2 The purpose of the Commonwealth
Overall purpose
9. The Commonwealth has a long history. It has been
called "the world's oldest political association of sovereign
states".[4] The Commonwealth's
origins may be traceable to 1869-1870 when representatives from
the UK's self-governing colonies met unofficially to demand consultative
arrangements. The first Colonial Conference took place in 1887,
coinciding with Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. From 1907 there
were regular meetings of Prime Ministers, with countries invited
to send their heads of government only if they had 'responsible
government' on the British parliamentary model. India, although
not yet self-governing, was invited to send representatives from
1917. Southern Ireland, as the Irish Free State, was added in
1922. An agreement of 1926 defined the 'position and mutual relation'
of the members as autonomous, equal in status, owing common allegiance
to the Crown, and freely associated. These principles were embodied
in the preamble to the Statute of Westminster (1931), which also
declared that the Crown was the symbol of the free association
of the members. The term 'British Commonwealth of Nations' was
first used formally as long ago as 1921 and from 1948 the term
'The Commonwealth' replaced it.
10. The Commonwealth continued to add members after
the Second World War—India and Pakistan in 1947 and Ceylon
(Sri Lanka) in 1948. When India, the largest member, became a
republic, it sought to remain in the Commonwealth and this was
agreed by the existing members. The Declaration of London, of
26 April 1949, provided that, in place of the sole remaining formal
bond of common allegiance to the Crown, the Republic of India
accepted The King as the symbol of the free association of the
independent member nations and as such the Head of the Commonwealth.
The words of the Declaration set the tone for the future of the
Commonwealth:
... the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
South Africa, India, Pakistan and Ceylon hereby declare that they
remain united as free and equal members of the Commonwealth of
Nations, freely co-operating in the pursuit of peace, liberty
and progress.
Three years later, on assuming the throne, the present
Queen became Head of the Commonwealth.
THE COMMONWEALTH'S KEY VALUES
11. Having emerged from a group of countries that
shared a connection with Britain, the modern Commonwealth has
been based, from the beginning in 1949, on the maintenance of
fundamental values and principles. Since the 1949 Declaration
the Commonwealth has regularly restated and refreshed those principles
and values. Two documents have been especially important. In 1971,
at the Singapore Heads of Government Meeting, the Declaration
of Commonwealth Principles defined the voluntary character and
consensual working methods of the Commonwealth, specifying its
goals and objectives. Among the fourteen detailed principles in
the Declaration were these:
- Within [its] diversity, all
members of the Commonwealth hold certain principles in common.
It is by pursuing these principles that the Commonwealth can continue
to influence international society for the benefit of mankind.
- We believe in the liberty of the individual,
in equal rights for all citizens regardless of race, colour, creed
or political belief, and in their inalienable right to participate
by means of free and democratic political processes in framing
the society in which they live. We therefore strive to promote
in each of our countries those representative institutions and
guarantees for personal freedom under the law that are our common
heritage.
12. The 1991 Harare Commonwealth Declaration sought
to apply those principles in the context of the end of the Cold
War, pledging the Heads of Government to work "with renewed
vigour" on "the protection and promotion of the fundamental
political values of the Commonwealth" and towards "democracy,
democratic processes and institutions which reflect national circumstances,
the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, just and
honest government".
13. These principles were underlined at the Port
of Spain CHOGM of 2009, when, meeting in the 60th anniversary
year of the modern Commonwealth, the Heads of Government, "taking
pride in their collective achievements over the past six decades",
reaffirmed their "strong and abiding commitment to the Commonwealth's
fundamental values and principles."
Commonwealth institutions
14. There are three Commonwealth intergovernmental
organisations:
- The Commonwealth Secretariat,
which carries out plans agreed by Commonwealth Heads of Government
through technical assistance (via the Commonwealth Fund for Technical
Cooperation—CFTC[5]),
advice and policy development. The Secretariat's mission statement
is: "We work as a trusted partner for all Commonwealth people
as: a force for peace, democracy, equality and good governance;
a catalyst for global consensus-building; a source of assistance
for sustainable development and poverty eradication". Kamalesh
Sharma, current Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, is described
on the Secretariat's website as "the principal global advocate
for the Commonwealth" and is Chief Executive of the Secretariat;
- The Commonwealth Foundation, which helps civil
society organisations promote democracy, development and cultural
understanding, and
- The Commonwealth of Learning, which encourages
the development and sharing of open learning and distance education.
15. The work of the formal, intergovernmental Commonwealth
institutions is only part of the picture, and perhaps not the
most visible part. There are around 100 associations (70 accredited)
in the Commonwealth network. Among the associations are bodies
concerned with land rights, parliamentary assemblies (the Commonwealth
Parliamentary Association), culture, gender equality, health,
humanitarian relief, disability, education and trade unions.[6]
The aims of the Commonwealth Magistrates' and Judges' Association
(CMJA) include: "to advance the administration of the law
by promoting the independence of the judiciary" and "to
advance education in the law, the administration of justice, the
treatment of offenders and the prevention of crime within the
Commonwealth." Another example of the non-official Commonwealth
at work is the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council (CYEC). This
is a UK based youth development and education charity which works
"alongside young people to support them as active global
citizens through sharing lives, exchanging ideas and working together."
The CYEC supports a bilateral UK—Commonwealth group youth
exchange programme and Commonwealth-wide youth-led development
and leadership projects.[7]
16. In this report we assess the effectiveness of
today's Commonwealth in achieving its purposes, looking in turn
at each of its main activities:
- Promoting good governance and
human and political rights in Commonwealth countries;
- Influencing the wider international community
on key global issues, and
- Developing Commonwealth countries by means of
such things as aid, trade and investment and education.
4 Commonwealth Secretariat, Report of the Committee
on Commonwealth Membership, September 2007, p 3 Back
5
The CFTC provides demand-led technical assistance to member states.
This includes economic resilience and trade-related work with
small island states; supporting member governments in their negotiation
of commercial investment agreements for the exploitation of mineral
and petroleum resources; debt management support for small states
including through the proprietary CS-DRMS debt recording software;
and advice on the determination and agreement of international
maritime boundaries. Back
6
Ev 90 Back
7
Ev 158 Back
|
