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| Sunday, 22 May 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
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The Commonwealth Organisation : Its key role and functions
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent states consulting and co-operating in the common interests of their peoples and in the promotion of international understanding and world peace. It has three inter governmental organisations: the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth Foundation, and the Commonwealth of Learning. The Commonwealth Secretariat, established in 1965 is the main inter governmental agency of the Commonwealth, assisting consultation and co-operation among member governments and countries. Headed by the Commonwealth Secretary General, it is located at Marlborough House in London. The work of the Secretariat is guided by the decisions of Heads of Government and governing bodies. It responds to global developments and the needs of member countries and its activities. The Commonwealth Secretariat's Strategic Plan and Work Programme is directed by the mandates set by Commonwealth Heads of Government, who meet every two years. The Secretariat is governed by a Board of Governors on which all eligible member governments are represented. The Board meets annually in May to review the Secretariat's work and approve its future and the budget. The Board is supported by an Executive Committee which meets on a quarterly basis to monitor the implementation of the Secretariat's work programme. The Executive Committee comprises the eight largest contributors to the Secretariat's total resources, plus two members from each region of the Commonwealth: Africa; Asia-Mediterranean; the Caribbean and the South Pacific. The Commonwealth has no constitution or charter and its structure is based largely on unwritten and traditional procedures. It is guided, however, by a series of agreements on its principles and aims. These are Declarations or Statements which have been issued by Commonwealth Heads of Government at various summits. The most significant of these are the Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles, 1971 and the Harare Commonwealth Declaration, 1991, which clearly set out the Commonwealth's devotion to democracy, the rule of law and good governance. As mentioned earlier, the modern Commonwealth, which has its origins in the former British Empire, today comprises 53 independent member states. Thirty-two members are republics, 16 have constitutional monarchies which recognise Queen Elizabeth II as their Head of State, and five have national monarchies (Brunei Darussalam, Lesotho, Malaysia, Swaziland and Tonga).Sri lanka became a member in 1948. The Commonwealth is active in a number of areas including development; democracy; debt management and trade. It is committed to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and pursues these through programmes implemented by its divisions. What are the benefits of becoming a member country of the Commonwealth? The Commonwealth is a powerful voice in international forums. Among other things, members become part of a respected body that provides them with developmental support and collaboration towards the achievement of international goals. All of the member states, except for Mozambique, have experienced direct or indirect British rule, or have been linked administratively to another Commonwealth country. At the 1997 summit in Edinburgh, Heads of Government considered the criteria for Commonwealth membership and agreed that in order to become a member of the Commonwealth, an applicant country should, as a rule, have had a constitutional association with an existing Commonwealth member state; that it should comply with Commonwealth values, principles and priorities as set out in the Harare Declaration; and that it should accept Commonwealth norms and conventions. Meanwhile, all Commonwealth members also belong to the UN and the Secretariat has observer status at the UN General Assembly. The association strongly supports the work of the UN and this is listed as one of the Harare Principles. The present Secretary-General of the UN, Kofi Annan, comes from a Commonwealth country, Ghana. The Commonwealth funds and administers a joint office at the UN for nine small Commonwealth member states. *** Secretary General
He assumed office on April 1, 2000 following a long and distinguished political career in New Zealand where he was the longest serving Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister (1990 to 1996), Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (1990-1999) and Leader of the House of Representatives (1992-1996). **** Commonwealth Day Commonwealth Day is celebrated on the second Monday in March every year. The aim of commemorating Commonwealth Day is to promote understanding on global issues, international co-operation and the work of the Commonwealth to improve the lives of its 1.8 billion citizens. |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
We have discussed about many international organisations through this
column. This week we bring you yet another important international
association, the Commonwealth Organisation. 
The current Commonwealth Secretary General, Donald C McKinnon was
elected at the November 1999 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in
Durban, South Africa. 
