The Commonwealth
The
Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 member
states, most of which are former British colonies. (List
of the Commonwealth's member states)
Commonwealth countries are home to nearly two billion citizens (about 30% of the world's population) living in four continents and including a 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 principal inter-governmental organisation of the Commonwealth is the Commonwealth Secretariat (ComSec) whose mission statement is to work as a force for peace, democracy, equality and good governance; to be a catalyst for global consensus building, and a source of assistance for sustainable development and poverty eradication.
Among the Commonwealth’s most notable achievements are its successive Declarations of Principles,
notably the
Harare Declaration
on democracy, human rights and equality. These establish standards of good
governance. If members fail to meet these standards they can be suspended from
the organisation.
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 still the biggest funder of the Commonwealth, providing 30% of its funds. The next biggest donor is Canada, at 19%. The UK supports many Commonwealth countries through:
- direct bilateral development programmes
- funding the Commonwealth Secretariat’s development activities
- funding a number of autonomous Commonwealth bodies.
Notable among these bodies is the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC). Established in 1971, the CFTC is the principal means for providing technical assistance to Commonwealth countries. It is a voluntary fund and its members contribute resources according to their ability and draw on them according to their needs.
The Commonwealth Secretariat collaborates with other development partners in the CFTC to ensure a collaborative and targeted approach which maximises development benefits. CFTC’s annual budget of around £24 million is supplemented by external resources through strategic partnerships. DFID contributes some £8 million to the CFTC.
In addition, DFID funds:
Links
The Commonwealth
Commonwealth Week
Royal Commonwealth Society
Last updated: 19 January 2008
