What are the countries in the Commonwealth? Are they related like NATO members?

The Commonwealth of Nations (also known as the Commonwealth of Nations) is composed of 53 independent countries, most of which are former colonies of the British Empire. The head of state is

Elizabeth II, who is also the head of state of the Commonwealth Kingdom.

In English, it may be expressed as "British Commonwealth of Nations" or "British Commonwealth" for historical reasons or to distinguish it from other federations.

1. Members

There are 53 members of the Commonwealth, namely:

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, and Bangladesh , Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominican Federation, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Zambia, Pakistan.

Pakistan’s membership was terminated on November 22, 2007, and its membership of the Commonwealth was restored on May 12, 2008.

2. Introduction

The Flag of the Commonwealth The Commonwealth is an organization through which the United Kingdom exerts political, military, financial, economic and cultural influence on other member states of the Commonwealth. It is composed of the United Kingdom and independent former colonies or dependent countries of the British Empire. After the First World War, British power was weakened and people in various colonies demanded independence, so the title of the British Empire was gradually replaced by the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth does not create any authority. The main organizational bodies are: Federal Government Heads of Government Meeting, Asia-Pacific Commonwealth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Federal Finance Ministers Meeting and other ministerial-level professional meetings. The Commonwealth Secretariat was established in 1965. Its responsibility is to promote cooperation in the Commonwealth and plan meetings at all levels of the Commonwealth. The secretariat is located in London. In addition, some associated countries of the Commonwealth and former British territories are also included in the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth has a total population of approximately 1.8 billion, accounting for approximately 30% of the world's total population, and its total trade volume accounts for one-fifth of the world's total. There are currently 52 members (on November 22, 2007, the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group issued a statement stating that the Commonwealth decided to suspend Pakistan’s Commonwealth membership in view of Pakistan’s “failure to meet requirements such as restoration of the constitution”), of which 32 It is a small country with a population of less than 1.5 million. April 27th every year is Commonwealth Day. Publications include Commonwealth Currents (bimonthly), Commonwealth Today and Commonwealth Handbook. Since 1930, the Commonwealth countries have held a comprehensive sports meeting every four years: the Commonwealth Games (current name)

The Commonwealth is not a country and does not have a central government. The King of England is the titular head of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth does not have an authority. The UK and its member states send high commissioners to each other to represent diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level. With the development and progress of the economy and society, the internal relations of the Commonwealth have become increasingly unstable. Today, the United Kingdom is no longer the master of the Commonwealth, and the Commonwealth is only a loose organization for political and economic consultation and cooperation.

In November 2007, Kamalesh Sharma, the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, was elected to serve as the Commonwealth Secretariat since 1965 at the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala. The fifth Secretary-General since its establishment. He will officially succeed current Secretary-General Donald MacKinnon on April 1, 2008.

3. History

The Commonwealth was formerly the British Empire, consisting of the United Kingdom, its dominions and other independent former colonies and dependent countries. After the First World War, Britain was frightened by the growing national liberation movement in the colonies and adjusted its relations with other members of the former British Empire.

The Internal Relations Committee of the "British Empire Conference" in 1926 proposed that the United Kingdom and Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, which had become autonomous republics from colonies, were "members of the freely associated Commonwealth" with "equal status and No aspect of domestic affairs or foreign affairs is subordinate to each other, and can only be united by the spirit of loyalty and allegiance to the King of England." In 1931, this was legally confirmed by the Act of Westminster, and the Commonwealth was formally formed. In 1947, India and Pakistan each declared independence and joined the Commonwealth. In 1949, India became a republic and elected its own head of state. Since then, members of the Commonwealth have evolved from the principle of loyalty to the British Crown to one in which Commonwealth members "accept the British King as the symbol of the free association of independent member states" and the British King is "the head of the Commonwealth."

IV. Institutions

The Commonwealth headquarters and permanent institutions are located in London. Its organizational institutions are:

Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit

< p>The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, also known as the Commonwealth Summit, is usually held every two years. It was held in London before 1966. Since 1966, it has been held in turn among member countries and is chaired by the head of the host country's government. The meeting discusses international issues that have a major impact on member states and formulates relevant treaty policies. However, the meeting does not pass any resolutions, and the general principles issued by the meeting are not binding on participating countries.

Since the 1990s, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings have been held in Harare, Zimbabwe, Limassol, Cyprus, Auckland, New Zealand, Edinburgh, UK, Durban, South Africa, and Kura, Australia. Held in Abuja, Nigeria and Valletta, Malta (Zimbabwe officially announced its withdrawal from the Commonwealth on December 7, 2003).

At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit held in Valletta, the capital of Malta, in November 2005, government leaders of the 53 member states of the Commonwealth, including Queen Elizabeth II and British Prime Minister Blair, discussed counter-terrorism , immigration, anti-corruption and other issues were discussed.

In November 2007, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was held in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. The theme of the meeting was "Achieving Political, Economic and Human Development through Commonwealth Social Transformation". The meeting issued a communiqué calling on WTO members to show good will and flexibility in negotiations.

The next Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit will be held in the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago in 2009.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the Asia-Pacific Region

It has been held every two years since 1978 to discuss regional issues of common concern.

The Commonwealth Ministerial Conference

Includes annual ministerial meetings and irregular meetings.

The Commonwealth Secretariat

Established in 1965, it is responsible for consultation and exchanges among member states.

The Commonwealth Foundation

was established in 1966.

In addition, the Commonwealth also has some professional organizations, such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the Commonwealth Press Union, the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council, the Commonwealth Sports Federation and the Commonwealth Arts Association etc.

5. Former British territories and colonies that are not part of the Commonwealth

United States

Egypt

Sudan

Myanmar (independent in 1948)

Ireland was a member state after becoming independent from the United Kingdom. After the establishment of the Irish Republic in 1949, it left the Commonwealth.

South Yemen (independence in 1967, post-unification Yemen applied for membership)

British Hong Kong transferred sovereignty to the People's Republic of China and the People's Republic of China on July 1, 1997 The United Kingdom was the last region to leave the Commonwealth in the 20th century.

In 2002, the United Kingdom suspended the country’s membership in the association for one year on the grounds that the country’s rulers had despised human rights and engaged in election fraud, causing the Zimbabwean government to voluntarily withdraw from the organization in anger. .

Fiji was revoked due to a military coup in December 2006.

Both South Africa and Fiji withdrew (Fiji was later canceled due to a military coup) and later rejoined. Pakistan was suspended from membership for four years and was restored in May 2004. However, it was suspended from membership in November 2007 due to a state of emergency. It was restored to the Commonwealth on May 12, 2008.