Requirements for entry into the Commonwealth of Nations

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The requirements for entry into the Commonwealth of Nations have been altered by a series of documents issued over the past seventy-five years. The most important of these documents were the Statute of Westminster (1931), the London Declaration (1949), the Singapore Declaration (1971), the Harare Declaration (1991), the Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme on the Harare Declaration (1995), and the Edinburgh Declaration (1997). New members of the Commonwealth must abide by certain criteria that arose from these documents, the most important of which are the Harare principles and the Edinburgh criteria.

The Harare principles require all members of the Commonwealth, old and new, to abide by certain political principles, including democracy and respect for human rights. These can be enforced upon current members, who may be suspended or expelled for failure to abide by them. To date, Fiji, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe have been suspended on these grounds; Zimbabwe later withdrew over its consistent non-compliance.

The foremost of the Edinburgh criteria requires new members to have either constitutional or administrative ties to at least one current member of the Commonwealth of Nations. In most cases, that current member would be the United Kingdom, although this is not necessarily so. The Edinburgh criteria arose from the 1995 accession of Mozambique, the only member to date that was never part of the British Empire (in whole or part). The Edinburgh criteria are now being reviewed in light of renewed interest in states that do not qualify under it.

1 Criteria
2 Prospective members
3 Footnotes

[edit] Criteria

[edit] Founding documents

The formation of the Commonwealth of Nations is dated back to the Statute of Westminster, an Act of the British Parliament passed on 11 December 1931. The Statute established the independence of the Dominions, creating a group of equal members where, previously, there was one. The solitary condition of membership of the embryonic Commonwealth was that a state be a Dominion. Thus, the independence of Pakistan (1947), India (1947), and Sri Lanka (1948) saw the three countries join the Commonwealth as independent monarchies; on the other hand, Burma (1948) and Israel (1948), did not join the Commonwealth, as they chose to become republics. The membership of Éire lapsed when it unambiguously became a republic in 1949.^[1]

With India on the verge of promulgating a republican constitution, the 1949 Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference was dominated by the impending departure of over half of the Commonwealth's population. To avoid such a fate, Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent proposed that republics be allowed to remain in the Commonwealth, provided that they recognise the monarch of the Commonwealth Realms as 'Head of the Commonwealth'. This agreement, known as the London Declaration thus established the only formalised rule as being that members must recognise the Head of the Commonwealth. This arrangement prompted suggestions that other countries, such as France, Israel, and Norway, join. However, for the next four decades, only newly-independent countries would accede.

The first statement of the political values of the Commonwealth of Nations was issued at the 1961 conference, at which the members declared that racial equality would be one of the cornerstones of the new Commonwealth, at a time when the organisation's ranks were being swelled by new African and Caribbean members. The immediate result of this was the withdrawal of South Africa's re-application, which it was required to lodge before becoming a republic, as its government's apartheid policies clearly contradicted the principle.

Further political values and principles of the Commonwealth were affirmed in Singapore on 22 January 1971, at the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The fourteen points clarified the political freedom of its members, and dictated the core principles of the Commonwealth: world peace, liberty, human rights, equality, and free trade.^[2] However, neither the terms nor the spirit of the Declaration were binding, and several openly flouted it; despite little conformity, only Fiji was ever expelled for breaching these tenets (on 15 October 1987, following the second coup of that year).^[3]

[edit] Harare principles

The Harare Declaration, issued on 20 October 1991 in Harare, Zimbabwe, reaffirmed the principles laid out in Singapore, particularly in the light of the ongoing dismantling of apartheid in South Africa. The Declaration put emphasis on human rights and democracy by detailing these principles once more:

“

We believe that international peace and order, global economic development and the rule of international law are essential to the security and prosperity of mankind;
We believe in the liberty of the individual under the law, in equal rights for all citizens regardless of gender, race, colour, creed or political belief, and in the individual's inalienable right to participate by means of free and democratic political processes in framing the society in which he or she lives;
We recognise racial prejudice and intolerance as a dangerous sickness and a threat to healthy development, and racial discrimination as an unmitigated evil;
We oppose all forms of racial oppression, and we are committed to the principles of human dignity and equality;
We recognise the importance and urgency of economic and social development to satisfy the basic needs and aspirations of the vast majority of the peoples of the world, and seek the progressive removal of the wide disparities in living standards amongst our members.^[4]

”

The Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme on the Harare Declaration, issued on 12 November 1995 at the Millbrook Resort in Queenstown, New Zealand, clarified the Commonwealth's position on the Harare Declaration. The document introduced compulsion upon its members, with strict guidelines to be followed in the event of breaching its rules, including (but not limited to) expulsion from the Commonwealth. Adjudication was left to the newly-created Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG).^[5]

At the same CHOGM, the Programme was enforced for the first time, as Nigeria was suspended. On 19 December 1995, the CMAG found that the suspension was in line with the Programme, and also declared its intent on enforcing the Programme in other cases (particularly Sierra Leone and The Gambia).^[6] On 29 May 1999, the day after the inauguration of Nigeria's first democratically-elected President, Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ, the country's suspension was lifted, on the advice of the CMAG.^[7]

[edit] Edinburgh criteria

In 1995, Mozambique joined the Commonwealth, becoming the first member to have never had a constitutional link with the United Kingdom or another Commonwealth member. Concerns that this would allow open-ended expansion of the Commonwealth and dilute its historic ties prompted the 1995 CHOGM to launch the Inter-Governmental Group on Criteria for Commonwealth Membership, to report at the 1997 CHOGM, to be held in Edinburgh, the United Kingdom. The group decided that, in future, new members would be limited to those with constitutional association with an existing Commonwealth member.^[8]

In addition to this new rule, the former rules were consolidated into a single documents. These requirements, which remain the same today, are that members must:

accept and comply with the Harare principles.
be fully sovereign states.
recognise the monarch of the Commonwealth Realms as the Head of the Commonwealth.
accept the English language as the means of Commonwealth communication.
respect the wishes of the general population vis-à-vis Commonwealth membership.^[9]

On the advice of Secretary-General Don McKinnon, the 2005 CHOGM, held in Valetta, Malta, decided to re-examine the Edinburgh criteria. The responsible group will report at the 2007 CHOGM, to be held in Kampala, Uganda.^[10]

[edit] Prospective members

[edit] Eligible countries

The following countries would be eligible under the Edinburgh criteria (but not necessarily Harare):

Afghanistan (British protectorate until 1919)
Bahrain (British protectorate until 1971)
Bhutan (part of British India until 1947, currently in constitutional link with India)
Egypt (British protectorate until 1922)
Eritrea (British protectorate 1941-1946)^[9]
France (personal union with successive British states until 1801)
Germany (Hanover in personal union with the United Kingdom until 1837)
Greece (Ionian Islands were British protectorate until 1864)
Haiti (Tortuga was British colony from 1631 to 1635)
Honduras (Mosquito Coast was protectorate until 1850)
Iraq (British protectorate until 1932)
Israel (part of British Mandate for Palestine until 1948, has expressed interest in joining)^[11]
Republic of Ireland (Dominion 1921 until 1948)
Jordan (British protecotrate of Transjordan until 1946)
Kuwait (British protectorate until 1961)
Libya (Anglo-French condominium from 1945 until 1951)
Myanmar (British Colony of Burma until 1948)
Netherlands (most of the Dutch Republic in personal union with England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1689 until 1702)
Nicaragua (Mosquito Coast was protectorate until 1850)
Oman (British protectorate of Muscat & Oman until 1971)
Qatar (British protectorate until 1971)
Senegal {brief confederation with The Gambia as Sénégambia Confederation from 1982 to 1989, Senegal has made voices about possible joining the Commonwealth at some future date)
Somalia (British Somaliland was protectorate until 1960)
Sudan (Anglo-Egyptian condominium until 1956)
Togo (part of Anglo-French condominium from 1914 to 1916)
United Arab Emirates (British protectorate as Trucial States until 1971)
United States (group of British colonies until 1783)
Yemen (South Yemen was British colony until 1967, Yemen has applied to join the Commonwealth)^[11]
Zimbabwe (member of the Commonwealth until 2003)

[edit] Overseas territories and dependencies

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Mauritius, New Zealand, South Africa and United Kingdom all have dependent territories that would be eligible for Commonwealth membership were they granted independence. As territories of Commonwealth members, they automatically qualify under the Edinburgh criteria (but not necessarily Harare).

Antigua and Barbuda

Redonda

Australia

Christmas Island

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Lord Howe Island

Norfolk Island

Torres Strait Islands

Mauritius

Rodriques Island

New Zealand

South Africa

Prince Edward Islands

United Kingdom

Overseas territories

Akrotiri and Dhekelia

Anguilla

Bermuda

British Indian Ocean Territory

British Virgin Islands

Turks and Caicos Islands

Crown dependencies

Guernsey

Jersey

Isle of Man

France

Saint Pierre and Miquelon (a French colony, was part of Nova Scotia from 1713 to 1763)

In addition to those territories listed above, all three maintain territorial claims in Antarctica. However, the Antarctic territories have no permanent populations (except scientific research stations). The same applies to three uninhabited Australian island territories: the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, and the Heard Island and McDonald Islands, and the British colony of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

[edit] Secessionist movements and other territories

There are several secessionist movements and other sub-national territories that, were they to gain independence, would be eligible to join the Commonwealth. The following countries would be eligible under the Edinburgh criteria (but not necessarily Harare):

Ambazonia (Southern Cameroon) (secessionist movement in Cameroon, being the area of Cameroon which used to be in the British Empire)
Barotseland (secessionist movement in Zambia)
East Turkestan (secessionist movement in China, comprising part of the area of the British protectorate of Tibet)
Hawar Islands (secessionist movement in Bahrain)
Hong Kong (the Hong Konger Front is seeking independence from China, and have stated that if they achieve independence they will join the Commonwealth)
Intenge (Caprivi) (secessionist movement in Namibia)
Nevis (there is a cessionist movement on the island of Nevis to break away from the current state of Saint Kitts and Nevis)
Normandy (secessionist movement in France, Normandy having a direct constitutional link with early English kings (William the Conquerer etc))
Palestinian National Authority (part of the British Mandate for Palestine until 1948, the Palestinian Authority has applied to join the Commonwealth)^[11]
Somaliland (former British protectorate until 1960 when it joined Somalia, has unilaterally seceded from Somalia but has yet to receive international recognition)
Southern Sudan (as part of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan was part of the British Empire until 1956 — this English-speaking area is seeking independence from Sudan and will get to vote on the issue in 2011)
Tibet (British protectorate until 1944)
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Turkish part of the island of Cyprus, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has applied to join the Commonwealth)
Waziristan (secessionist movement in Pakistan near the Afghanistan border)
West Papua (Indondesian occupied half of New Guinea island, which claims constitutional links with Papua New Guinea)

[edit] Other countries

Two nations that do not meet the criteria of the Edinburgh declaration have recently applied to join the Commonwealth. Their appliations were received ahead of the 1997 CHOGM, before the criteria for membership were changed; the heads of governments considered their applications in light of the criteria change,^[8] and rejected them on the basis that they did not meet them. The two countries were:

There are a range of other countries that have expressed informal interest in joining the Commonwealth, despite not meeting the Edinburgh criteria as they are now. However, with the criteria being re-examined, they may be inclined to launch membership bids in the future: