Commonwealth of nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, formerly known as the British Commonwealth of Nations (British Commonwealth of Nations), is an organization made up of 54 independent and semi-independent sovereign countries which, with the exception of Gabon, Mozambique and Rwanda, share historical ties to the United Kingdom. In the past, Ireland and Zimbabwe were also part of it.
Its main objective is international cooperation in the political and economic sphere, and since 1950 membership of it does not imply any submission to the British Crown, although the figure of the monarch of the United Kingdom is respected. With the entry of Mozambique, the organization has favored the name "Commonwealth of Nations" to underline its internationalist character. However, the adjective "British" is still frequently used to differentiate it from other international commonwealths.
King Charles III of the United Kingdom is the head of the organization, according to the principles of the Commonwealth, «symbol of the free association of its members».
In 2022, Togo (a former German colony) and Gabon (a former French colony) joined the Commonwealth, becoming the new members with no prior ties to the United Kingdom.
Similar initiatives to unite ties and cooperation ties between nations with linguistic, cultural and historical ties are the Organization of Ibero-American States, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries and the international institutions of the Association of Spanish Language Academies with respect to the nations under the influence of Spain and Portugal, and the already extinct French Union and the current International Organization of la Francophonie with respect to the French Empire.
Although their structure and dynamics differ, both the British Commonwealth of Nations and the Organization of Ibero-American States are similar in their efforts to foster cooperation and friendship between former empires (colonial in the case of the British) and their former domains.
The organization has its origins in the Imperial Conference of 1930, when the British government recognized certain rights of self-determination for its colonies and began the work that culminated in the Westminster Charter in 1931, which gave rise to the Commonwealth (in then consisting of a handful of ex-colonies still loyal to the monarchy). Inland it is administered by a General Secretariat based in the city of London which is currently occupied by the Indian Kamalesh Sharma. Other sister organizations collaborating with the efforts of the General Secretariat include the Commonwealth Foundation and the Commonwealth of Learning. >) with headquarters, the first in London and the last in the city of Vancouver, Canada.
History
In 1864, representatives of the three British North American colonies began negotiations to merge them into a self-governing confederation. The territories (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the United Province of Canada) feared a possible aggression from the United States and wanted to establish their own defense forces. At the same time they required autonomy that would allow commercial exchange with that same country.
To avoid a political crisis that would lead to something similar to the loss of the Thirteen Colonies the previous century, the United Kingdom accepted the conditions of its colonists on July 1, 1867 with the emergence of the Canadian Confederation, whose new system political consisted of a Dominion through which the confederation could govern itself, as far as its internal policy was concerned, except that its laws would continue to be subject to the supervision of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and an eventual veto by the British Monarch; that is to say, they remained united under the crown to the British Empire, but their internal government was under the responsibility of the citizens born in the country. This system of government led to the partial independence of other British colonies: Australia (1901), New Zealand (1907), Newfoundland (1907), South Africa (1910) and the Irish Free State (1922).
In 1884, during his visit to Australia, Prime Minister Archibald Primrose described the change of the British Empire, as some of its colonies became more independent, as a "commonwealth of nations." Conferences of British and Colonial Prime Ministers occurred periodically from early 1887 and led to the creation of the Imperial Conferences in 1911.
The Commonwealth developed out of the Imperial Conferences. Jan Smuts made a concrete proposal in 1917 when he coined the term "the British Commonwealth of Nations" and foresaw "in essence future constitutional relations and readjustments" at the important Peace Conference of 1919, which was also attended by delegates from the Dominions. and Great Britain. The term first received imperial legal recognition in the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, when the term "British Commonwealth of Nations" replaced to "British Empire" in the wording of the oath taken by members of Parliament of the Irish Free State.
Domains
In the Balfour Declaration at the 1926 Imperial Conference, it was established that Great Britain and her Dominions were "equal in status, in no way subservient to another in any aspect of their internal or external affairs, though united by common loyalty to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations". These aspects of the relationship were formalized by the Westminster Charter in 1931, which applied to Canada without the need for ratification, but Australia, New Zealand and Newfoundland had to ratify it for it to come into force. Newfoundland never did, for on February 16, 1934, with the consent of its parliament, Newfoundland's government ended voluntarily and its government passed into direct London control. Newfoundland later joined Canada as its tenth province in 1949. Australia and New Zealand ratified the Charter in 1942 and 1947, respectively.
After World War II, the British Empire was gradually dismantled, except for the fourteen British Overseas Territories still held by the United Kingdom. In April 1949, following the London Declaration, the word "British" it was dropped from the Commonwealth's title to reflect its changing nature. Burma (also known as Myanmar, 1948) and Aden (1967) are the only states that were British colonies at the time of the war that did not join the Commonwealth after independence.
The 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 had joined the former Italian Somalia in 1960 to form Somalia), Kuwait (1961), Bahrain (1971), Oman (1971), Qatar (1971), and the United Arab Emirates (1971).
Republics
Ireland left the Commonwealth on 18 April 1949 giving effect to the Republic of Ireland Act 1948, which had entered into force on the same day, and the British Ireland Act 1949 with retroactive effect. Ireland, in fact, had not actively participated in the Commonwealth since the early 1930s and eventually left it. Other dominions, however, wished to become republics without cutting their ties to Great Britain. The matter was discussed in April 1949 at a meeting of Commonwealth Prime Ministers in London. Under the London Declaration, accepted by India, when it became a republic in January 1950, it agreed to accept the British sovereign as a "symbol of the free association of its independent member nations and as such, the Chief of the Commonwealth". On hearing this, King George VI told the Indian politician Krishna Menon: 'So I have become 'myself'. . 4;.
The other Commonwealth countries have recognized India's continuing affiliation with the association. At Pakistan's insistence, India was not considered as an exceptional case and it was assumed that the other States would receive the same treatment as India.
The London Declaration is commonly seen as initiating the modern Commonwealth. Following the precedent of India, other nations became republics or constitutional monarchies with their own monarchs, while some countries adopted the same monarch as the United Kingdom; but their monarchies would develop differently and soon became independent of the British monarchy in its entirety. The monarch is considered to be a separate entity from the legal entity of each realm, even though the same person is the monarch of each realm.
New Commonwealth
Due to the growth of the Commonwealth, the United Kingdom and the pre-1945 Dominions became known, albeit informally, as the Old Commonwealth. Planners in the "interwars" period, such as Lord Davies, who had also played "an important role in the building of the League of Nations" in the United States, in 1932 they founded the Society of the New Commonwealth, with Winston Churchill as its president. This new society had for its object the creation of an international air force to be the arm of the League of Nations, to allow the disarmament of nations and safeguard peace.
The term New Commonwealth has been used in Britain (particularly in the 1960s and 1970s) to refer to newly decolonized, predominantly non-white, developing countries. It is often used in debates over immigration from these countries. Britain and the pre-1945 Dominions became known informally as the Old Commonwealth, or more specifically as the "White Commonwealth", in reference to what was known as the White Dominions.
Structure
Head of the Commonwealth
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According to the formula of the Declaration of London, King Carlos III is the head of the Commonwealth, a title that by law is part of the royal titles of Carlos in each of the kingdoms of the Commonwealth, the fifteen members of the Commonwealth who recognize him as their monarch. When the monarch dies, the successor to the crown does not automatically become the new head of the Commonwealth. However, at their April 2018 meeting, Commonwealth leaders agreed that the then-Prince Charles would succeed his mother. as head. The position is symbolic and represents the free association of independent members, most of which (34) are republics and five of which have monarchs from different royal houses (Brunei, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malaysia, and Tonga).
Meeting of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth
The organization's main decision-making forum is the Biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), where Commonwealth heads of government, including (among others) prime ministers and presidents, meet 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, which they date back to 1887. There are also regular meetings of finance ministers, law ministers, health ministers, etc. Members before them are not invited to send representatives to ministerial or CHOGM meetings.
The head of government who organizes the CHOGM is called the Chairman-in-Office (CIO) and holds office until the next CHOGM. Since the most recent CHOGM, in the United Kingdom in 2018, the sitting Chairman has been the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The next (26th) CHOGM was to be held in Kigali, Rwanda in June 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was rescheduled to be held there on the week of June 21, 2021; but, because the pandemic has continued, the meeting has been postponed indefinitely. When it takes place, it will be accompanied by meetings of a Commonwealth Youth Forum, a Commonwealth Women's Forum, and a Commonwealth People's Forum.
Secretary of the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth Secretariat, established in 1965, is the principal intergovernmental agency of the Commonwealth, facilitating consultation and cooperation among member governments and countries. It is accountable to member governments collectively. The Commonwealth of Nations is represented in the United Nations General Assembly by the secretariat in an observer capacity. The secretariat organizes Commonwealth summits, ministerial meetings, consultative meetings and technical discussions; assists in policy development and provides policy advice, and facilitates multilateral communication among member governments. It also provides technical assistance to assist governments in the social and economic development of their countries and in support of the fundamental political values of the Commonwealth.
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 Under-Secretaries General head the divisions of the Secretariat. The current Secretary General is Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, of Dominica, who took office on April 1, 2016, succeeding Kamalesh Sharma of India (2008-2016). The first General Secretary was Arnold Smith of Canada (1965-1975), followed by Sir Shridath Ramphal of Guyana (1975-1990), Chief Emeka Anyaoku of Nigeria (1990–99) and Don McKinnon of New Zealand (2000–2008).
News
The entry of Mozambique in 1995 triggered an international controversy, since the former Portuguese colony in Africa had no connection with the British community and the maneuver was described as a kind of cultural and economic neo-imperialism in an afflicted region for poverty. The organization's general secretary justified the fact with the apparent cooperation of Mozambique in the Commonwealth's crusade against racism in Africa, particularly in South Africa and Zimbabwe. To avoid similar situations, from the Edinburgh Summit in 1997 the organization limited the incorporation only to those nations that have some constitutional link with the nations of the Commonwealth and commit to respect the norms and conventions existing in it. However, in November 2009 the situation was repeated with Rwanda, a former German protectorate and then a Belgian mandate and therefore without any relation to the British community, when it was accepted as a member 54 of the Commonwealth at the LXI meeting held in Port of Spain., capital of Trinidad and Tobago.
The Commonwealth currently has no constitution but its members voluntarily commit to abide by the Commonwealth Declaration of Principles signed in Singapore in 1971 and ratified in the Harare Declaration of 1991. In general terms, the Declaration recognizes the importance of democracy and good governance, respect for human rights, equality between men and women, respect for the law and sustainable socioeconomic development. Funding for the organization comes from participating governments with a fee calculated from each country's gross national product and population size.
As an anecdotal fact, a characteristic of the Commonwealth countries is that generally their sense of circulation is on the left, differentiating from the other countries where it is on the right. The exceptions are Belize, Canada, the Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, as, despite being former British colonies and members of the Commonwealth, they established their direction of traffic on the right in order to be in line with their neighbors.. Another similar case is that of Rwanda, where, as in the aforementioned countries, you drive on the right, but this is because Rwanda was a Belgian colony in the past and not a British one. A similar case also occurs with Cameroon, in Africa, and Vanuatu, in Oceania, which despite being members of the Commonwealth of Nations, have the sense of traffic on the right, due to French influence during the colonial past of both countries..
Another characteristic of the Commonwealth countries is that the diplomatic missions of each country in the others are called high commissions instead of embassies, whose heads are called high commissioners instead of ambassadors.
Member countries
The Commonwealth of Nations has a significant presence on all five continents. The 54 member countries form a community that encompasses some 31 million square kilometers and almost 2.5 billion people, almost a third of the world's population.
Criteria
Member states must meet a series of requirements set forth in the Harare Declaration (1991):
- Supporting peace and international order, global economic development and the rule of international law are essential to the security and prosperity of mankind.
- To believe in the freedom of the individual before the law, in equal rights for all citizens irrespective of their gender, race, colour, creed or political belief, and in the inalienable right of the individual to participate through free and democratic political processes in the development of the society in which he lives.
- Recognize racial prejudice and intolerance as a dangerous disease and a threat to healthy development, and racial discrimination as an absolute evil.
- To oppose all forms of racial oppression and we are committed to the principles of human dignity and equality.
- Recognizing the importance and urgency of economic and social development to meet the basic needs and aspirations of the vast majority of the world ' s peoples, and we seek the progressive elimination of the great disparities in living standards among our members.
With the inclusion of countries without a colonial past or cultural relationship (Mozambique in 1995) with the United Kingdom, new requirements were included with the Edinburgh Declaration (1995):
- Accept and fulfill Harare's principles.
- Being fully independent sovereign states.
- Recognize the monarch of the United Kingdom (now Charles III) as head of the Commonwealth.
- Accept the English language as a means of communication of the Commonwealth.
- Respect the wishes of the general population regarding the membership of the community.
Evolution
Since the creation of the Commonwealth of Nations by the United Kingdom, the first members were the domains that had acquired autonomy since the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, whose relationship was confirmed by the Westminster Statute (1931). These nations were New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Canada. After the Second World War (1939-1945) the decolonization process began that affected the British colonies in Asia (British India) and which led to the entry of three nations resulting from the decomposition of British India: India, Pakistan and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). In 1957 Ghana, the first sub-Saharan African colony to become independent, and Malaysia were added.
In the 1960s, the period of fullness of the decolonization process began, including the colonies of Africa, Asia and Europe. Thus, a total of twenty states entered including Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Jamaica, Barbados, Singapore or Cyprus among others. In the 1970s and 1980s, the British decolonization process was concluded and twenty-one nations from all continents except Europe entered, including Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh, Saint Lucia and Brunei. The last enlargement process included states that had not been British colonies (except for Cameroon in its eastern part) such as Namibia (1990) or Rwanda (2009), the latest addition.
- 1926-1945 United Kingdom • Australia • New Zealand • South Africa • Canada
- 1945-1949 India • Pakistan • Sri Lanka
- 1949-1959 Ghana • Malaysia
- 1959-1969 Nigeria • Cyprus • Sierra Leone • Jamaica • Trinidad and Tobago • Uganda • Kenya • Malaui • Malta • Tanzania • Zambia • Gambia • Barbados • Botswana • Guyana • Lesotho • Singapore • Mauritius • Nauru • Swaziland
- 1969-1979 Fiji • Samoa • Tonga • Bahamas • Bangladesh • Grenada • Papua New Guinea • Seychelles • Dominica • Solomon Islands • Tuvalu • Kiribati • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines • Saint Lucia
- 1979-1989 Vanuatu • Antigua and Barbuda • Belize • Maldives • San Cristóbal y Nieves • Brunéi
- 1989- current Namibia • Cameroon • Mozambique • Rwanda
Sanctions
Throughout its existence, the Commonwealth of Nations has carried out processes of suspension of any of its members for breach of these principles or the voluntary withdrawal of members. However, these nations have returned to the organization, except for Ireland and Zimbabwe, which left it permanently in 1949 and 2003 respectively:
| Countries | Suspended | Temporary withdrawal | Definitely removed |
|---|---|---|---|
 Nigeria
| (1995-1999) | ||
 Pakistan
| (1999-2004); (2007-2008) | (1972-1997) | |
 Zimbabwe
| (2002-2003) | since 2003 | |
.svg){kind=small} South Africa
| (1961-1994) | ||
 Fiyi
| (2000-2001) | (1987-1997) | |
 Gambia
| (2013-2018) | ||
 Maldives
| (2016-2020) | ||
 Ireland
| since 1949 |
Forms of government
King Charles III of the United Kingdom is the head of the Commonwealth of Nations but he is also the head of state of some states that belong to the Commonwealth of Nations, known as Commonwealth monarchies. In these States the monarch is represented by a Governor General of the corresponding country. However, within the Commonwealth of Nations there are also independent monarchies and republics:
| Form of government | America | Europe | Africa | Asia | Oceania |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monarchies of the Commonwealth |  Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Belize Canada Grenada Jamaica San Cristóbal y Nieves Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Lucia
| .svg){kind=small} United Kingdom
| - | - | .svg){kind=small} Australia New Zealand Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Tuvalu
|
| Independent Monarchy | - | - |  Lesoto Swaziland
|  Brunéi Malaysia
|  Tonga
|
| Parliamentary Republics |  Barbados Dominica Trinidad and Tobago
|  Malta
|  Botswana Mauritius South Africa
|  Bangladés IndiaPakistan Singapore
| Fiyi Kiribati Nauru Samoa Vanuatu
|
| Presidentialist republics | - |  Cyprus
|  CameroonGambia Ghana Kenya Malaui MozambiqueNigeria Seychelles Sierra Leone Tanzania Uganda Zambia
| Maldives
| - |
| Semi-presiding republics |  Guyana
| - |  Namibia Rwanda
|  Sri Lanka
| - |
Regime Changes
Among the States of the Commonwealth of Nations there were some changes of government that, for the most part, affected the figure of Queen Elizabeth II as head of State. Thus, of the sixteen changes in the form of government within the members, fifteen correspond to the transition from a parliamentary monarchy (or domain in post-colonial times) to a republic. The last one was that of Barbados in the year 2021.
From monarchies to republics (year of change)
- Union of India (1950).
- Federation of Pakistan (1956).
- South African Union (1961).
- Federation of Nigeria (1963)
- Uganda (1963).
- Domain of Kenya (1964).
- Gambia (1970).
- Sierra Leone (1971).
- Dominion de Ceylon (1972).
- State of Malta (1974).
- Trinidad and Tobago (1976).
- Fiyi (1987).
- Mauritius (1992).
- Barbados (2021).
Transformations
- Singapore left the Malay Federation in 1965 and in 1966 joined the Commonwealth.
- The Malay Federation in 1963 became Malaysia while maintaining its membership since 1957.
Special Members
It was a figure by which a country was considered a special member whose participation was limited in certain functions. Originally, it was a status held by a few newly incorporated countries, whose participation was conditioned by their own limited financial resources. More recently, the name has been changed to outstanding member.
Among the characteristics of these special members would be, in the first place, that they are not obliged to make payments to the Commonwealth, they can attend most of the functions and bodies of the Commonwealth of Nations, but they are not invited to attend meetings of heads of government of the Commonwealth of Nations. Although they are limited in these respects, they are still considered members of the Commonwealth of Nations.
The status was created especially for Nauru, which had an exceptionally small population and area. Nauru was followed by another Pacific sovereign state, Tuvalu, and then the Caribbean country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Asian country of the Maldives. These progressively gained full membership. However, Nauru fell behind in its subscription payments and became a special member again in July 2005. Nauru eventually became a full member again in June 2011.
- Nauru between 1968 and 1999, and again between 2005 and 2011.
- Tuvalu between 1978 and 2000.
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines between 1979 and 1985.
- Maldives between 1982 and 1985.