Thursday 12 October 2017

Common Wealth of Nations


 Common wealth nations or British Commonwealth is an intergovernmental organisation of 52 member states that are mostly former territories of the 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.

 Queen Elizabeth II who is the Head of the Commonwealth and also the monarch of 16 members of the Commonwealth, known as Commonwealth realms.

 Member states have no legal obligation to one another.

 Instead, they are united by language, history, culture and their shared values of democracy, free speech, human rights, and the rule of law.

 The Commonwealth of Nations is represented in the United Nations General Assembly by the secretariat as an observer.

 In addition, some members treat resident citizens of other Commonwealth countries preferentially to citizens of non-Commonwealth countries.

 Britain and several others, mostly in the Caribbean, grant the right to vote to Commonwealth citizens who reside in those countries.

 In non-Commonwealth countries in which their own country is not represented, Commonwealth citizens may seek consular assistance at the British embassy.

 The first member to be admitted without having any constitutional link to the British Empire or a Commonwealth member was Mozambique

 In 2009, Rwanda became the second member admitted not to have any such constitutional links.

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