Commonwealth Handout

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The Commonwealth of Nations Basic Facts: Pop: 1,921,974,000 Members: 53 (52) States Headquarter: Malbrough House, London Head: Queen Elisabeth II. Sec.-General: Kamalesh Sharma History: – The term “Commonwealth of Nations“ was first used in 1884 to describe the changing british empire – The organisation was used to bind the “Dominions” of England to the Empire – By the 1926 Balfour Declaration the Dominions became: „ autonomous Communities [...] equal in status, in no way subordinate [...], though united by a common allegiance to the Crown [...].“ – After World War II, in which some colonies played an important role. The independence movements grew stronger in the colonies, especially in India – The new states mostly joined shortly after their independence, allowing the Commonwealth to grow very rapid. – The London Declaration of 1949 ended the membership prerequisite to accept the King of England as the Head of State – The easier way to become a member, had the effect that until today 53(52) states have joined the commonwealth. Membership Criteria (according to the Edinburgh Declaration): – acceptance of the british crown as the Head of the Commonwealth – acceptance of the core principles of: World peace, liberty, human rights and equality (Singapore Declaration, Harare Declaration) – be fully sovereign states – acceptance of the English language as the means of commonwealth communication – respect the wishes of the general population vis-à-vis Commonwealth membership – constitutional association with a commonwealth member Organisation: – The Head of the Commonwealth is the British Queen with only ceremonial functions – The Commonwealth Secretariat is the central institution of the organisation, responsible for the cooperation between the members. – The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, abbreviated to CHOGM is a summit meeting of the heads of the member states/prime ministers – The Privy Council serves as the highest court of appeal in 27 jurisdictions of the Commonwealth.

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The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth As a Political Space: Its Unity and Complexity*
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