Editing Commonwealth Secretariat (section)

== Membership ==
[[File:Commonwealth games 2006 countries map.PNG|thumb|314x314px|The Member Countries of the Commonwealth]]
The Commonwealth Secretariat comprises 56 independent countries, 33 small states (states with a population of 1.5 million or less), and 2.7 billion citizens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Member countries |url=https://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=Commonwealth |language=en}}</ref> As of November 2007, when the [[List of Commonwealth heads of government|Commonwealth Heads of Government]] held a meeting in Uganda, they reviewed and solidified the rules for membership into the Secretariat. The Commonwealth Secretariat outlines these membership rules:

# The applicant country should have had a past constitutional association with an existing Commonwealth member.
# Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, except in save for exceptional circumstances.
# The applicant country is expected to abide by the fundamental values written out in the [https://thecommonwealth.org/declaration-commonwealth-principles-1971 1971 Declaration of Commonwealth Principles]
# The applicant country should show commitment to democracy and its processes, such as "free and fair elections and representative legislatures; the rule of law and independence of the judiciary; good governance, including a well-trained public service and transparent public accounts; and protection of human rights, freedom of expression, and equality of opportunity."
# The applicant country should embrace the Commonwealth norms and agreements, such as "the use of the English language as the medium of inter-Commonwealth relations, and acknowledge [[Charles III|His Majesty King Charles III]] as the Head of the Commonwealth."
# Lastly, newly admitted members are encouraged to join the [https://commonwealthfoundation.com/ Commonwealth Foundation] and to advance strong [[civil society]] and business organizations within their respective countries, and promoting democratic practices.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joining the Commonwealth |url=https://thecommonwealth.org/about/joining |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Commonwealth |language=en}}</ref>
Any country can join the Commonwealth Secretariat. [[Gabon]] and [[Togo]] were the most recent states to join in 2022.<ref name=":1" />

=== Member States ===

==== Africa ====

* 🇧🇼 [[Botswana]]
* 🇨🇲 [[Cameroon]]
* 🇬🇦 [[Gabon]]
* 🇬🇲 [[The Gambia|Gambia, The]]
* 🇬🇭 [[Ghana]]
* 🇰🇪 [[Kenya]]
* 🇸🇿 [[Eswatini|Kingdom of Eswatini]]
* 🇱🇸 [[Lesotho]]
* 🇲🇼 [[Malawi]]
* 🇲🇺 [[Mauritius]]
* 🇲🇿 [[Mozambique]]
* 🇳🇦 [[Namibia]]
* 🇳🇬 [[Nigeria]]
* 🇷🇼 [[Rwanda]]
* 🇸🇨 [[Seychelles]]
* 🇸🇱 [[Sierra Leone]]
* 🇿🇦 [[South Africa]]
* 🇹🇬 [[Togo]]
* 🇺🇬 [[Uganda]]
* 🇹🇿 [[Tanzania|United Republic of Tanzania]]
* 🇿🇲 [[Zambia]]

==== Asia ====

* 🇧🇩 [[Bangladesh]]
* 🇧🇳 [[Brunei|Brunei Darussalam]]
* 🇮🇳 [[India]]
* 🇲🇾 [[Malaysia]]
* 🇲🇻 [[Maldives]]
* 🇵🇰 [[Pakistan]]
* 🇸🇬 [[Singapore]]
* 🇱🇰 [[Sri Lanka]]

==== Caribbean and Americas ====

* 🇦🇬 [[Antigua and Barbuda]]
* 🇧🇸 [[The Bahamas|Bahamas, The]]
* 🇧🇧 [[Barbados]]
* 🇧🇿 [[Belize]]
* 🇨🇦 [[Canada]]
* 🇩🇲 [[Dominica]]
* 🇬🇩 [[Grenada]]
* 🇬🇾 [[Guyana]]
* 🇯🇲 [[Jamaica]]
* 🇱🇨 [[Saint Lucia]]
* 🇰🇳 [[Saint Kitts and Nevis|St Kitts and Nevis]]
* 🇻🇨 [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines|St Vincent and the Grenadines]]
* 🇹🇹 [[Trinidad and Tobago]]

==== Europe ====

* 🇨🇾 [[Cyprus]]
* 🇲🇹 [[Malta]]
* 🇬🇧 [[United Kingdom]]

==== Pacific ====

* 🇦🇺 [[Australia]]
* 🇫🇯 [[Fiji]]
* 🇰🇮 [[Kiribati]]
* 🇳🇷 [[Nauru]]
* 🇳🇿 [[New Zealand]]
* 🇵🇬 [[Papua New Guinea]]
* 🇼🇸 [[Samoa]]
* 🇸🇧 [[Solomon Islands]]
* 🇹🇴 [[Tonga]]
* 🇹🇻 [[Tuvalu]]
* 🇻🇺 [[Vanuatu]]

=== Vision ===
The Commonwealth Secretariat aids in building and maintaining the Commonwealth where all member states are "mutually respectful, resilient, peaceful and prosperous" and values equality and diversity.<ref name=":1" />

=== Mission ===
The Commonwealth Secretariat strives to support their member states and their governments through working with other Commonwealth states and globally promoting their shared values to benefit and improve the well-being of all individuals in the Commonwealth.<ref name=":1" />