And of nations eligible to join, very few chose not to do so. The Commonwealth had no charter until 2013 and membership is entirely voluntary. The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent sovereign states… consulting and cooperating in the common interests of their peoples and in the promotion of international understanding and world peace.

The most widely-used definition of the Commonwealth is taken from the Declaration of Commonwealth Principles, 1971: Intergovernmental consultation is its main source of direction, enabling member governments to collaborate to influence world events, and setting up programmes carried out bilaterally or by the Commonwealth Secretariat, the association’s main executive agency. It works from understood procedures, traditions and periodic statements of belief or commitment to action. However, the Commonwealth has no formal constitutional structure. There are 53 member countries in the Commonwealth. With their common heritage in language, culture, law, education and democratic traditions, among other things, Commonwealth countries are able to work together in an atmosphere of greater trust and understanding than generally prevails among nations. The Commonwealth is an association of sovereign nations which support each other and work together towards international goals.

What is the meaning of commonwealth