Committee on Commonwealth Membership
The Committee on Commonwealth Membership (CCM) was a committee convened by the Commonwealth Secretariat in 2006 to examine and report on prospective changes to the membership criteria of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was chaired by P. J. Patterson, formerly Prime Minister of Jamaica, and consisted of seven other members.[1]
The committee met twice, both times in
.Composition
- P. J. Patterson (Jamaica)
- Guido de Marco (Malta)
- Rebecca Kadaga (Uganda)
- Baroness Valerie Amos (United Kingdom)
- Cheryl Carolus (South Africa)
- Yashwant Sinha (India)
- Tuiloma Neroni Slade (Samoa)
- Olivia MacAngus (Canada)[1]
The committee was also attended by the Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Florence Mugasha, and Head of the Political Affairs Division, Matthew Neuhaus.[1]
Recommendations
The Committee's reported to the 2007 CHOGM in the name of all the members, without dissenting opinion. It was drafted by W. David McIntyre, who also served as a consultant to the Committee.[4] The report supported the prevailing and existing requirements as established by the Edinburgh Declaration. It dictated that the core criteria for membership should be that countries:
- 'As a general rule', have historic constitutional connections with an existing member, or a 'substantial' relationship with the Commonwealth as an institution or a particular group of members.
- Accept the Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth principles.
- Demonstrate commitment to democracy, the rule of law, good governance, and protecting human rights and equality of opportunity.
- Use English as the language of Commonwealth relations.
- Recognise Queen Elizabeth II as Head of the Commonwealth.[4]
The Committee also recommended that new members be 'encouraged' to join the
Footnotes
- ^ S2CID 219623317.
- ^ "Committee to meet on Commonwealth membership". Commonwealth Secretariat. 6 December 2006. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- S2CID 219629130.
- ^ a b c "Report on the Committee on Commonwealth Membership". Commonwealth Secretariat. Archived from the original on 2009-04-26. Retrieved 2008-06-13.