The Commonwealth of Nations Flag of the Commonwealth

The Commonwealth of Nations

Flag of the Commonwealth

Main Facts l l l l Head of the Commonwealth is Queen Elizabeth II Secretary-General is Don Mc. Kinnon (since 1999) Deputy Secretary-General is Ransford Smith Date of Establishment 1926 (as an informal "British" Commonwealth), 1949 (as the modern Commonwealth) Number of Member States 53 Headquarters is in London, England The organisation is celebrated each year on Commonwealth Day, the second Monday in March

The description l The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, the majority of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom.

Its name l It was once known as the British Commonwealth of Nations or British Commonwealth, and some still call it by that name, either for historical reasons or to distinguish it from the other commonwealths around the world such as the Commonwealth of Independent States or the Commonwealth of Australia.

Queen Elizabeth II l Queen Elizabeth II is the nominal Head of the Commonwealth. Some members of the Commonwealth, known as Commonwealth Realms, also recognise the Queen as their head of state. However, the majority of members are republics, and a handful of others are indigenous monarchies. The Queen's position as Head of the Commonwealth is not hereditary, and when and if the Prince of Wales becomes King, it will be for Commonwealth Heads of Government to decide whether he assumes the role of Head of the Commonwealth.

The real ruler l Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of the Commonwealth, and as such is the symbol of the free association of its members. This title, however, does not imply any political power over Commonwealth member states, and does not automatically belong to the British monarch. In practice Queen Elizabeth heads the Commonwealth in only a symbolic capacity, and it is the Commonwealth Secretary-General who is the chief executive of the organisation.

The Queen l Although Queen Elizabeth is the Head of State of sixteen members of the Commonwealth, called Commonwealth Realms, the majority of the members of the Commonwealth have their own, separate Heads of State: thirty-one members are Commonwealth republics and six members have their own monarchs (Brunei, Lesotho, Malaysia, Samoa, Swaziland, and Tonga). These members still recognise the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth.

Secretary-General is Don Mc. Kinnon (since 1999)

The Aims l The Commonwealth is primarily an organisation in which countries with diverse economic backgrounds have an opportunity for close and equal interaction. The primary activities of the Commonwealth are designed to create an atmosphere of economic co-operation between member nations, as well as the promotion of democracy, human rights, and good governance in those nations.

Olympic Games l The Commonwealth is not a political union, and does not allow the United Kingdom (UK) to exercise any power over the affairs of the organisation's other members. l Every four years the Commonwealth's members celebrate the Commonwealth Games, the world's second-largest multisport event after the Olympic Games.

The History Old, New and White Commonwealth l As the Commonwealth grew, the UK and pre-1945 Dominions (a term formally dropped in the 1940 s) became informally known as the "Old Commonwealth", particularly since the 1960 s when some of them disagreed with poorer, African and Asian (or New Commonwealth) members about various issues at Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings. Accusations that the old, "White" Commonwealth had different interests from African Commonwealth nations in particular, and charges of racism and colonialism arose during heated debates about Rhodesia in the 1970 s, the imposition of sanctions against apartheid-era South Africa.

To be continued l 1980 s and, more recently, about whether to press for democratic reforms in Nigeria and then Zimbabwe. The term New Commonwealth is also used in the United Kingdom (especially in the 1960 s and 1970 s) to refer to recently decolonised countries, which are predominantly nonwhite and underdeveloped. It was often used in debates about immigration from these countries.

To be continued l In recent years, the term "White Commonwealth" has been used in a derogatory sense to imply that the wealthier, white nations of the Commonwealth had different interests and goals from the non-white, and particularly the African members. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has used the term frequently to allege that the Commonwealth's attempts to catalyse political changes in his country is motivated by racism and colonialist attitudes and that the White Commonwealth dominates the Commonwealth of Nations as a whole.

To be continued l There have been attempts made by groups such as the Federal Commonwealth Society to unite the commonwealth and provide closer ties both culturally and economically, starting with the "White Commonwealth" and expanding to include other nations within the commonwealth generally.

The membership World map of the Commonwealth of Nations as of 2006

Figures of the Commonwealth l The Commonwealth comprises 53 countries, almost a third of the world's countries, and has a combined population of 1. 7 billion people, about a quarter of the world population. The total GDP is about US$7. 8 trillion (about 16% of the total world economy). The land area of the Commonwealth nations is about 12. 1 million square miles (about 21% of the total world land area).

Achievements The four largest Commonwealth nations by population are India at 1. 1 billion, Pakistan at 159 million, Bangladesh at 141 million, and Nigeria at 137 million. l The three largest Commonwealth nations by area are Canada at 3. 8 million square miles, Australia at 3. 0 million square miles, and India at 1. 2 million square miles. l The four largest economies are India at US$4, 300 billion, the United Kingdom at US$2, 000 billion, Canada at US$1, 220 billion, and Australia at US$700 billion based on purchasing power parity analysis l

military spenders l The largest military spenders are the United Kingdom at US$48 billion, India at US$21 billion, Australia at US$10. 5 billion, and Canada at US$10. 5 billion. The Commonwealth of Nations is not a military alliance. l Tuvalu is the smallest member, with only 11, 000 people

purely voluntary membership As membership is purely voluntary, member governments can choose at any time to leave the Commonwealth. Pakistan left in 1972 in protest at Commonwealth recognition of breakaway Bangladesh, but rejoined in 1989, was suspended again after the 1999 coup, and regained admission again in 2004. l Zimbabwe left in 2003 when Commonwealth Heads of Government refused to lift the country's suspension on the grounds of human rights violations and deliberate misgovernment l