ORGANISATION OF COMMONWEALTH
The Commonwealth of Nations is a worldwide political organization of independent nations
with their dependencies and it comprises 53 countries, across all continents. The members
have a combined population of 2.3 billion people, almost a third of the world population
which live in India Pakistan Nigeria Bangladesh the United Kingdom South Africa Canada
Ghana and Australia .
The Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of the Commonwealth and the 16 members of the
Commonwealth recognise the Queen as their monarch. However, when the monarch dies,
the successor to the crown does not automatically become Head of the Commonwealth.
The position is symbolic, representing the free association of independent members, the
majority of which are republics, and five have monarchs of different royal houses.
The main decision-making forum of the organisation is the biennial Commonwealth Heads
of Government Meeting (CHOGM), where Commonwealth heads of government, including
prime ministers and presidents, assemble for several days to discuss matters of mutual
interest. There are also regular meetings of finance ministers, law ministers, health
ministers, etc. The head of government hosting the CHOGM is called the Commonwealth
Chairperson-in-Office and retains the position until the following CHOGM.
The Commonwealth Secretariat, established in 1965, is the main intergovernmental
agency of the Commonwealth, facilitating consultation and co-operation among member
governments and countries.
The secretariat organises Commonwealth summits, meetings of ministers, consultative
meetings and technical discussions; it assists policy development and provides policy
advice, and facilitates multilateral communication among the member governments. It also
provides technical assistance to help governments in the social and economic
development of their countries and in support of the Commonwealth's fundamental political
values.
HISTORY
The origins of the Commonwealth lie in the British Empire. Starting in the 16th century,
Britain invaded other lands. Some colonies, such as India, had large local populations
ruled by British overlords. Others, such as Australia, became colonies for settlement by the
British.
By the start of the 20th century, these lands of settlement, known as Dominions, were
largely internally governed. As these settlements became less profitable, the idea of a
Commonwealth began. In 1931 Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were
granted 'independence'.
When Second World War broke out, these Commonwealth nations and the colonies fought
alongside the UK and its allies for the ideals of liberty. This countries helped the Allies to
win the Second World War in 1945. Independence for the remaining colonies followed
