Queen Archives - Page 6 of 7 - Commonwealth Oral History Project

Tony Eggleton: Reflections

by rcraggs | Jun 17, 2014 | Australia, CHOGM, Commonwealth Secretariat, Development, Diplomacy, Media, Queen, Rhodesia (see also Zimbabwe), Written Responses

The following document, written June 2014, contains the memories of Tony Eggleton of his engagements with the Commonwealth in the course of his career. Download Document PDF Australian Prime Ministers and the Commonwealth of Nations I worked with Robert Menzies for...

Interview with Peter Slinn

by rcraggs | Jan 28, 2014 | Apartheid, Civil Society, Commonwealth Secretariat, Constitutional Change, Decolonisation, Democracy, Diplomacy, Elections, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Good Governance, Human Rights, Law, Malawi, Queen, Rhodesia (see also Zimbabwe), South Africa, Tanzania, Uncategorized, Zambia, Zimbabwe (see also Rhodesia)

Download interview Transcript. Biography: Slinn, Peter. Oxford (MA), London (PhD); Legal Advisor, UK Commonwealth Relations Office/Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1967-1977; Professor of international, constitutional and natural resources law at the School of...

The Commonwealth: Crisis, Controversy and CHOGMS

by commonwealth-oral-history-project | Nov 14, 2013 | Blog, CHOGM, Commonwealth Secretariat, Diplomacy, Human Rights, India, Queen, Rhodesia (see also Zimbabwe), South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe (see also Rhodesia)

by Dr. Sue Onslow The disastrous decision for Sri Lanka to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, taken in 2009 and reaffirmed at the 2011 Perth CHOGM, has come back to bite the Commonwealth on the backside. The Canadian and Indian heads of Government have...

Interview with Sir Malcolm Rifkind

by rcraggs | Oct 26, 2013 | Apartheid, Australia, Canada, CHOGM, Civil Society, Commonwealth Secretariat, Democracy, Diplomacy, Eminent Persons Group, European Economic Community, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Human Rights, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Queen, Rhodesia (see also Zimbabwe), Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Uncategorized, United Kingdom, United Nations, USA, Zambia, Zimbabwe (see also Rhodesia)

Download Interview Transcript: Part One (8 January 2013); Part Two (12 March 2013). Biography: Rifkind, Rt. Hon. Sir Malcolm. 1946- . KCMG 1997. PC 1986. Lectured at University of Rhodesia, 1967–68. Visiting Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities,...

Interview with Lord Hurd of Westwell

by rcraggs | Oct 26, 2013 | Apartheid, Australia, Cameroon, Canada, CHOGM, Commonwealth Secretariat, Democracy, Diplomacy, European Economic Community, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, India, Mozambique, New Zealand, Nigeria, Queen, Rhodesia (see also Zimbabwe), Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe (see also Rhodesia)

Download Interview Transcript. Biography: Hurd, Douglas. (1930-present) House of Commons, Member of Parliament for Mid Oxon, 1974-1983. Member of Parliament for Witney, 1983-1997. Opposition Spokesman for Europe, 1976-1979. Foreign and Commonwealth office, Minister of...

Interview with Sir Ronald Sanders

by rcraggs | Oct 4, 2013 | Apartheid, Australia, Barbados, Canada, CHOGM, Commonwealth Secretariat, Democracy, Development, Diplomacy, Elections, Eminent Persons Group, European Economic Community, Fiji, Good Governance, Grenada, Human Rights, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Mozambique, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Queen, Race, Rhodesia (see also Zimbabwe), Singapore, Small States, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, United Nations, USA, Zimbabwe (see also Rhodesia)

Download Interview Transcripts: Part One (12th November 2012); Part Two (16th October 2013). Biography: Sanders, Sir Ronald Michael KCMG, KCN (1948 – ) Public Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister of Guyana, 1973-76; Representative to UNO, New York ( – 1983)...

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Definitioner

Richard Bourne

Richard Bourne (b.1940) is a British journalist, writer and human rights advocate who has acted as Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Institute (1983-89), Director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (1990-92) and Head of the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit (1999-2005). He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, Secretary of the Ramphal Institute, and was a correspondent for The Guardian and deputy editor of the London Evening Standard.

Jacob Zuma

Jacob Zuma (b.1942) is a South African politician who was elected President of South Africa in the 2009 general elections. He assumed office as President of the African National Congress in 2007 and was Deputy President of South Africa from 1999 to 2005.

Patriot Act

The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of Congress that became law in October 2001 under the Presidency of George W Bush. Its name is an acronym for ‘Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism’. The legislation has been roundly criticised by civil liberties groups in the United States and elsewhere for the sweeping powers it allows in terms of surveillance and the indefinite detention of immigrants.

Mahinda Rajapaksa

Percy Mahendra ‘Mahinda’ Rajapaksa (b.1945) is a Sri Lankan politician who served as President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015. He had previously acted as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (2004-05) and as Leader of the Opposition (2002-04).

Lester Bird

Sir Lester Bird (b.1938) is a lawyer and Antiguan politician who served as Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda from 1994 to 2000. He was Chairman of the Antigua Labour Party from 1971 to 1983.

George W Bush

George Walker Bush (b.1946) is an American political figure and businessman who served as President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was previously Governor of Texas (1995-2000), and before entering politics was involved in the American oil industry.

Paul Scoon

Sir Paul Godwin Scoon (1935-2013) was a Grenadian political figure and civil servant who was Governor-General of Grenada from 1978 to 1992. He had previously acted as Secretary to the Cabinet – the head of Grenada’s Civil Service – and Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Foundation in London. Scoon played a key role in the fall of the People’s Revolutionary Government in the 1980s, offering his support for an American-led Invasion of Grenada in 1983.

Kamla Persad (Kamla Persad-Bissessar)

Kamla Persad-Bissessar (b.1952) is a politician in Trinidad and Tobago who was elected Prime Minister of her country in 2010. Persad-Bissessar is the political leader of the United National Congress, and in 2001 served as Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago.

Ronald Sanders

Sir Ronald Sanders (b.1948) is a Caribbean political figure and diplomat who has served as Public Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister of Guyana (1973-76), Deputy Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations (1981-82), and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom for Antigua and Barbuda (1983-87,1995-2004). He was part of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group (2010-11) and has held senior positions in UNESCO (1983-87) and as Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation.

New Jewel Movement

The New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education, and Liberation, commonly known as the New JEWEL Movement (NJM), was a Grenadian political party led by Maurice Bishop and informed by Marxist-Leninist principles. Established in 1973, the NJM existed as an opposition political party before overthrowing the government of Eric Gairy in a 1979 armed revolution. In 1983, an American-led invasion ('Operation Urgent Fury') saw the end of the New Jewel experiment and the restoration of the pre-revolution Grenadian constitution.

Eric Gairy

Sir Eric Matthew Gairy (1922-1997) was a Grenadian politician who served as the first Prime Minister of Grenada (1974-79). Gairy was also head of Government in pre-Independence Grenada, acting as Chief Minister (1961-62) and Premier (1967-74). He was overthrown in a coup led by Maurice Bishop in 1979.

Gairy (Eric Gairy)

Alister McIntyre

Sir Meredith Alister McIntyre (b.1932) is a Grenadian economist and development planner who played a key role in the movement toward Caribbean integration as Secretary General of CARICOM from 1974-77 and Vice Chairman of the West Indian Commission. During his international career, McIntyre also served as Director of the Commodities Division, UNCTAD, Deputy Secretary General of UNCTAD, and Assistant Secretary General at the United Nations in New York. From 1988 to 1998 he was Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, and later acted as Chief Technical Advisor to the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery.

Organisation of American States

The Organisation of American States (OAS) was established in 1948 as an inter-continental body promoting regional cooperation and collaboration. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the OAS includes 35 member states. In 2015, the Uruguayan lawyer and politician Luis Almagro was appointed Secretary General.

Department for International Development

The Department for International Development (DFID) is the British government department in charge of administering overseas aid, defining its object as the elimination of world poverty and the promotion of sustainable development.

Senate House

The Senate House, University of London, is home to the University’s Central Academic Bodies, the Vice-Chancellor’s Offices, and the various research institutes of the School of Advanced Study. The Institute of Commonwealth Studies has been based in Senate House since 2009.

Marlborough House

Marlborough House is a 17^th century mansion in the City of Westminster, central London, which has served as the headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat since 1953.

Pindling (Lynden Pindling)

Lynden Oscar Pindling (1930-2000) served as Prime Minister of the Bahamas from 1969 to 1992. The first black premier of the Colony of the Bahama Islands from 1967 to 1969, he is regarded as the ‘Father of the Nation’ of the Bahamas, leading it to majority rule and independence in 1973.

Goa Declaration

The Goa Declaration was a statement on International Security made by Commonwealth Leaders from Fort Aguada, Goa, India, in 1983. In the Declaration, the leaders condemned the extension of nuclear arsenals in the context of the Cold War and called for resources to be devoted to development partnerships rather than weaponry. A copy is available online via the Margaret Thatcher Foundation Archive.

Abdullah Badawi

Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (b.1939) is a Malaysian politician who succeeded Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to become the 5^th Prime Minister of Malaysia, serving this office between 2003 and 2009. Until 2006, he also acted as Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement, replacing Fidel Castro in this post in 2003. From 2009-11, Badawi served as Chair of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group.

Troika

Refers to incumbent, previous, and next Chairpersons-in-Office of the Commonwealth, who, after the 2002 CHOGM, met to try to resolve the dispute over Zimbabwe’s membership of the Commonwealth.

PJ Patterson

Percival Noel James Patterson (b. 1935) is a prominent Jamaican political figure. He was leader of the People’s National Party and Prime Minister of Jamaica, 1992-2006.

Gordon Brown

James Gordon Brown (b. 1951). British politician. He was Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party, 2007-10 and Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1997-2007.

Jagdeo (Bharrat Jagdeo)

Bharrat Jagdeo (b. 1964). Guyanese politician and member of the PPP. He was President of Guyana, 1999-2011. In December 2011 his term of office came to an end, and he was succeeded by Donald Ramotar.

ZANU

Zimbabwe African National Union. A militant political organisation founded in 1963 to campaign against white minority rule in Rhodesia. It won power in 1980, and in 1987 merged with ZAPU to form ZANU-PF.

WTO

The World Trade Organization. International organisation that aims to manage and organise liberalisation of international trade. Established in 1995, the WTO replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade signed in 1947

World Bank

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. An international institution, founded in 1944, that funds development projects

Whitehall

London street. Site of many government buildings, the term ‘Whitehall’ is often used to refer to the bureaucracy of the British government.

Caspar Weinberger

Caspar Weinberger (1919-2006). US Secretary of Defence (1981-1987).

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. A United Nations agency founded in 1946.

UNCTAD

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Established in 1964 to promote to trade, investment and development opportunities in developing countries.

United Nations. Major international organisation, founded in 1945.

Trinidad and Tobago in 2009

The 2009 CHOGM was held in Trinidad and Tobago and robustly reaffirmed the Commonwealth’s core values.

Thatcher’s Government tightened student visas

The Thatcher government from 1979 took various measures to tighten up nationality and citizenship laws in 1981. After re-election in 1983 her government introduced visa requirements for certain Commonwealth countries.

soft power

A concept used to explain an emphasis on a attracting and co-opting power as opposed to coercive or forceful power.

Arnold Smith

Arnold Smith (1915 –1994). Canadian diplomat, the first Commonwealth Secretary-General (1965–1975).

Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh (b. 1932). Indian politician and economist, he served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014.

Singapore Declaration

The Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles was adopted at the 1971 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Singapore. Click here to read the Declaration in full.

Hugh Shearer

Hugh Shearer (1923-2004). Jamaican Prime Minister (1967-1972) and Foreign Minister (1980-1989).

Kamalesh Sharma

Kamalesh Sharma (b. 1941). Indian diplomat, Commonwealth Secretary-General from 2008-2016.

Hugh Segal

Hugh Segal (b. 1950). Canadian politician and a member of the 2010 Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group.

Security Council

A body, part of the United Nations organisation, charged with upholding of global peace and security.

Edward Seaga

Edward Seaga (b.1930). Jamaican politician and Prime Minister (1980-1989).

Ken Saro-Wiwa

Ken Saro-Wiwa (1941-1995). Nigerian writer and political and environmental activist. An outspoken critic of the regime of General Sani Abacha, and Royal Dutch Shell’s environmental pollution in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta, Saro Wiwa was executed on 10 November 1995. Eight other MOSOP activists were hanged.

Malcolm Rifkind

Sir Malcolm Rifkind (b.1946) is a British politician who served various ministerial roles in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including Secretary of State for Defence (1992-95) and Foreign Secretary (1995-97). From 2010 to 2015, Rifkind was Chair of the Parliament Intelligence and Security Committee.

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan (1911-2004). President of USA (1981-1989).

Shridath Ramphal

Shridath Surendranath 'Sonny' Ramphal (b. 1928). Guyanese politician, second Commonwealth Secretary-General (1975-1990).

Sonny Ramphal (Shridath Ramphal)

Shridath Surendranath 'Sonny' Ramphal (b. 1928). Guyanese politician, second Commonwealth Secretary-General (1975-1990).

Queen’s own visit to Ireland

The Queen and Prince Philip visited Ireland 17-20 May 2011.

Penguin

British publishers, founded in 1935

Pakistan’s membership of the Commonwealth

Pakistan left in 1972 in protest at the Commonwealth's recognition of Bangladesh’s statehood, but rejoined in 1989. Pakistan was also suspended from Commonwealth membership from 1999 to 2004 and from 2007 to 2008.

South African nuclear programme (Our nuclear weapons)

The South African government’s atomic weapons programme began in the 1960s. Six nuclear weapons are thought to have been constructed which were dismantled in the late 1980s, before the transition to majority rule.

Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), created in 1981, is an inter-governmental organisation focused on economic cooperation and the protection of human and legal rights in countries in the Eastern Caribbean.

OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States)

OECD

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. An global economic organisation of 34 countries to promote economic progress and international trade, founded in 1961.

Julius Nyerere

Julius Nyerere (1922-1999). Tanzanian politician and President (1961-1985).

Non-aligned movement

An international organisation of countries that are not aligned with any manjor world power, founded in 1961.

Non-alignment

A national foreign policy position of avowed neutrality towards major powers.

Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) was an Indian politician and prominent leader in the Indian National Congress-led movement for independence from colonial rule. He served as India's first Prime Minister from 1947 to his death in 1964. Nehru was also a key figure in the Non-Aligned Movement, present at its founding in Belgrade in 1961.

Nehru (Jawaharlal Nehru)

Nassau CHOGM

The Nassau Accord was passed by the 1985 CHOGM held in Nassau in The Bahamas. The Accord called on the government of South Africa to end apartheid, and launch negotiations with the country's black majority.

NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a trilateral trade agreement signed by Canada, Mexico and the United States and designed to eliminate tariffs and other barriers to economic cooperation. NAFTA came into force in 1994.

Brian Mulroney

Brian Mulroney (b. 1939). Canadian politician, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1983-93) and Prime Minister of Canada (1984-93).

Robert Muldoon

Sir Robert Muldoon (1921-1992). New Zealand politician and member of the National party. He was Prime Minister, 1975-84.

Robert Mugabe

Robert Mugabe (b.1924). Zimbabwean resistance leader and politician. Served as Prime Minister (1980-1987) and President (1987-) of Zimbabwe.

MDC

Movement for Democratic Change. The leading Zimbabwean opposition party, founded in 1999.

Daniel arap Moi

Daniel arap Moi (b.1924). President of Kenya (1977-2002).

Ministerial Group on Small States

Formed in 1985 to discuss issues of significance to small states.

Don McKinnon

Sir Donald McKinnon (b. 1939) is a New Zealand politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister for the National Party (1990-96), Foreign Minister (1990-99) and Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations (2000-08).

Thabo Mbeki

Thabo Mbeki (b.1942). South African politician. He has served as an African National Congress negotiator in the 1980s and 1990s, and as South African Deputy President (1994-1999) and President (1999-2008).

Peter Marshall

Peter Marshall (b. 1946). British diplomat, Deputy Secretary General (Economic & Social) Commonwealth Secretariat from 1983 to 1989.

Margaret Thatcher Foundation

An organisation that promotes the ideas of Margaret Thatcher, founded in 1991.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela (b. 1918). South African anti-apartheid campaigner and politician, served as South Africa’s first post-apartheid President (1994-1999).

Moni Malhoutra (Manmohan Malhoutra)

Manmohan Malhoutra (b. 1937). Indian diplomat, served in the Secretariat of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from 1966 to 1973 then joined the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, in 1974, to run the International Affairs Division.

John Major

John Major (b.1943). British politician, served, amongst other ministerial positions, as Foreign Secretary (1989) and Prime Minister (1990-1997).

London Special Conference

A Commonwealth conference held in 1986 calling for action against apartheid South Africa.

Michael Kirby

Michael Kirby (b.1939) is an Australian jurist who served as a Justice on the High Court of Australia between 1996 and 2009. He was President of the International Commission of Jurists (1995-98) and from 2009 to 2011 was a member of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group.

Kenneth Kaunda

Kenneth Kaunda (b.1924). Zambian politician and President (1964-1991).

Robin Jackman

Robin Jackman (b. 1945). Former English cricketer and commentator, who also played for South Africa in the 1970s.

IMF

International Monetary Fund. Created in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference, the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF's original aim was to stabilise exchange rates and aid national reconstruction after the end of the Second World War.

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Geoffrey Howe

Geoffrey Howe (b. 1926). Lord Howe of Aberavon. British politician, held various Cabinet positions in Margaret Thatcher’s government including Foreign Secretary (1983-1989).

Lord Howe (Geoffrey Howe)

Geoffrey Howe (b. 1926). Lord Howe of Aberavon. British politician, held various Cabinet positions in Margaret Thatcher’s government including Foreign Secretary (1983-1989).

John Howard

John Howard (b.1939). Prime Minister of Australia (1996-2007).

HIV/Aids

Human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system.

Edward Heath

Edward Heath (1916 –2005). British politician and Prime Minister (1970-1974).

Bob Hawke

Bob Hawke (b. 1929). Australian Prime Minister (1983-1991).

Harare Declaration

The Harare Commonwealth Declaration of 1991 set out the Commonwealth's principles and values, including membership criteria. Click here to read the Declaration in full.

Gleneagles Agreement

The Gleneagles Agreement was approved by Commonwealth leaders in Gleneagles, Scotland in 1977, supporting an international campaign against apartheid. Click here to read the Agreement in full.

Grenada invasion

The United States’ 1983 invasion of Grenada. The invasion was triggered by a coup in Grenada, but was opposed by Britain and Canada, partly because Grenada was a member of the Commonwealth.

Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard (b.1961) is an Australian politician who served as Prime Minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013.

GATT

The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. A multilateral agreement managing international trade, agreed in 1947 and succeeded in 1995 by the World Trade Organisation.

Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi (1944-1991). Indian politician, served as Prime Minister from 1984 to 1989.

Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi (1917-1984). Indian politician who served as Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977 and from 1980 to 1984.

G20

Inaugurated in 1999, the Group of Twenty brings together finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 major economies.

The group of 7 nations deemed the most industrialised, first formed in 1975 originally with 6 members.

Front Line States

A group of southern African states formed in 1970, which campaigned for democratic majority rule in South Africa.

Financial Action Task Force

An inter-governmental body set-up in 1989 by a G-7 summit held in Paris in 1989. The aim was to establish standards of legal, regulatory and operational measures for battling money laundering and terrorist financing.

Falklands War

The 1982 war between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the disputed sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, also known as the Malvinas, situated in the South Atlantic.

European Development Fund

Established in 1957 by the Treaty of Rome, and launched in 1959, today the EDF provides European Union development funding in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

EPG

Eminent Persons Group. A group of well-known individuals chosen by the Commonwealth to research a specific issue. The 1985 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting appointed an EPG to report on apartheid in South Africa, published in 1986 as Mission to South Africa. A second EPG was appointed in 2009 and tasked to produce a report on Commonwealth reform for 2011.

Edinburgh Games

The 1986 Commonwealth Games held in Edinburgh, boycotted by a large number of African, Asian and Caribbean states due to Thatcher’s refusal to support a sporting boycott of apartheid South Africa.

Delhi in 1983

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was held in New Delhi in 1983.

John Compton

Sir John Compton (1925–2007). Saint Lucian politician and Prime Minister (1979, 1982-1996, 2006-2007).

Communications Division

A department dealing with publicity and press in the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Commonwealth Secretariat

The Commonwealth Secretariat is the principal inter-governmental body of the Commonwealth, responsible for promoting cooperation between members. Founded in 1965.

CMAG

Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group. Established by Commonwealth Heads of Government in 1995, the CMAG upholds the terms of the Harare Declaration.

Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation

The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) is an organisation administered by the Commonwealth Secretariat that delivers technical assistance to Commonwealth member countries. A mutual and voluntary fund, it was established in 1971.

CFTC (Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation)

Commissioner for Democracy

Establishing a Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law, and Human Rights was one of the recommendations made by the Eminent Persons Group in their report to the 2011 CHOGM.

Bernard Coard

Bernard Coard (b.1944). Grenadian revolutionary politician who served as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister from 1979 to 1983. His attempted coup in 1983 helped to precipitate the US invasion of Grenada.

CHOGM

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Every two years Commonwealth heads of government meet to discuss global and Commonwealth issues, with the aim of promoting common initiatives.

Commonwealth Charter

The Commonwealth Charter was agreed in December 2012. The Charter sets out the principal values and aspiration of the modern Commonwealth. Click here to read the document in full.

Eugenia Charles

Eugenia Charles (1919-2005). Dominican politician and Prime Minister (1980-1995).

Prince Charles

Prince Charles (b. 1948). Heir to the throne of the UK and the other territories for which the British monarch is also Head of State.

Lord Carrington (Peter Carrington)

Peter Carrington, 6th Baron Carrington (b. 1919). British politician and member of the Conservative party. He was Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1979-82) and 6th Secretary General of NATO (1984-88). In 1979 he chaired the Lancaster House conference.

CARICOM

Caribbean Community. In 1972, Commonwealth Caribbean leaders at the Seventh Heads of Government Conference agreed to transform the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) into a Common Market and establish the Caribbean Community, of which the Common Market would be an integral part. The treaty establishing the Caribbean Community was signed at Chaguaramas on 4 July 1973.

Alec Cairncross

Alec Cairncross (1911-1998). British economist and civil servant.

George Bush

George Walker Bush (b. 1946). President of USA (2001-2009).

Robin Cook

Robin Cook (1946-2005). British politician, served as Foreign Secretary (1997-2001).

P.W. Botha (Pieter Willem Botha)

Pieter Willem Botha (1916 –2006). South African politican, served as Prime Minister (1978-1984) and the first executive State President (1984 to 1989).

British Commonwealth

The term used to describe the Commonwealth until 1949, reflecting British pre-eminence within it.

Tony Blair

Tony Blair (b. 1953). British politician, served as Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007.

Maurice Bishop

Maurice Bishop (1944-1983). Grenadian politician and Prime Minister (1979-1983). The New Jewel Party under Bishop seized power from Eric Gairy in 1979.

Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007). Pakistani Prime Minister from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996.

Bainimarama (Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama)

Josaia Voreqe 'Frank' Bainimarama (b. 1954). Fijian naval officer and politician, Prime Minister of Fiji since 2007.

Auckland CHOGM meeting

The Commonwealth Heads of Government met in Auckland, New Zealand in 1995. The CHOGM was dominated by events in Nigeria, country was suspended from the Commonwealth.

ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Formed in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a political and economic organization of Southeast Asian countries.

Owen Arthur

Owen Arthur (b. 1949). Prime Minister of Barbados from 1994 to 2008.

Robert Armstrong (Lord Armstrong)

Sir Robert Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of Ilminster, (b. 1927) is a British life peer and former civil servant. He served as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister from 1970 to 1975, and Secretary of the Cabinet under Margaret Thatcher from 1979 to 1987.

Apartheid

A system of legally enforced racial segregation implemented and upheld by the National Party in South Africa from 1948 – 1994

Emeka Anyaoku

Emeka Anyaoku (b. 1933). Nigerian diplomat. Served as Head of the Commonwealth International Affairs Division (1973-1977), Assistant Secretary General (1977-1979); Deputy Secretary General (1979-1991); Secretary General (1991-2001).

Anti-Apartheid Committee at the UN

The United Nations General Assembly established the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid was established in 1962.

American Embassy in Beirut

The American Embassy in Beirut was attacked on Saturday, 23 October 1983. 241 US Marines were killed. This followed an earlier suicide bomb attack on the Embassy, on 18 April 1983, in which 63 were killed, including 17 Americans.

African Union

The successor organisation to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) from 2002. It aims to promote greater cooperation and unity between member states.

Tom Adams

Tom Adams (1931-1985). Barbadian politician and Prime Minister (1976 -1985).

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher (1926-2013). British politician and Prime Minister (1979-1990).

Mrs Thatcher (Margaret Thatcher)

Margaret Thatcher (1926-2013). British politician and Prime Minister (1979-1990).

Tony Eggleton: Reflections

Interview with Peter Slinn

The Commonwealth: Crisis, Controversy and CHOGMS

Interview with Sir Malcolm Rifkind

Interview with Lord Hurd of Westwell

Interview with Sir Ronald Sanders

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