Context:
10th Commonwealth Parliament Association India Region Conference was held.
Commonwealth:
- A voluntary association of countries, mostly former British colonies, collaborating on various issues like democracy, trade, and climate change.
- Genesis –
- 1926 – British Commonwealth of Nations formed at the Imperial Conference.
- 1947 – India’s independence; India wanted to remain in the Commonwealth as a republic.
- 1949 – London Declaration allowed republics to join, establishing the Modern Commonwealth.
- Current Members – 56, including India.
- Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting – Held every 2 years (latest in Rwanda, 2022).
- Key Organizations –
- Commonwealth Secretariat (CS) – Supports members’ goals (HQ: London).
- Commonwealth Foundation (CF) – Promotes democracy and development (HQ: London).
- Commonwealth of Learning (COL) – Advocates for open learning (HQ: Burnaby, Canada).
- Key Information –
- No charter, treaty, or constitution.
- Decisions by consensus; all members are equal.
- Head of the Commonwealth chosen by member countries.
- Suspension for human rights breaches (e.g., Fiji, Pakistan, Zimbabwe).
- Major Initiatives –
- 1971 Declaration of Commonwealth Principles, 1991 Harare Declaration – Related to democracy and human rights
- Commonwealth Charter (2012) – Includes 16 core principles like Rule of Law.
- Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP).
- Commonwealth Cyber Declaration (2018).
- Clean Ocean Alliance, Blue Charter, Climate Finance Access Hub – Climate change initiatives under Commonwealth
India and the Commonwealth:
- Largest member state with 60% of the population.
- 4th largest contributor.
- Hosted CHOGM (1983) and CWG (2010) in New Delhi.
- Commonwealth Sub Window (US$ 50 Million) under India-UN Development Fund established for SDG and Climate Action projects.
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
Constitutional government means
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2021 Prelims]
(a) a representative government of a nation with federal structure
(b) a government whose Head enjoys nominal powers
(c) a government whose Head enjoys real powers
(d) a government limited by the terms of the Constitution
Answer: (d)
