COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS

•The Commonwealth is a diverse community of 53

nations(9 march 2018)

More than 80 organisations that work together to

promote prosperity, democracy and peace. It is

home to a third of the world’s population and

nearly 40% of its young people.

COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS IS NOT A GROUP OF FORMER BRITISH COLONIES

NOTES

•The first member to be admitted without having any

constitutional link to the British Empire or a

Commonwealth member was Mozambique, a former

Portuguese colony

• In 2009, Rwanda became the second Commonwealth

member admitted not to have any such constitutional

links. It was a Belgian trust territory that had been a

German colony until World War I.

NOTES

•Her Majesty the Queen is the Head of the

Commonwealth and attends the biennial

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

• • Head - Elizabeth II

• • Secretary-General - Patricia Scotland

• • Chair-in-Office - Joseph Muscat

NOTES

• The Queen is the ceremonial head of state and reigning

constitutional monarch of only 16 members of the

Commonwealth, known as Commonwealth realms.

• As of 2017, there are sixteen Commonwealth realms

• Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Belize, Canada,

Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts

and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,

Solomon Islands, The Bahamas, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom.

NOTES

• Leaders of member countries shape Commonwealth policies

and priorities. Every two years, they meet to discuss issues

affecting the Commonwealth and the wider world at the

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

COMMONWEALTH GAMES

• The Commonwealth Games is an international multi-sport

event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIGH COMMISSION, CONSULATE AND EMBASSY

• An ambassador is the head of diplomatic mission United Nations or

non-Commonwealth country in another United Nations countries

while high commissioner is the head of diplomatic mission of a

Commonwealth country in another Commonwealth country.

• The building or office of the high commissioner in a foreign country is

known as “high commission” while office or building of ambassador in

foreign country is known as an “embassy”.

IS COMMONWEALTH GROUP RELEVANT TODAY?

I WANTYOUR OPINION

COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES

• Also called Russian Commonwealth

• After the Soviet Union dissolved there was a plan to maintain a

loose Commonwealth structure for the former republics of

the Soviet Union.

• At present the CIS unites: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus,

Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

MEMBERS

BENEFITS

•Eight of the nine CIS member states participate in the

CIS Free Trade Area

•Human rights

•CIS members, especially in Central Asia, continue to

have among the world's poorest human rights records.

•The Pacific Island nation of Nauru is the

smallest Commonwealth country by

population (10,000) and area (21km2).