Commonwealth Secretariat
  1. The Commonwealth Home
  2. Key Declarations
    1. Harare Commonwealth Declaration, 1991
    2. The Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme on the Harare Declaration, 1995
    3. Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles 1971
  3. Members
    1. Membership of the Commonwealth: Report of the Committee on Commonwealth Membership
  4. Head of the Commonwealth
  5. CHOGM
  6. History
    1. Modern Commonwealth
    2. Timeline
  7. Symbol and Flag
  8. Civil Society
    1. Core Information 1 to 3
    2. Core Information 4 to 7
    3. Core Information 8
    4. Core Information 9 and 10
  9. Commonwealth Family
    1. Association of Commonwealth Amnesty International Sections (ACAIS)
    2. Association of Commonwealth Archivists and Records Managers (ACARM)
    3. Association of Commonwealth Examination and Accreditation Bodies (ACEAB)
    4. Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies (ACLALS)
    5. Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
    6. British Empire and Commonwealth Museum
    7. Commonwealth Association
    8. Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA)
    9. Commonwealth Association of Indigenous Peoples (CAIP)
    10. Commonwealth Association for Mental Handicap and Developmental Disabilities (CAMHADD)
    11. Commonwealth Association of Museums
    12. Commonwealth Association for Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (CAPGAN)
    13. Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP)
    14. Commonwealth Association of Professional Centres
    15. Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM)
    16. Commonwealth Association of Public Sector Lawyers
    17. Commonwealth Association of Science, Technology and Mathematics Educators (CASTME)
    18. Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy (CASLE)
    19. Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA)
    20. Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA)
    21. Commonwealth Business Council (CBC)
    22. Commonwealth Centre for Electronic Governance (CCEG)
    23. Commonwealth Consortium for Education (CCfE)
    24. Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management (CCEAM)
    25. Commonwealth Countries’ League (CCL)
    26. Commonwealth Countries’ League Education Fund
    27. Commonwealth Dental Association (CDA)
    28. Commonwealth Engineers Council (CEC)
    29. Commonwealth Education Trust
    30. Commonwealth Forestry Association (CFA)
    31. Commonwealth Foundation
    32. Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF)
    33. Commonwealth Geographical Bureau (CGB)
    34. Commonwealth Group of Family Planning Associations
    35. Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association
    36. Commonwealth Historians Society
    37. Commonwealth Human Ecology Council (CHEC)
    38. Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)
    39. The Commonwealth Jewish Council and Trust
    40. The Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA)
    41. Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute (CJEI)
    42. Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA)
    43. Commonwealth of Learning (COL)
    44. Commonwealth Legal Advisory Service (CLAS)
    45. Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA)
    46. Commonwealth Library Association (COMLA)
    47. Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF)
    48. Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association (CMJA)
    49. Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA)
    50. Commonwealth Medical Trust (Commat)
    51. Commonwealth Network of Information Technology for Development (COMNET-IT)
    52. Commonwealth Nurses Federation
    53. Commonwealth Organisation for Social Work (COSW)
    54. Representative to Commonwealth Institutions (UK)
    55. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)
    56. Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management (CPTM)
    57. Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association (CPA)
    58. Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit (CPSU)
    59. Commonwealth Press Union (CPU)
    60. Commonwealth Relations Trust
    61. Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP)
    62. The Commonwealth Society for the Deaf – Sound Seekers
    63. Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO)
    64. Commonwealth Tourism Centre (CTC)
    65. Commonwealth Universities Study Abroad Consortium (CUSAC)
    66. Commonwealth Veterinary Association (CVA)
    67. Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC)
    68. Commonwealth Women’s Network (CWN)
    69. Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council (CYEC)
    70. Conference of Commonwealth Meteorologists (CCM)
    71. The Council of Commonwealth Societies (CCS)
    72. Council for Education in the Commonwealth (CEC)
    73. The English-Speaking Union of the Commonwealth (ESU)
    74. Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICS)
    75. League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers (LECT)
    76. Organisation of Commonwealth United Nations Associations (OCUNA)
    77. The Round Table: Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs (CJIA)
    78. Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC)
    79. Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL)
    80. The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS)
    81. Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL)
    82. Sight Savers International (The Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind) (RCSB)
    83. Soroptimist International Commonwealth Group (SICG)
    84. Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship (VLCF)
  10. Commonwealth Tour

Core Information 4 to 7

4. COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING (CHOGM)

The CHOGM is held every two years in a different Commonwealth country. Organisations Accredited to the Commonwealth may apply for accreditation to CHOGM. Organisations accredited to CHOGM may submit briefs and papers, and have access to a special CSO lounge equipped with computers and photocopying equipment and where they can receive CHOGM papers. A few weeks before CHOGM, a meeting of the Committee of the Whole (COW) takes place in London where senior officials make plans for the CHOGM. Since 2003, CSOs have been invited to a special consultation with members of the COW to put forward their issues.

The Commonwealth Foundation organises a Commonwealth Peoples Forum at the time of CHOGM, and runs activities for CSOs in the lead up to CHOGM. It works closely with staff of the Political Affairs Division of the Secretariat to enable the CSO concerns to be heard at CHOGM.

5. CIVIL SOCIETY CONSULTATIONS

The Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Foundation co-host civil society consultations twice a year for Commonwealth organisations accredited to the Commonwealth and selected CSOs involved in areas of work relevant to the agenda of the meeting. The overall objective of these meetings is to provide a forum for the discussion of issues of common interest to the Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth Foundation and CSOs. The meetings are normally held in London at Marlborough House . Minutes of these meetings are available.

6. CSO FOCUS GROUPS AND THE COOLUM COMMITTEE

Organisations accredited to the Commonwealth, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working with the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Foundation are invited to form focus groups around a certain topic or theme. The groups meet from time to time to share information and experiences, and to coordinate their input to Commonwealth activities and meetings. Representatives of focus groups attend the meetings of the Coolum Committee, a twice-yearly meeting of senior staff of the three main agencies of the Commonwealth, the Secretariat, the Commonwealth Foundation and the Commonwealth of Learning . Minutes of these meetings are available.

7. THE COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

The Commonwealth Foundation is a separate intergovernmental organisation of the Commonwealth, funded by Commonwealth governments, and mandated to promote the involvement of civil society in the Commonwealth. It facilitates the participation of CSOs in Commonwealth priority areas of work and organises programmes in areas of key interest to CSOs such as 'citizens and governance' and strengthening civil society-government relations. The Foundation is advised by a Civil Society Advisory Committee of 15 CSOs from around the Commonwealth which meets twice a year. Five members of the Civil Society Advisory Committee are members of the Foundation's Board of Governors which meets annually. Two CSAC members are members of its Executive Committee which meets twice a year. The Foundation is the only intergovernmental organisation in the world with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) formally integrated into its key governance structures.