Committing War Crimes And Hosting CHOGM
Veluppillai Thangavelu
Hosting of CHOGM by Sri Lanka is an affront to Commonwealth’s commitment to human rights and democratic values
The Commonwealth of Nations is an intergovernmental organisation of 53 member states that were once mostly colonies of the former British Empire. The Commonwealth operates by intergovernmental consensus of the member states, organised through the Commonwealth Secretariat, and non-governmental organisations, organised through the Commonwealth Foundation.
It was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which established the member states as “free and equal” and Queen Elizabeth II is the symbolic Head of the Commonwealth. The Queen is also the monarch of 16 members of the Commonwealth, 32 members are republics and five members are monarchies.
The Commonwealth covers more than 29,958,050 km2 (11,566,870 sq mi), almost a quarter of the world land area, and spans all the continents. With an estimated population of 2.245 billion, almost a third of the world population, the Commonwealth in 2012 produced a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $9.767 trillion, representing 15% of the world GDP when measured in purchasing power parity (PPP). This represents the second largest nominal GDP and GDP PPP in the world.
Despite these impressive statistics, CHOGM is a glorified Old Boys Club which meets once in two years. Its meetings go unnoticed and internationally wield very little political and economic influence.
Member states have no legal obligation one to another. Instead, they are united by language, history, culture, and their shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. These values are enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter and promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games. Gambia became the most recent nation to withdraw from the Commonwealth. Read More
