of the Commonwealth nations is about {{convert|31500000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, or about 21% of the total world land area. The two largest Commonwealth nations by area are Canada at {{convert|9984670|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and Australia at {{convert|7617930|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.WEB,weblink Country Comparisons â Area, 22 March 2009, 19 March 2009, The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 9 February 2014,weblink dead, 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.JOURNAL, McIntyre, W. David, W. David McIntyre, April 2008, The Expansion of the Commonwealth and the Criteria for Membership, The Round Table Journal, Round Table, 97, 395, 273â85, 10.1080/00358530801962089, 219623317, There are currently no members in arrears. The most recent member in arrears, Nauru, returned to full membership in June 2011.WEB,weblink Nauru back as full Commonwealth member, 26 July 2011, Radio New Zealand International, 26 June 2011, 25 December 2018,weblink live, Nauru has alternated between special and full membership since joining the Commonwealth, depending on its financial situation.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081011171846weblink">weblink dead, 11 October 2008, Nauru Accedes to Full Membership of the Commonwealth, 30 January 2009, Commonwealth Secretariat, 12 April 1999,Economy of member countriesIn 2019, the Commonwealth members had a combined gross domestic product of over $9 trillion, 78% of which is accounted for by the four largest economies: India ($3.737 trillion), United Kingdom ($3.124 trillion), Canada ($1.652 trillion), and Australia ($1.379 trillion).WEB,weblink World Economic Outlook Database, 18 April 2017, International Monetary Fund, 20 June 2017, 24 June 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170624044404weblink">weblink live,Applicants{{see also|Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations#Prospective members}}In 1997 the Commonwealth Heads of Government agreed that, to become a member of the Commonwealth, an applicant country should, as a rule, have had a constitutional association with an existing Commonwealth member; that it should comply with Commonwealth values, principles and priorities as set out in the Harare Declaration; and that it should accept Commonwealth norms and conventions.WEB,weblink New Criteria for Commonwealth Membership, thecommonwealth.org, 23 August 2013, 7 November 2013, 16 April 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140416182858weblink">weblink dead, South Sudanese politicians have expressed interest in joining the Commonwealth.WEB,weblink South Sudan Launches Bid to Join Commonwealth, gurtong.net, 10 July 2011, 11 July 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170711061322weblink">weblink live, A senior Commonwealth source stated in 2006 that "many people have assumed an interest from Israel, but there has been no formal approach".NEWS, Alderson, Andrew, Israelis and Palestinians could join Commonwealth,weblinkweblink 10 January 2022, subscription, live, The Daily Telegraph, 17 December 2006, 29 November 2009, London, {{cbignore}} Israel and Palestine are both potential candidates for membership.President Yahya Jammeh unilaterally withdrew the Gambia from the Commonwealth in October 2013.WEB,weblink Statement by Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma on The Gambia, The Commonwealth, 4 October 2013, 6 October 2013, 1 May 2021,weblink live, However, newly elected president Adama Barrow returned the country to the organisation in February 2018.Other eligible applicants could be any of the remaining inhabited British Overseas Territories, Crown Dependencies, Australian external territories and the Associated States of New Zealand if they become fully independent.WEB,weblink States and Territories, 15CCEM,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070929181918weblink">weblink 29 September 2007, dead, Many such jurisdictions are already directly represented within the Commonwealth, particularly through the Commonwealth Family.JOURNAL, Baldacchino, Godfrey, Milne, David, September 2006, Exploring sub-national island jurisdictions: An editorial introduction, The Round Table Journal, The Round Table, 95, 386, 487â502, 10.1080/00358530600929735, 154689097, There are also former British possessions that have not become independent. Although Hong Kong has become part of China, it continues to participate in some of the institutions within the Commonwealth Family, including the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).All three of the Crown dependencies regard their existing situation as unsatisfactory and have lobbied for change. The States of Jersey have called on the UK foreign secretary to request that the Commonwealth heads of government "consider granting associate membership to Jersey and the other Crown Dependencies as well as any other territories at a similarly advanced stage of autonomy". Jersey has proposed that it be accorded "self-representation in all Commonwealth meetings; full participation in debates and procedures, with a right to speak where relevant and the opportunity to enter into discussions with those who are full members; and no right to vote in the Ministerial or Heads of Government meetings, which is reserved for full members".WEB, Written evidence from States of Jersey,weblink Chief Minister of Jersey, 18 March 2013, 9 February 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130209074134weblink">weblink live, The States of Guernsey and the Government of the Isle of Man have made calls of a similar nature for a more integrated relationship with the Commonwealth,WEB, The role and future of the Commonwealth,weblink House of Commons, 18 March 2013, 6 February 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130206123019weblink">weblink live, including more direct representation and enhanced participation in Commonwealth organisations and meetings, including Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings.WEB, Written evidence from the States of Guernsey,weblink Policy Council of Guernsey, 18 March 2013, 9 February 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130209074131weblink">weblink live, 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".NEWS, Isle of Man welcomes report on Commonwealth future,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130302143313weblink">weblink dead, 2 March 2013, 19 March 2013, Isle of Man Government, 23 November 2012,SuspensionMembers can be suspended "from the Councils of the Commonwealth" for "serious or persistent violations" of the Harare Declaration, particularly in abrogating their responsibility to have democratic government.JOURNAL, Colvile, Robert, July 2004, A Place to Stand: the Problems and Potential of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, The Round Table Journal, The Round Table, 93, 375, 343â53, 10.1080/0035853042000249942, 153984328, free, Suspensions are agreed by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which meets regularly to address potential breaches of the Harare Declaration. Suspended members are not represented at meetings of Commonwealth leaders and ministers, although they remain members of the organisation.Nigeria was suspended between 11 November 1995 and 29 May 1999,JOURNAL, Ingram, Derek, Derek Ingram (journalist), October 1999, Commonwealth Update, The Round Table Journal, The Round Table, 88, 352, 547â567, 10.1080/003585399107758, following its execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa on the eve of the 1995 CHOGM.JOURNAL, Ingram, Derek, Derek Ingram (journalist), October 2007, Twenty Commonwealth steps from Singapore to Kampala, The Round Table Journal, The Round Table, 96, 392, 555â563, 10.1080/00358530701625877, 154737836, Pakistan was the second country to be suspended, on 18 October 1999, following the military coup by Pervez Musharraf.JOURNAL, Ingram, Derek, Derek Ingram (journalist), January 2000, Commonwealth Update, The Round Table Journal, The Round Table, 89, 353, 45â57, 10.1080/750459452, 219628879, The Commonwealth's longest suspension came to an end on 22 May 2004, when Pakistan's suspension was lifted following the restoration of the country's constitution.JOURNAL, Ingram, Derek, Derek Ingram (journalist), July 2004, Commonwealth Update, The Round Table Journal, The Round Table, 93, 375, 311â42, 10.1080/0035853042000249933, 219627311, Pakistan was suspended for a second time, far more briefly, for six months from 22 November 2007, when Musharraf called a state of emergency.JOURNAL, Gruenbaum, Oren, February 2008, Commonwealth Update, The Round Table Journal, The Round Table, 97, 394, 3â17, 10.1080/00358530701864963, 219625114, Zimbabwe was suspended in 2002 over concerns regarding the electoral and land reform policies of Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF government,JOURNAL, Ingram, Derek, Derek Ingram (journalist), April 2002, Commonwealth Update, The Round Table Journal, The Round Table, 91, 364, 131â59, 10.1080/00358530220144148, 219627051, before it withdrew from the organisation in 2003.JOURNAL, January 2004, Editorial: CHOGM 2003, Abuja, Nigeria, The Round Table Journal, The Round Table, 93, 373, 3â6, 10.1080/0035853042000188139, 219624427, On 15 May 2018, Zimbabwe applied to rejoin the Commonwealth.WEB,weblink Zimbabwe applies to rejoin Commonwealth, 22 May 2018, Al Jazeera, 22 May 2018, 22 May 2018,weblink live, The declaration of a Republic in Fiji in 1987, after military coups designed to deny Indo-Fijians political power, was not accompanied by an application to remain. Commonwealth membership was held to have lapsed until 1997, after discriminatory provisions in the republican constitution were repealed and reapplication for membership made.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20041101052757weblink">weblink dead, 1 November 2004, Fiji Rejoins the Commonwealth, Commonwealth Secretariat, 30 September 1997, 1 September 2009, Fiji has since been suspended twice, with the first imposed from 6 June 2000JOURNAL, Ingram, Derek, Derek Ingram (journalist), July 2000, Commonwealth Update, The Round Table Journal, The Round Table, 89, 355, 311â55, 10.1080/00358530050083406, 219626283, to 20 December 2001 after another coup. Fiji was suspended yet again in December 2006, following the most recent coup. At first, the suspension applied only to membership on the Councils of the Commonwealth.WEB,weblink Fiji Suspended from the Commonwealth, Commonwealth Secretariat, 1 September 2009, 1 September 2009, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090904153829weblink">weblink 4 September 2009, NEWS, Fiji suspended from Commonwealth,weblink BBC News, 8 December 2006, 1 February 2009, 19 November 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071119181425weblink">weblink live, After failing to meet a Commonwealth deadline for setting a date for national elections by 2010, Fiji was "fully suspended" on 1 September 2009. The secretary-general of the Commonwealth, Kamalesh Sharma, confirmed that full suspension meant that Fiji would be excluded from Commonwealth meetings, sporting events and the technical assistance programme (with an exception for assistance in re-establishing democracy). Sharma stated that Fiji would remain a member of the Commonwealth during its suspension, but would be excluded from emblematic representation by the secretariat. On 19 March 2014 Fiji's full suspension was amended to a suspension from councils of the Commonwealth by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, permitting Fiji to join a number of Commonwealth activities, including the Commonwealth Games.WEB,weblink Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister welcomes Commonwealth statement on Fiji â GOV.UK, www.gov.uk, 31 July 2014, 2 October 2020,weblink live, Fiji's suspension was lifted in September 2014.WEB,weblink Fiji rejoins Commonwealth as a full member, The Commonwealth, 26 September 2014, 28 September 2014, 1 September 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190901024106weblink">weblink dead, The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group fully reinstated Fiji as a member following elections in September 2014.NEWS, Nasik Swami,weblink We're back, Fiji Times, 28 September 2014, 28 September 2014, 10 December 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141210201056weblink">weblink live, Most recently, during 2013 and 2014, international pressure mounted to suspend Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth, citing grave human rights violations by the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. There were also calls to change the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013 from Sri Lanka to another member country. Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper threatened to boycott the event, but was instead represented at the meeting by Deepak Obhrai. UK prime minister David Cameron also chose to attend.NEWS, David Miliband,weblink Britain must stand up for human rights in Sri Lanka, 11 March 2013, 18 April 2013, The Guardian, 21 April 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150421121545weblink">weblink live, NEWS, Mike Blanchfield,weblink Harper rebukes Sri Lanka over jurist's dismissal as talk of summit boycott heats up, The Globe and Mail, 14 January 2013, 18 April 2013, 24 May 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130524092528weblink">weblink live, These concerns were rendered moot by the election of opposition leader Maithripala Sirisena as president in 2015.WEB,weblink Sirisena sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president, Rappler, 9 January 2015, 31 October 2021, 31 October 2021,weblink live,Withdrawal and termination{{See also|Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations#Former members|Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations#Dissolved members}}{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2021}}As membership is purely voluntary, member governments can choose at any time to leave the Commonwealth. The first state to do so was Ireland in 1949 following its decision to declare itself a republic, although it had not participated in the Commonwealth since 1932. At the time, all members accepted the British monarch as head of state as a condition of membership. This rule was changed after Ireland's departure to allow India to retain membership when it became a republic in 1950, although Ireland did not rejoin. Now, the majority of the Commonwealth members, including all those from Africa, are republics or have their own native monarch. Pakistan left on 30 January 1972 in protest at the Commonwealth's recognition of breakaway Bangladesh, but rejoined on 2 August 1989. Zimbabwe's membership was suspended in 2002 on the grounds of alleged human rights violations and deliberate misgovernment, and Zimbabwe's government terminated its membership in 2003.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080705162909weblink">weblink dead, Commonwealth website confirms Zimbabwe "terminated" its membership with effect from 7 December 2003, 5 July 2008, The Gambia left the Commonwealth on 3 October 2013, and rejoined on 8 February 2018.WEB,weblink The Gambia rejoins the Commonwealth, 8 February 2018, Commonwealth Secretariat, 10 February 2018, 14 July 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180714083101weblink">weblink live, The Maldives withdrew from the Commonwealth on 13 October 2016,WEB,weblink The Commonwealth Secretariat, 13 October 2016, 13 October 2016, 17 May 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink The Maldives decides to leave the Commonwealth; commits to continue with its international engagement, Maldivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 13 October 2016, 13 October 2016, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161014060506weblink">weblink 14 October 2016, citing Commonwealth's "punitive actions against the Maldives since 2012" after the allegedly forced resignation of Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed among the reasons for withdrawal. Following the election of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih as president in November 2018, the Maldives announced its intention to reapply to join the Commonwealth.NEWS,weblink Maldives to rejoin Commonwealth of former British colonies, 20 November 2018, The National, 23 November 2018, en, 24 November 2018,weblink live, They rejoined on 1 February 2020.NEWS,weblink Maldives rejoins Commonwealth after over three years, The Hindu, February 2020, Srinivasan, Meera, 31 October 2021, 31 October 2021,weblink live, Although heads of government have the power to suspend member states from active participation, the Commonwealth has no provision for the expulsion of members.South Africa was barred from continuing as a member after it became a republic in 1961, due to hostility from many members, particularly those in 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 re-admitted to the Commonwealth in 1994, following its first multiracial elections that year.BOOK, Commonwealth Observer Group, The National and Provincial Elections in South Africa, 2 June 1999,weblink 1999, 7, Commonwealth Secretariat, 978-0-85092-626-2, 10 February 2018, 26 March 2023,weblink live, The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997 ended the territory's status as a part of the Commonwealth through the United Kingdom. Non-sovereign states or regions are not permitted to become members of the Commonwealth. The government of China has not pursued membership. Hong Kong has nevertheless continued to participate in some of the organisations of the Commonwealth Family, such as the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (hosted the Commonwealth Lawyers Conference in 1983 and 2009), the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (and the Westminster Seminar on Parliamentary Practice and Procedures), the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel,WEB,weblink Office of Parliamentary Counsel â CALC â Constitution & Membership, 11 March 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110311223653weblink">weblink 11 March 2011, WEB,weblink OPC.gov.au, Legislative drafting offices in which there are CALC members, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110311234928weblink">weblink 11 March 2011, as well as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).PoliticsObjectives and activitiesThe Commonwealth's objectives were first outlined in the 1971 Singapore Declaration, which committed the Commonwealth to the institution of world peace; promotion of representative democracy and individual liberty; the pursuit of equality and opposition to racism; the fight against poverty, ignorance, and disease; and free trade.WEB,weblink 22 January 1971, Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles 1971, 15 November 2013, thecommonwealth.org, Commonwealth Secretariat,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131202223804weblink">weblink 2 December 2013, live, To these were added opposition to discrimination on the basis of gender by the Lusaka Declaration of 1979,WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20060930123038weblink">weblink dead, 30 September 2006, Lusaka Declaration on Racism and Racial Prejudice, 3 April 2008, 7 August 1979, Commonwealth Secretariat, and environmental sustainability by the Langkawi Declaration of 1989.WEB,weblink Langkawi Declaration on the Environment, 3 April 2008, 21 October 1989, USM Regional Center of Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development, 16 April 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080416202526weblink">weblink dead, These objectives were reinforced by the Harare Declaration in 1991.Patel, Hasu (2000), "Southern Africa and democracy, in the light of the Harare declaration." The Round Table 89.357: 585â592.The Commonwealth's current highest-priority aims are on the promotion of democracy and development, as outlined in the 2003 Aso Rock Declaration,WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20060820140553weblink">weblink dead, 20 August 2006, Our Work, 3 April 2008, Commonwealth Secretariat, which built on those in Singapore and Harare and clarified their terms of reference, stating, "We are committed to democracy, good governance, human rights, gender equality, and a more equitable sharing of the benefits of globalisation."WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20060613105849weblink">weblink dead, 13 June 2006, Aso Rock Commonwealth Declaration, 3 April 2008, 8 December 2003, Commonwealth Secretariat, The Commonwealth website lists its areas of work as: democracy, economics, education, gender, governance, human rights, law, small states, sport, sustainability, and youth.WEB,weblink Commonwealth Secretariat, 3 April 2008, 7 August 1979, Commonwealth Secretariat, 2 March 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110302215837weblink">weblink live,CompetenceIn October 2010, a leaked memo from the Secretary General instructing staff not to speak out on human rights was published, leading to accusations that the Commonwealth was not being vocal enough on its core values.NEWS,weblink Commonwealth has abandoned human rights commitment â leaked memo, Julian, Borger, 8 October 2010, The Guardian, 14 December 2016, 29 September 2021,weblink live, The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2011 considered a report by a Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group (EPG) panel which asserted that the organisation had lost its relevance and was decaying due to the lack of a mechanism to censure member countries when they violated human rights or democratic norms. The panel made 106 "urgent" recommendations including the adoption of a Charter of the Commonwealth, the creation of a new commissioner on the rule of law, democracy and human rights to track persistent human rights abuses and allegations of political repression by Commonwealth member states, recommendations for the repeal of laws against homosexuality in 41 Commonwealth states and a ban on forced marriage.NEWS, Cheadle, Bruce, Commonwealth leaders still haggling over human rights reforms,weblink 29 October 2011, Toronto Star, 29 October 2011, 28 March 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120328053107weblink">weblink live, NEWS, Watt, Nicholas, Commonwealth leaders under fire for refusing to publish human rights report,weblink 29 October 2011, The Guardian, 29 October 2011, 16 August 2021,weblink live, The failure to release the report, or accept its recommendations for reforms in the area of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, was described as a "disgrace" by former British foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind, a member of the EPG, who told a press conference: "The Commonwealth faces a very significant problem. It's not a problem of hostility or antagonism, it's more of a problem of indifference. Its purpose is being questioned, its relevance is being questioned and part of that is because its commitment to enforce the values for which it stands is becoming ambiguous in the eyes of many member states. The Commonwealth is not a private club of the governments or the secretariat. It belongs to the people of the Commonwealth."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.NEWS, Cheadle, Bruce, Commonwealth leaders agree to develop charter of values and little else,weblink 30 October 2011, Toronto Star, 30 October 2011, 23 March 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120323043809weblink">weblink live, The result of the effort was that a new Charter of the Commonwealth was signed by Queen Elizabeth II 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".WEB,weblink Queen to sign new charter backing equal rights for gay people across Commonwealth, Standard.co.uk, 11 March 2013, 18 April 2013, 15 August 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblinkweblink" title="archive.today/20130411035652weblink">weblink dead, 11 April 2013, Commonwealth charter to focus on gay rights, Kounteya, Sinha, 11 March 2013, The Times of India, 18 April 2013,Economy{{also|List of Commonwealth of Nations countries by GDP}}Economic data by member{| class"wikitable collapsible collapsed" style"text-align: center;"
! Economies of the Commonwealth of Nations 2012
!colspan=2"|GDP (nominal, US$)!colspan="2"|GDP (PPP, US$)!rowspan="2"|Comm.realm?|- | style="padding: 0; border: none;" |{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: right; margin: 0;" ! rowspan="2"| Member states ! rowspan="2"| Population{{UN_Population|ref}}{{small|({{UN_Population|Year}})}} |