Sections:
The Commonwealth
The
Commonwealth is a unique and diverse voluntary association of 53 member
states, most of which are former British colonies.
Commonwealth countries are home to nearly two billion citizens (about 30% of the world's population), living in four continents, and include the broadest range of faiths, races, cultures and traditions.
The Commonwealth brings together countries at every stage of economic and social
development. It includes 13 of the world’s fastest growing economies and 14 of
the world’s poorest. The Commonwealth is a valuable forum for the exchange of
ideas about democracy, good government, human rights and sustainable
development.
Commonwealth organisations, like the Secretariat and associated organisations,
support good governance, respect for human rights, peace and cooperation. One of
the Commonwealth’s main strengths is its successive Declarations of Principles,
eg
the Harare Declaration on democracy, human rights and equality, to which all member states
must commit.
Commonwealth heads of government meet every two years. The last meeting was in
Kampala in 2007, the next will be in
Trinidad and Tobago in 2009.
The UK and the Commonwealth
The UK is an active member of the Commonwealth family and is still the biggest funder of the Commonwealth, providing 30% of its funds, and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. The next biggest donor is Canada, at 19%. We support many Commonwealth countries through:
• our bilateral development programmes
• funding the Commonwealth Secretariat’s development activities
• supporting and funding a number of autonomous Commonwealth bodies.
These bodies include the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation – the
development arm of the Commonwealth.
In addition DFID funds each year:
• Commonwealth Scholarships, £15 million
• Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation, £8 million
• Commonwealth of Learning, £1.1 million
• Commonwealth Youth Programme, £750,000
• Commonwealth Foundation, £250,000
Links
The Commonwealth
The Commonwealth Foundation
Young Commonwealth
Commonwealth Week
Royal Commonwealth Society
Last update 7 October 2008