RSS FeedThe History of the Commonwealth
The modern Commonwealth, in which all members are equal and which stands for justice, freedom, democracy and human rights, has experienced an extraordinary evolution from its earliest beginnings…
THE DISSOLUTION OF EMPIRE
The Commonwealth’s roots lie in the 19th century. In 1867, Canada became the first British colony to be transformed into a self-governing ‘Dominion’. Others followed. In 1884, the British politician, Lord Rosebery, became the first to call this changing empire a ‘Commonwealth of Nations’.
In 1931, the UK parliament adopted the Statute of Westminster, forming the legal foundation for what was to become the Commonwealth. Under the Statute, the Dominions of Canada, Newfoundland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the Irish Free State became “autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations”.
A FLEDGLING ‘PEOPLE’S COMMONWEALTH’
As the legal framework of the Commonwealth was being put in place, many professional associations and NGOs linking institutions among the Dominions began to flourish, laying the foundation for today’s ‘unofficial’ or ‘people’s Commonwealth’. In 1868, the organisation known today as the Royal Commonwealth Society was founded. In 1911, the forerunner of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was established, followed in 1913 by what is now called the Association of Commonwealth Universities. In 1930, the first Empire (later Commonwealth) Games were held.
THE BIRTH OF THE MODERN COMMONWEALTH
The birth of the modern Commonwealth, as we recognise it today, really began with the independence of India and Pakistan from Britain in 1947. In 1949, India’s desire to become a republic and to cut constitutional ties with the British monarchy while remaining within the Commonwealth, forced leaders to rethink the principles of Commonwealth membership. The London Declaration of the same year dropped the word ‘British’ from the association’s title. Removing the requirement that member countries have the British Monarch as their Head of State, the same Declaration recognised King George VI as the “symbol of their free association and as such Head of the Commonwealth”. India was thus welcomed as the first republican member in a modern, and voluntary, association.
So exceptional was the spirit of accommodation on all sides in reaching this agreement that the Indian Prime Minister, Jawarhalal Nehru, was moved to say at the time that the Commonwealth could bring “a touch of healing” to the management of contemporary world problems.
Committed to racial equality and national sovereignty, the Commonwealth became the natural association of choice for many new nations emerging out of decolonisation in the 1950s and 1960s. Ghana achieved independence in 1957 and became the first majority-ruled African member. Jamaica was the first to claim independence in the Caribbean in 1962; and, in the same year, Samoa became the first among countries in the Pacific (excluding Australia and New Zealand). From this point on, the Commonwealth expanded rapidly.
IMPORTANT MILESTONES IN HISTORY
In 1965, an important milestone was reached when Commonwealth leaders established the Commonwealth Secretariat at Marlborough House in London. This was to be the association’s own independent civil service, headed by a Commonwealth Secretary-General. The Secretary-General is now elected by Heads for no more than two four-year terms in office. Mr Kamalesh Sharma, an Indian diplomat, took up office as the most recent Commonwealth Secretary-General in April 2008. He is the fifth, and follows the Canadian Arnold Smith (1965 – 1975), Sir Shridath Ramphal, from Guyana (1975 – 1990), Chief Anyaoku, from Nigeria (1990 – 2000) and New Zealander, Don McKinnon (2000 – 2008).
Previously, the Commonwealth had been administered through the government of the UK, but this move made the Secretariat answerable to all member governments. It carries out consultations on their behalf, helps them with policy-making, the spread of information and the delivery of agreed Commonwealth initiatives. A year later, in 1966, the Commonwealth Foundation was launched to support the work of a growing number of Commonwealth professional associations and NGOs and to promote Commonwealth art and culture.
Two further milestones occurred in 1971. First, leaders adopted the Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles which gave the association a formal code of ethics and committed members to improving human rights and seeking racial and economic justice. The leaders declared their belief in peace, liberty, human dignity and democracy. At the same time, they declared their abhorrence of racial prejudice, colonial domination and wide disparities of wealth. The Heads declared: “We believe that international co-operation is essential to remove the causes of war, promote tolerance, combat injustice and secure development. We are convinced that the Commonwealth is one of the most fruitful associations for these purposes…(and that it can) provide a constructive example of the multi-national approach which is vital…(and) based on consultation, discussion and co-operation.”
Secondly, they established the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation. Based on the concept of mutualism, the Fund was among the first to advance the idea of technical cooperation among developing countries.
In 1991, building on the principals adopted in Singapore, the Harare Declaration set the Commonwealth firmly on new course for a new century: that of promoting democracy and good governance, human rights and the rule of law, and sustainable economic and social development. As part of the Harare priorities, the Commonwealth provides assistance to countries in transition to democracy by helping to draft legislation, review and amend electoral procedures and otherwise create the framework for democracy to take root. Between 1990 and mid-1996, the Commonwealth observed some 18 elections or referendums to further this work.
At a 1995 summit in New Zealand, leaders adopted the Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme to give practical expression to the Harare principles, particularly democracy, development and consensus-building. They agreed on practical steps to address serious and persistent violations of these principles and established a mechanism – a Ministerial Action Group of Foreign Ministers – to carry this forward. It was in this context that, in the face of human rights abuses by a military regime, they took the unprecedented step of suspending Nigeria’s membership.
THE COMMONWEALTH TODAY
Today, Heads of Government and government Ministers of member countries meet regularly to discuss how better to cooperate with each other. The Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) takes place every two years. The most recent meetings have been in Valletta, Malta in 2005, in Kampala, Uganda in 2007 and in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago in 2009. The policies and activities decided upon at the CHOGM are implemented through the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.
In 2009, the Commonwealth celebrated its 60th anniversary. Mindful of its history, yet focused very much on the present day and on the future, the Commonwealth looks set to become increasingly relevant in a world of uncertain international relations, of climate change, conflict and continuing poverty, where the need for global co-operation and mutual understanding has never been greater.
