The Unofficial British Royal Family Pages

What, you ask, is Commonwealth Day? Well for those of you who live in former British Empire possessions chances are you belong to the Commonwealth and don�t even know it. On Monday, March 13, it will be officially recognized, as it is every year on the second Monday in March. But is this mixed-up union of nations still relevant and worth celebrating? What lessons can it teach others outside its influence? How important is the Queen�s personal leadership in keeping it all together, and will it stick together in future once her unifying influence is ended?

Commonwealth Day was actually the brainchild of the late former Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau. He settled on the second Monday in March because it was one of the few days of the year when the majority of the Commonwealth�s children would all be in school at the same time. He had hoped that teachers all over the globe would take the time to explain what the Commonwealth was, and what benefits their country enjoyed in belonging to it.

It was a na�ve hope then, and three decades later the Commonwealth seems to be suffering from a severe image problem. Because of the British Empire connotation probably most people think it is just made up of old colonial-era holdovers that accomplishes nothing of note. Well, gentle readers, you could not be more wrong!

During Queen Victoria�s reign Britain�s colonies began to form their own governmental systems, but Britain continued to hold political power over them. When Britain declared war on Germany in 1914 all her Dominions, as some of them were then called, didn�t hesitate to declare too. In 1917 the Imperial War Conference recognized that each Dominion was a full and equal nation in the Imperial Commonwealth. The British parliament passed the Statute of Westminster in 1931, enshrining that each was �an autonomous community� within the British Empire, with equal status, subordinate neither to Britain nor to each other. The first nations to sign onto this League of Nations were Australia, Britain, Canada, the Irish Free State (Republic of Ireland), Newfoundland (became a Canadian province in 1949), South Africa and New Zealand. From 1947, when newly independent India and Pakistan joined, to 2003 when Zimbabwe withdrew, the membership has waxed and waned, and now totals 53.

If you live in any of these countries besides the ones already mentioned, you should be celebrating:

Over the years some have been suspended for political and human rights violations. South Africa was booted out over its apartheid policy, then reinstated in 1994. Pakistan and Fiji both left but opted back in. Nigeria was suspended for four years in the 1990s for human rights abuses and Pakistan in 1999 after a military coup (this was lifted in 2004).

Religion and political systems are often a bar to membership. Some Islamic states like Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania and Indonesia are members in good standing. Burma and Aden, former colonies, chose not to join. Former protectorates like Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, the UAE, Israel, Iraq and Bahrain opted not to join upon independence. The US, although a former colony, for some reason elected not to join, but obviously loyalties are still strong. Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 and so cannot.

Since membership is purely voluntary any member can choose to leave at any time. Any nation can be suspended but there is no provision for expulsion. When a nation becomes a republic they cease to be a member until they get permission from the Heads of Government to join as a republic. The Republic of Ireland left and despite repeated raising of the issue in the Irish Parliament has not agreed to rejoin.

So, what�s in it for us all as members? The Commonwealth Heads of Government met in Malta this past November. These leaders discussed how they could strengthen networks of cooperation to benefit the developing member states and how information and communication technology can be used �to bridge the digital divide among the developed and developing countries of the Commonwealth�.

The Heads of Government body reaffirmed, in a separate �Gozo Statement on Vulnerable Small States�, its concern over the, �erosion of preferential trade access arrangements; rapidly growing debt burdens; additional demands and compliance costs associated with the global efforts to combat terrorism; increased environmental risks associated with more frequent and severe natural disasters; the spread of HIV/AIDS and its impacts; and rising levels of youth unemployment.� They pledged to assist these smaller states in diversifying their economies and shoring up areas where they are vulnerable.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon, stated that poverty was the �scandal� of the 21^st century, and that must be addressed. The Commonwealth, he writes, is determined to help member countries reach Millennium Development Goals, to �consolidate democracy and good governance� and protect human rights in these weaker states.

The Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered in London, England. It was granted observer status to the U.N. in 1976. Over 400 officers from 30 member countries provide technical assistance and coordination, policy advice and aid for various areas of cooperation like international affairs, legal matters, rural and industrial development, economic management, the Commonwealth Youth Program, science and technology, women�s issues, health and education.

But it�s not all business. Sport and culture are also major unifiers. The Commonwealth Games take place every four years, half way between the Summer Olympics. Only Commonwealth member athletes are invited to take part, and some sports that are played in these countries, but not around the world, are included. Skeetshooting, field hockey, bowls and rugby are added to the usual track events. This spring Melbourne, Australia, will host the Games.

The Association of Commonwealth Universities provides scholarships to students to study at these institutions. The Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies has nine chapters and holds a conference every three years. The next one will be in 2007 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Fiction writers compete to win the Commonwealth Writers Prize. The Booker Prize is annually awarded to a Commonwealth or Irish Republic author, although it is not officially affiliated with the Commonwealth.

Other organizations include the Commonwealth Institute, the Commonwealth Science Council, the Commonwealth Foundation and dozens more Associations. These were set up to assist professionals with their issues concerning architecture, planning, taxation, broadcasting, dental health, judicial issues, medicine, government, economics, education, and much more.

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group has been assisting Nigeria to get on its democratic feet and handling some of the trickier diplomatic issues plaguing Fiji and the Solomon Islands. Zimbabwe will remain suspended as long as its despotic leader Robert Mugabe remains alive. Pakistan was suspended after its military coup in 1999, but its efforts to restore democracy have been insufficient to warrant reinstatement, much to President Musharraf�s ongoing annoyance. As long as it remains a terrorism source it will not be.

A quarter of the earth�s population, including about 400 million Muslims, lives in the Commonwealth. It spans all continents. It is large enough to represent multiple interests but small enough to zero in on special problems when necessary. Its model has inspired some ex-colonies of Spain, Portugal and France to set up their own free associations based on common language, laws and trade.

This all costs plenty of money but the Commonwealth Secretariat doesn�t get near what it needs to keep up all these programs, particularly now in the face of expanding conflicts, natural disasters, fragmentation of religious groups and ever-growing poverty in many of its developing member states.

The Queen is recognized as the symbolic Head of the Commonwealth. She is also Head-of-State of many member countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and numerous Caribbean and South Pacific islands. Others like Tonga have their own monarchs.

She hosts any member Head of State or Government that comes to London, and also acts as official Host at all Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings. Although she does not attend the actual meetings she does meet privately with each representative so she knows exactly what is going on unofficially. She has always made it her business to keep the ties that bind strong by traveling extensively throughout the Commonwealth during her more than five decades as Sovereign. She has always been the steadying influence because of the collective respect she generates. But the Heads can always pass on Prince Charles when he comes to the throne and elect someone else. It is up to him to decide if he wants this post. But without someone as its anchor, who is above the political fray, would the organization�s unity start to crumble? Time will tell.

Five hundred years worth of Empire building history is exhibited in the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum, located in an old railroad terminal in Bristol, England, and is well worth a visit. Check out its website at www.empiremuseum.co.uk.

Encourage your children to look it up. If they are lucky maybe their teachers will mention that March 13 is Commonwealth Day, and explain to them why this is worth noting, but I doubt it.

Perhaps your children could explain it to their teachers.