1. Commonwealth of Nations
Martin Slavík
Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering

2. Contents What is the Commonwealth? History Structure Members
Requirements
Commonwealth today

3. What is the Commonwealth?
The Commonwealth of the Nations (formerly the British Commonwealth)
53 states
2.3 billion people
30 million sq. km

4. History 1867 – First ‘Dominion’: Canada
1884 – Empire described as ‘Commonwealth of the Nations’
New Dominions: Australia (1900), New Zealand (1907), South Africa (1910) and the Irish Free State (1921)

5. Balfour Declaration
1926
Imperial Conference

6. History 1931 – Statute of Westminster
Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand
1947 – India became independent
1949 – Conference of Commonwealth Prime Ministers

7. History 1950s – 1960s: Decolonization process 1957 – Ghana joined
1965 – the Commonwealth Secretariat in London

8. Structure Head of the Commonwealth: Queen Elizabeth II
Governing Bodies:
Board of Governors
Executive Committee of the Board of Governors
The Commonwealth Secretariat:
The Commonwealth Secretary-General
Deputy Secretaries-General

9. Members Currently 53 member countries
1931: Great Britain, the Irish Free State, Canada, Newfoundland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Malaysia, Nigeria, Cyprus, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Malta, The Gambia, Singapore, Guyana, Botswana, Lesotho, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Nauru, Mauritius, Swaziland, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Tonga, Bangladesh, Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe, Belize, Brunei, Maldives, Namibia, Cameroon, Mozambique, and Rwanda.

11. Requirements for joining
recognize Elizabeth II as the Head of the Commonwealth
racial equality, the embrace of world peace, liberty, human rights, equality, and free trade
be sovereign
''direct constitutional link''

12. Commonwealth today Consultation and cooperation
Freedom and human rights
Economic growth

13. Quiz Which of these countries withdrew from the Commonwealth?
United States
Canada
Great Britain
Ireland

14. Quiz Which of these countries withdrew from the Commonwealth?
United States
Canada
Great Britain
Ireland

15. Quiz
How many members? 20 30 45 53

16. Quiz
How many members? 20 30 45 53

17. Quiz Who is the Head of the Commonwealth? Vladimir Putin
Kamalesh Sharma
Queen Elizabeth II
Barack Obama

18. Quiz Who is the Head of the Commonwealth? Vladimir Putin
Kamalesh Sharma
Queen Elizabeth II
Barack Obama

19. Sources http://www.unesco.org/ http://www.commonwealthofnations.org/