Mmonwealth discusses creating human rights commissioner | Law. A proposal to reform the Commonwealth, designed to improve the way in which the 54-nation body monitors human rights, is expected to be watered down amid unease among southern African countries. Commonwealth leaders have been holding what were described as difficult conversations on a proposal to create a new commissioner on the rule of law, democracy and human rights.
The proposal to create the role is a key recommendation by the Eminent Persons Group, which was established to improve the Commonwealth's reputation on human rights. The group, which includes the former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, believes the Commonwealth has a reasonable record in ejecting members where an elected government is overthrown in a military coup. But it believes that the Commonwealth fails to live up to a declaration, signed in Harare, to condemn "severe and persistent violations of democracy and human rights". One source said: "It is not a done deal. Commonwealth Foundation Home. Commonwealth Secretariat - Member States. Fifty-three countries are members of The Commonwealth.
Our countries span Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific and are diverse – they are amongst the world’s largest, smallest, richest and poorest countries. Thirty-one of our members are classified as small states – countries with a population size of 1.5million people or less and larger member states that share similar characteristics with them. Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth of Nations, commonly known as the Commonwealth (also, the British Commonwealth),[1] is an intergovernmental organisation of 53 member states[2] that were mostly territories of the former British Empire. The Commonwealth operates by intergovernmental consensus of the member states, organised through the Commonwealth Secretariat, and non-governmental organisations, organised through the Commonwealth Foundation.[3] The Commonwealth dates back to the mid 20th century with the decolonization of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories.
It was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which established the member states as "free and equal".[4] The symbol of this free association is Queen Elizabeth II who is the Head of the Commonwealth. The Queen is also the monarch of 16 members of the Commonwealth, known as Commonwealth realms. Member states have no legal obligation one to another. History[edit] Origin[edit] Dominions[edit] List of militaries that recruit foreigners - Wiki. B[edit] BangladeshBangladesh Army - Recruits the Palestinians who come for training in the Bangladesh Military Academy. BelgiumBelgian Armed Forces - Any citizen of a country of the European Union is eligible to join the forces. F[edit] FranceFrench Foreign Legion - Recruits from throughout the world. I[edit] L[edit] LuxembourgLuxembourg Army - Any citizen of a country of the European Union who has resided in Luxembourg for at least thirty-six months and is at least eighteen years old but not yet twenty-four is eligible to join the army.
M[edit] N[edit] New ZealandNew Zealand Defence Force - Citizenship not formally required for enlistment, but full New Zealand citizenship and passport required for deployment. P[edit] PakistanPakistan has special regiments for Palestinians and other Arab nationals that undergo training within the country. R[edit] RussiaThe Russian Armed Forces are accepting foreigners of any country to their ranks. S[edit] U[edit] References[edit] The Commonwealth. Young Commonwealth. Commonwealth Secretariat - Home. Contact Us. Queen Elizabeth II opens Commonwealth summit in Perth. 28 October 2011Last updated at 10:11 The Queen said the summit would bring "new vibrancy" to the Commonwealth The Queen has said women should have a greater role in society, as she opened a Commonwealth summit which will discuss the law on royal succession. Countries with the Queen as monarch have to decide whether they want sons and daughters of any future UK monarch to have equal right to the throne.
The Queen's speech in Perth, Australia, did not mention the issue but did highlight equality as a key issue. Prime Minister David Cameron said he would be backing the change. Under the current succession laws, dating back more than 300 years, the heir to the throne is the first-born son of the monarch. Arriving in Perth, the prime minister said the marriage of Prince William this year meant the issue could not be deferred any longer. "I think the time has come to change the rules so that if the royal couple have a girl rather than a boy then that little girl would be our queen," he said.