1. Commonwealth
History of Commonwealth
The Commonwealth is one of the world’s oldest political association of states.
Its roots go back to the British Empire when some countries were ruled directly or indirectly by Britain.
Some of these countries became self-governing while retaining Britain’s monarch as Head of State. They
formed the British Commonwealth of Nations.
In 1949 the association we know today – The Commonwealth – came into being.
In that year India became a republic but still wished to remain a member of the association. In response,
leaders agreed that membership did not have to be based on allegiance to the British Crown.
Commonwealth members were “free and equal members of the Commonwealth of Nations, freely co-
operating in the pursuit of peace, liberty and progress” - The London Declaration 1949.
Since then, independent countries from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Pacific have joined
The Commonwealth.
The last two countries to join The Commonwealth - Rwanda and Mozambique - have no historical ties to
the British Empire.
The Commonwealth of today was by no means an inevitable development. It came about through the
powerful bonds which developed among leaders and people, notably during the decolonising process and
in the early years of the Commonwealth’s evolution as an association of sovereign states. The
consequences of changes led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Kwame Nkrumah are best known, but there are
several such turning points.
Objectives and activities
The instrument which sets out the Commonwealth's objectives is the 1971 Singapore
Declaration, which committed the Commonwealth to the institution of world peace; promotion
of representative democracy and individual liberty; the pursuit of equality and opposition to
racism; the fight against poverty, ignorance, and disease; and free trade. To these were added
opposition to discrimination on the basis of gender by the Lusaka Declaration of 1979 (which
mostly concerned racism), and environmental sustainability by the Langkawi Declaration of
1989. These objectives were reinforced by the Harare Declaration in 1991.
The Commonwealth's current highest-priority aims are on the promotion of democracy and
development, as outlined in the 2003 Aso Rock Declaration, which built on those in Singapore
and Harare and clarified their terms of reference, stating: "We are committed to democracy,
good governance, human rights, gender equality, and a more equitable sharing of the benefits of
globalisation." The Commonwealth website lists its areas of work as: Democracy, Economics,
Education, Gender, Governance, Human Rights, Law, Small States, Sport, Sustainability, and
Youth.

2. The Commonwealth has long been distinctive as an international forum where highly developed
economies (such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Singapore, and New Zealand) and
many of the world's poorer countries seek to reach agreement by consensus. This aim has
sometimes been difficult to achieve, as when disagreements over Rhodesia in the late 1960s and
1970s and over apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s led to a cooling of relations between the
United Kingdom and African members.
Members of commonwealth:
States member of Commonwealth Date
Àfrica
Botswana 1966
Camerun 1995
Ghana 1957
Kenya 1963
Lesotho 1966
Malawi 1964
Maurici 1968
Moçambic 1995
Namíbia 1990
Nigèria 1960
Ruanda 2009
Seychelles 1976
Sierra Leone 1961
Sud-àfrica 1931
Swazilàndia 1968
Tanzània 1961
Uganda 1962
Zàmbia 1964
Amèrica
Antigua i Barbuda 1981
Bahames 1973
Barbados 1966
Belize 1981
Canadà 1931
Dominica 1978
Grenada 1974
Guyana 1966
Jamaica 1962
Saint Kitts i Nevis 1983
Saint Lucia 1979

3. Saint Vincent i les Grenadines 1979
Trinitat i Tobago 1962
Àsia
Bangla Desh 1972
Brunei 1984
Índia 1947
Malàisia 1957
Maldives 1982
Pakistan 1947
Singapur 1965
Sri Lanka 1948
Xipre 1961
Europa
Malta 1964
Regne Unit 1931
Oceania
Austràlia 1931
Salomó 1978
Kiribati 1979
Nauru 1999
Nova Zelanda 1931
Papua Nova Guinea 1975
Samoa 1970
Tonga 1970
Tuvalu 1978
Vanuatu 1980

5. Flag of commonwealth
Link for videos relation with Commonwealth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWedTbuAtR4