Commonwealth how many

We work to raise the profile of issues facing small Pacific countries in particular during meetings and conversations with Commonwealth officials. The Commonwealth acts as a collective voice and can advocate for small countries, helping to raise international awareness of issues affecting them.

It engages with the World Bank, the UN, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and other international organisations on behalf of small states. Read more about how the Commonwealth helps small states external link. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our website, to analyze our website traffic, and to understand where our visitors are coming from. You can find out more information on our Privacy Page. Our work with the UN International security Disarmament UN sanctions Human rights The Commonwealth Multilateralism matters Covid response and recovery New Zealand is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, an organisation of 54 countries — most with a shared history as part of the former British Empire.

About the Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations was formed in to maintain an association between countries that had once been part of the British colonies, but which were considered 'free and equal'. What does the Commonwealth do? The Commonwealth Charter In the Commonwealth adopted a charter setting out the values of the organisation and the commitments members are expected to make. Commonwealth governance and organisations Commonwealth Secretariat The Commonwealth Secretariat in London manages the work of the Commonwealth and is the central point for all member governments.

The Commonwealth Foundation The Commonwealth Foundation is a development organisation of the Commonwealth that aims to build the capacity of civil society across member states. During the Imperial Conference, there was a gathering of political figures at an event held by the prime ministers across the British Empire at the time. The Balfour Declaration brought to light the consensus that all British Empire countries were on par with the United Kingdom , which had not been the case beforehand.

The U. Five years later, the United Kingdom officially upheld the formation of the Commonwealth by signing a document called the Statute of Westminster. There were so many additions, alterations, and revisions to the Commonwealth of Nations until At this point, the London Declaration was compiled and written by an Indian official by the name of VK Krishna Menon, and the member nations signed it in the same year.

Fifty-three countries are recognized as part of the Commonwealth of Nations. Interestingly enough, most, though not all, of the countries in the British Commonwealth happen to be British colonies. If they are not currently under British rule, these locations were at one time. Dependent or not upon Britain's government, the Commonwealth of Nations' member states all have a historical tie to Britain. As mentioned, the Commonwealth of Nations is an organization made up of fifty-three countries around the world.

Here are seven things about this club of nations that you might not know. About 2. And most of them are under the age of The biggest country by population is India, which accounts for about half of the total. But 31 Commonwealth members have a population of 1. Rwanda and Mozambique became members in and respectively, and neither has a British colonial past or constitutional link. The club has lost members in the past.

Robert Mugabe took Zimbabwe out in after its membership was suspended amid reports of election rigging. Pakistan was suspended after a military coup in and was re-admitted four-and-a-half years later.

And South Africa withdrew in after it was criticised by Commonwealth members for its apartheid policies. It became a member again in The Commonwealth makes up a quarter of the world's land mass. The giant of the group is Canada, the world's second largest country.

India and Australia are huge too.