Commonwealth of Nations

Marlborough House, London, UK

53

English

December 11, 1931 ( Statute of Westminster ) April 28, 1949 ( London Declaration )

The Commonwealth of Nations ( until 1947 British Commonwealth of Nations ) is a loose connection of sovereign states, which is formed primarily by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the former colonies and whose founding dates back to the year 1931. Major sporting event of the Commonwealth are all four -yearly Commonwealth Games.

History

The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of independent states, which can be seen as the successor of the British Empire today. The institutionalization of the British Commonwealth of Nations was at the beginning of the 20th century a reaction of the United Kingdom on the autonomy aspirations of his dominions (Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand) and should bind them to the Empire by it.

In the Balfour report of 18 November 1926 stated that the Dominions are autonomous communities within the British Empire. All have the same rights, in any way other subordinate, but as members of the Commonwealth together by loyalty to the Crown ("[ ... ] are autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of Their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth "). Was once again written the status of the Member States on 11 December 1931 Statute of Westminster. In the Commonwealth there was no fixed statutes and a constitution. From a strictly constitutional, the only connection between the United Kingdom and the Dominions of loyalty to the crown.

With the accession of India ( 1947), Ceylon ( now Sri Lanka) (1948) and Pakistan ( 1949), who belonged prior to their independence to British India, the modern Commonwealth was born (New Commonwealth ). These changes were noted in the Declaration of London on 28 April 1949. 1952, the former Dominions were renamed Commonwealth Realms. 1957 joined with the former British colony of the Gold Coast / Ghana for the first time a medium- African country in the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth has finally become a " catch basin " for the former British colonies, where it is no longer mandatory since the proclamation of the Republic of India in 1950, a Member State shall recognize the British King or Queen of England as his own head of state. Within a few years doubled the number of members. Inventory the organization in 1955 of eight members, so there were already 1964 20 As a result of this expansion was founded in 1965, the Commonwealth Secretariat. From the Commonwealth of Nations, the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural organization that it is today in the wake of this development. Since the accession of Mozambique (1995) and Rwanda ( 2009) are also represented countries that never belonged to the British Empire, but Portuguese, or Belgian colony were.

→ See detailed Commonwealth Realm, section history

Commonwealth today

The Commonwealth of Nations currently has (as of October 2013), 53 countries, 16 of which ( the so-called Commonwealth Realms ) are in personal union. Formally, the crowns of the 16 Commonwealth realms are separate, yet the British monarchy is the most prominent. To emphasize its sovereignty, but since the 1970s is, for example, in Canada, Australia and New Zealand with respect to its own head of state not by the Queen, but officially by the Queen of Canada, Queen of Australia, Queen of New Zealand spoken.

Today, 29.4 percent of the world population ( two billion people ) live in the Member States of the Commonwealth: India is by far the most populous member with over 1.2 billion people. Even Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria each have a population of more than 100 million people. But countries such as the island chain of Tuvalu, on which only about 11,500 people live, belong to the federal government.

In practice, it looks like that the states when they become a republic, formally withdraw from the federal government. Then they simply make a request for recovery, which is granted automatically. The Republic of Ireland applied according to the accepted in Ireland Act 1949 outlet at April 18, 1949 not to resume.

Organization

The Commonwealth Office in London is the headquarters of this association of states sui generis. Similar to the UN in New York sends each Member State a representative there, so that a continuous exchange of information can take place. In addition, the Heads of State and Government of the Commonwealth countries meet every two years to a week-long summit. This important political and economic issues as well as the world situation are discussed. Sanctions against individual states, such as 2001 against Zimbabwe, shall be decided here. On 22 November 2007, a committee of the Secretary of State has decided to Pakistan to be suspended from the meetings until democracy is restored and the law is back in the country. On 1 September 2009, the Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma announced the exclusion of Fiji after the government had previously denied the return to democracy after the coup of 2006. The Fiji islands were already suspended in June 2000 for similar reasons by the Assembly.

The summit takes place every time rather than in another Member State and is traditionally opened by the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II, as Head of the Commonwealth. Their role is, however, a purely symbolic, so the daily political work is perceived in the leadership of the Commonwealth by a Secretary General, who is elected by the Government of the Member States. Currently, this is the Indian Kamalesh Sharma. There is also a Chairman in Office of the international community. As such, acting head of government of the country in which the inspection at the Summit; his term runs until the next summit. Currently, this position Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka, held.

Heads

  • King George V: 1931-1936
  • King Edward VIII: 1936
  • King George VI:. 1936-1952
  • Queen Elizabeth II: 1952

Secretaries General

Chairman

Members

53 states are currently members of the Commonwealth of Nations ( the annual figures call the year of accession ):

  • Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda ( 1981)
  • Australia Australia (1931 )
  • Bahamas Bahamas ( 1973)
  • Bangladesh Bangladesh (1972 )
  • Barbados Barbados ( 1966)
  • Belize Belize ( 1981)
  • Botswana Botswana (1966 )
  • Brunei Brunei (1984 )
  • Dominica Dominica (1978 )
  • Fiji Fiji ( 1970) exit in 1987 and re-entry in 1997, Suspension 2000-2001, resuspension September 2009
  • Ghana Ghana ( 1957)
  • Grenada Grenada ( 1974)
  • Guyana Guyana (1966 )
  • India India (1947 )
  • Jamaica Jamaica (1962 )
  • Cameroon Cameroon (1995 ) is a member, although it is from 1919 French Mandate / was a trust territory until 1916 German colony and East Cameroon. However, the smaller West Cameroon was a British Mandats-/Treuhandgebiet.
  • Canada Canada ( 1931)
  • Kenya (1963 )
  • Kiribati Kiribati (1979 )
  • Lesotho Lesotho ( 1966)
  • Malawi Malawi ( 1964)
  • Malaysia Malaysia ( 1957)
  • Maldives Maldives ( 1982)
  • Malta Malta ( 1964)
  • Mauritius Mauritius ( 1968)
  • Mozambique Mozambique (1995 ) A former Portuguese colony of Mozambique is next to Rwanda the only country that never - not even partially - was part of the British colonial empire.
  • Namibia Namibia (1990 ) was a German colony until 1919 and then was under South African administration. Only the part of the country Walvis Bay was part of the British colonial empire.
  • Nauru Nauru ( 1999) By 1886 British possession. 1886-1919 German colony. Then, under Australian administration.
  • New Zealand New Zealand (1931 )
  • Nigeria Nigeria ( 1960) Suspension ( after the execution of Ken Saro -Wiwa and eight other civil rights ) 1995-1999
  • Pakistan Pakistan ( 1947) exit in 1972, re-entry in 1989, Suspension 1999-2004, resuspension on 22 November 2007, resuming on 12 May 2008.
  • Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (1975 )
  • Rwanda Rwanda ( 2009) As former German or after the First World War Belgian colony, Rwanda is the only country in addition to Mozambique, the never - not even partially - was part of the British colonial empire.
  • Solomon Islands Solomon Islands (1978 )
  • Zambia Zambia ( 1964)
  • Samoa Samoa (1970 )
  • Seychelles Seychelles ( 1976)
  • Sierra Leone Sierra Leone (1961 )
  • Singapore Singapore ( 1965)
  • Sri Lanka Sri Lanka ( 1948)
  • Saint Kitts Nevis St. Kitts and Nevis (1983 )
  • Saint Lucia St. Lucia ( 1979)
  • Saint Vincent Grenadines St. Vincent and the Grenadines ( 1979)
  • South Africa South Africa ( 1931) exit in 1961, re-entry in 1994
  • Swaziland Swaziland (1968 )
  • Tanzania (1961 ) part of the country was Tanganyika as part of German East Africa German colony until 1919 and until 1919 was a British reserve.
  • Tonga Tonga (1970 )
  • Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago ( 1962)
  • Tuvalu Tuvalu (1978 )
  • Uganda Uganda ( 1962)
  • Vanuatu Vanuatu ( 1980)
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom (1931 )
  • Cyprus Republic of Cyprus ( 1961)

Commonwealth Realms

  • Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia Australia
  • Bahamas Bahamas
  • Barbados Barbados
  • Belize Belize
  • Grenada Grenada
  • Jamaica Jamaica
  • Canada Canada
  • New Zealand New Zealand
  • Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea
  • Solomon Islands Solomon Islands
  • Saint Kitts Nevis St. Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia St. Lucia
  • Saint Vincent Grenadines St. Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Tuvalu Tuvalu
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom

Former members

  • Newfoundland (1931, since 1934 no longer independent Dominion, since 1949 part of Canada )
  • Ireland Ireland (1931, left the union in 1949 )
  • Zanzibar (1961, 1964 joined with Tanganyika to Tanzania together)
  • Tanganyika Tanganyika (1961, 1964 joined with Zanzibar to Tanzania together)
  • Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (1980, stepped out on 7 December 2003 was preceded on 20 March 2002 suspension )
  • Gambia Gambia (1965, leaving on October 2, 2013)

Comparable organizations

  • Commonwealth of Independent States
  • Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa / Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries
  • Dutch - Indonesian Union and Dutch Language Union / Dutch Language Union
  • Communauté française and Organisation internationale de la Francophonie / International Organization of la Francophonie
Official language Working language Statute of Westminster 1931 Balfour Declaration of 1926 British Raj Belgian colonial empire Personalunion Sanctions (law) Monarchy of the United Kingdom Don McKinnon John Howard Olusegun Obasanjo Lawrence Gonzi Patrick Manning Julia Gillard Tony Abbott The Bahamas The Gambia Integrated Authority File
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