Commonwealth of Nations

Commonwealth of Nations
Flag
Logo
  Current member states
  Former member states
  British Overseas Territories
and Crown Dependencies
HeadquartersMarlborough House, London, United Kingdom
Working languageEnglish
TypeVoluntary association[1]
Member states
56 states
Leaders
• Head
Charles III[2]
• Secretary-General
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey
• Chair-in-Office
Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa
Establishment
• Balfour Declaration
19 November 1926
11 December 1931[3]
• London Declaration
28 April 1949
Area
• Total
29,958,050 km2 (11,566,870 sq mi)
Population
• 2016 estimate
2,418,964,000
• Density
75/km2 (194.2/sq mi)
Website
thecommonwealth.org
Preceded by
British Empire

The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth,[4][5] is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire from which it developed.[2] They are connected through their use of the English language and cultural and historical ties. The chief institutions of the association are the Commonwealth Secretariat, which focuses on intergovernmental relations, and the Commonwealth Foundation, which focuses on non-governmental relations between member nations.[6] Numerous organisations are associated with and operate within the Commonwealth.[7]

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 created as the British Commonwealth of Nations through the Balfour Declaration at the 1926 Imperial Conference,[8] and formalised by the United Kingdom through the Statute of Westminster in 1931. In 1949, the London Declaration allowed India to remain in the Commonwealth as a republic, marking a significant evolution of the association.[9][10]

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.[11]

Commonwealth citizens enjoy benefits in some member countries, particularly in the United Kingdom, and Commonwealth countries are represented to one another by high commissions rather than embassies. Member states have no legal obligations to one another, though various economic, judicial and military arrangements exist between countries. The Commonwealth Charter defines their shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law,[12] as promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games.

A majority of Commonwealth countries are small states, with small island developing states constituting almost half its membership.

  1. ^ "Commonwealth Charter". 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019. Recalling that the Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent and equal sovereign states, each responsible for its own policies, consulting and co-operating in the common interests of our peoples and in the promotion of international understanding and world peace, and influencing international society to the benefit of all through the pursuit of common principles and values
  2. ^ a b "About Us". Commonwealth Secretariat. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Annex B – Territories Forming Part of the Commonwealth" (PDF). Her Majesty's Civil Service. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  4. ^ Srinivasan, Krishnan (2008). The rise, decline, and future of the British Commonwealth (Paperback ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-230-20367-9.
  5. ^ "Profile: The Commonwealth". BBC News. February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  6. ^ "The Commonwealth". Commonwealth Secretariat. Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  7. ^ "Commonwealth Family". Commonwealth Secretariat. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  8. ^ "Imperial Conference 1926 Inter-Imperial Relations Committee Report, Proceedings and Memoranda" (PDF). November 1926. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2005. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Our history". Commonwealth Secretariat. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  10. ^ "The London Declaration". Commonwealth of Nations. 26 April 1949. Archived from the original on 6 July 2010. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  11. ^ "The Commonwealth". The Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship. 21 May 2019. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Commonwealth Charter". Commonwealth Secretariat. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
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