The Commonwealth was created in the early 1900s when nations that were formerly a part of the British Empire began to secede. Commonwealth members belong to international bodies-regional, political and economic. Yet in all their international relations, the Commonwealth is a link between them and complements other forms of co-operation within the diversity. The Commonwealth, or the Commonwealth of Nations, is a group of 53 states. Myanmar and Aden (now part of Yemen) are the only former British colonies who elected not to join the Commonwealth. Our countries span Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific and are diverse – they are amongst the world’s largest, smallest, richest and poorest countries. Thirty-one of our members is classified as small states – countries with a population size of 1.5 million people or less and larger member states that share similar characteristics with them.
The members of the commonwealth include Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Botswana, Canada, Fiji, Guyana, Kenya, Malawi, Malta, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, St Kitts and Nevis, Tonga, Uganda, Vanuatu, Australia, Barbados, Brunei Darussalam, Cyprus, Ghana, India, Kiribati, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nauru, Pakistan, Saint Lucia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, Zambia, The Bahamas, Belize, Cameroon, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Lesotho, Maldives, Mozambique, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tuvalu and United Republic of Tanzania. All members of Commonwealth hold certain common principles and it is by pursuing these ideals and principles that the Commonwealth can influence international society for the benefit of humanity. Other than that, the aim of commonwealth is to create strong links between rich and poor countries.
Besides that, the commonwealth is created to bring together a kind of religious faiths and demographics in one institution. Although the Commonwealth has been criticised for being more emblems than useful, it has helped to create strong diplomatic ties between its oldest members. Such other purposes as from time to time may be considered desirable by the Association. Its main goal was to ease the process of British decolonisation. It was seen as a way of maintaining global unity through shared language, history, and culture despite growing independence and self-governance of former British colonies.
