THE COMMONWEALTH

THE MODERN COMMONWEALTH rose from the ashes of the British Empire in the aftermath of World War II. It was formed on 28 April 1949 when the leaders of the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, Pakistan, South Africa and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) adopted the London Declaration, which defined the Commonwealth as a “free association of independent member countries all of whom have an equal say, regardless of size or economic stature”.

Today, it comprises 53 independent nations spanning the globe and working together to pursue common goals. It has a combined population of 2.4 billion. Included are large first-world economies and small and developing nations of which 31 each has a population of less than

1.5 million. Mozambique and Cameroon joined in 1995, Rwanda in 2009 and

The Gambia re-joined this year. The Queen is head of the Commonwealth and also head of state of 16 Commonwealth countries including Australia and New Zealand. Other member nations are either republics or have their own monarchy.

The Commonwealth’s stated principles and values result from various agreements made over the years, but on 14 December 2012, all members signed up to the Commonwealth Charter. This lists 16 shared principles concerning democracy, human rights, tolerance and gender equality, and identifies goals of sustainable development and environmental protection.