May 6, 2023 Charles III of England was crowned King of the United Kingdom after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on 8 September 2022 at the age of 96. In addition to having inherited sovereignty over the United Kingdom, however, Charles III also became President of the others 14 Countries which form the so-called Commonwealth Realm (with the meaning of “well-being”, wealth“common”, common), a subset of the Commonwealth of Nations. The latter is aintergovernmental organization founded in 1931 and formed by 56 independent countries. Of these, in fact, there are 15 which recognise the sovereign of the United Kingdom as their head of state: in addition to the United Kingdom itself, these are Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Jamaica, Grenada, Solomon Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tuvalu.
How and when was the Commonwealth of Nations born?
The history of the Commonwealth of Nations begins with the British Empire, in the 19th century, including many countries that were part of the United Kingdom, mostly as colonies. Gradually these territories were defined Dominions, that is, territories under the administration and sovereignty of the British Crown but with a certain autonomy.
It was in the 1926 that the British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour recognized the equality of the British dominions Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland and Newfoundland compared to the United Kingdom, giving them sovereignty over domestic and foreign policy and equal status as “freely associated members of the British Commonwealth of Nations.” The adjective “freely” denotes the voluntary nature which still characterizes the Organization today, since its members can choose to leave it whenever they deem it appropriate.
There Balfour Declaration It should not be confused with the 1917 resolution of the same name which expressed a favorable opinion on the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine and, in 1931, its validity was officially sanctioned with the foundation of the Commonwealthwhich occurred with the Statute of Westminster. In addition to reaffirming the principles already stated in the Declaration, a privileged and economically favorable trading area between the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth states, especially following the serious global economic crisis of 1929: the United Kingdom wanted to preserve its economic and commercial interests in these territories and keep them tied to itself.
After the Second World War, in 1949 the London Declaration It established the independence of all the British Dominions, while the King of England remained President of the Commonwealth of Nations.
What is the Commonwealth of Nations and what is it for?
Currently 56 independent states are part of the Commonwealth of Nations, of which 15 form the so-called Commonwealth Realmthat is, they recognize the King of England as their head of state. Of these 15, 13 are former British colonies. Australia and Canada, for example, recognize Charles III as their head of state. Depending on the local government, the sovereign then appoints a governor general who represents him as head of state with representative dutiesthus acting on his behalf. Since these two countries are both federal, in this case, the sovereign is represented by a local governor in each of the states or provinces in question.
Currently, the Commonwealth of Nations is intended to do to cooperate both from the point of view both economic and social Countries very different and distant from each other. Among the objectives pursued by the Organization are the promotion of democracy and peacethe fight against poverty, the financial support to developing countries, the respect for human rights. These and many other objectives, together with the founding values of the organization, are contained in the Commonwealth Charterapproved in 2012 and signed by Queen Elizabeth II in 2013.
Which Countries Are Part of the Commonwealth of Nations: The Map
Currently the 56 Countries which are part of the Commonwealth of Nations are Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, eSwatini, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Solomon Islands, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, United Kingdom, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia.
Of the 56 countries that are part of the Commonwealth, the South Africa was expelled in 1961due to the regime of racial discrimination and apartheid, and then to be readmitted in 1994The Pakistan was released in 1972 in protest against the Commonwealth’s recognition of Bangladesh’s separation, and then return in 1989. Two former members who instead left the organization and never returned are the‘Ireland in 1949after becoming a republic and it Zimbabwe in 2003as a sign of protest against the Commonwealth that had not wanted to lift the suspension of the country, due to human rights violations and non-transparent presidential elections. In addition to the 15 Commonwealth realms, six other member countries have their own monarch: Brunei, Lesotho, Malaysia, Samoa, eSwatini and Tonga.
