The Commonwealth has a secretariat to oversee its business, but no formal constitution or international laws. The member states co-operate following common values and goals, including the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, and world peace.
History
Most of the countries in the
Commonwealth were once ruled by Britain. This is why English is the
common language. In 1931, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South
Africa (which had once been ruled by Britain, but were now
independent) decided to join Britain in a club called the
Commonwealth of Nations.
In 1947, India and Pakistan became
independent after a long struggle against Britain. Two years later
India decided that it also wanted to stay in the Commonwealth as a
republic and agreed to accept the British king or queen as a symbol.
The Commonwealth became ‘a free association of independent
nations.’ The modern multi-racial Commonwealth was born.
In 1961, South Africa left the
Commonwealth because of its racist policies of apartheid. In 1971,
Commonwealth leaders agreed to work for racial justice and supported
the struggle of South Africans against white minority rule. The
Commonwealth strongly opposes racism.
In 1994, South Africa returned to the
Commonwealth as a multi-racial democracy under the leadership of
Nelson Mandela. He famously said: “The Commonwealth makes the world
safe for diversity.” This means that the Commonwealth is a good
example of how different people from different countries can work
together for good things.
