Is The Sri Lankan Graveyard Best Venue For A Commonwealth Meeting?

S. V. Kirubaharan

December 6, 2012 

The London Declaration of 26 April 1949 has two important provisions. It renamed the “British Commonwealth” (Imperial British Empire) as the “Commonwealth of Nations” and it allows member countries with no colonial links to Britain to join, including monarchies and republics.

The sixty-three-years-old voluntary association of the Commonwealth is headed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. The membership, grown from 8 countries in 1949 to presently to 54, covers all six regions – Africa (19), South Pacific (11), the Caribbean (10), Asia (8), the Americas (3) and Europe (3).

Mozambique became the first member country without any colonial links to Britain. There is also long-term Francophone Cameroon. Both became members in 1995.

In 1965, the Commonwealth Secretariat was established in London-UK, headed by a Secretary-General and appointed by heads of state. The first Secretary-General of the Commonwealth was Arnold Smith of Canada who held this position untill 1975.

At the 1993 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Cyprus, it was decided that the Secretary-General would serve a maximum of two 4-year terms. Presently Mr. Kamalesh Sharma of India is the Secretary-General.

Every two years, CHOGM meets in one of the member countries. There is no voting in the Commonwealth, all decisions are reached by consensus.

It was announced that the next CHOGM will be held in Sri Lanka in November 2013. This is a disappointment to certain countries, inter-governmental bodies and to members of civil society who are the eyes and ears of the monitoring bodies for good governance, democracy, rule of law and human rights.

Commonwealth Declarations

CHOGM has a good track record regarding its policies and working methods. Several declarations are very well maintained not only on paper, but also in action.

For example, the Harare Commonwealth Declaration of 20 October 1991 and the Declaration of Commonwealth Principles – Singapore on 22 January 1971.

The Harare Commonwealth Declaration, paragraph 4 reads as follows:

Its members also share a commitment to certain fundamental principles. These were set out in a Declaration of Commonwealth Principles agreed by our predecessors at their Meeting in Singapore in 1971. Those principles have stood the test of time, and we reaffirm our full and continuing commitment to them today. In particular, no less today than 20 years ago:                                                     Read More