Commonwealth Chronology

Commonwealth Chronology of Key Events

1926 Imperial Conference: The UK and its Dominions agree they are ‘equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations’.

16 August 1930 The first British Empire Games (the forerunners of the Commonwealth Games), Hamilton, Canada.

11 December 1931 The Statute of Westminster formalises the Balfour Declaration (1926). Parliament renounces legislative power over the Dominions. It is adopted by Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland and the Union of South Africa. Australia and New Zealand decline.

16 February 1934 Self-government of the Dominion of Newfoundland is suspended, and replaced by the Commission of Government. Newfoundland ceases to be in the Commonwealth.

4 August 1934 The second British Empire Games open in London.

5 February 1938 The third British Empire Games open in Sydney, Australia.

1 May 1944 The first Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London.

23 April 1946 The second Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London.

14 August 1947 Pakistan (including modern Bangladesh) joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK

15 August 1947 India joins the Commonwealth on being granted independence by the UK

21 October 1947 India and Pakistan begin the first Indo-Pakistani War, over Kashmir and Jammu. (The first armed conflict between two members of the Commonwealth).

25 November 1947 New Zealand passes the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act (1947) and becomes a member of the Commonwealth.

4 February 1948 Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) joins the Commonwealth on being granted independence by the UK.

16 June 1948 Three European plantation managers are killed in Perak, sparking the Malayan Emergency, leading to the deployment of Commonwealth troops in Malaya.

11 October 1948 The third Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London.

31 December 1948 India and Pakistan sign a ceasefire, ending the first Indo-Pakistan War

31 March 1949 Newfoundland (a Dominion since 1934) joins Canada as a province.

18 April 1949  Ireland leaves the Commonwealth, upon the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 coming into effect.

22 April 1949 The fourth Commonwealth Prime Minister’s Conference. Agenda is dominated by India’s future within the Commonwealth.

28 April 1949 The Commonwealth Heads of Government issue the London Declaration. It allows India (and henceforth all other members) to remain in the Commonwealth without having the British monarch as Head of State, creates the position of Head of the Commonwealth, and changes the name of the organisation to ‘the Commonwealth of Nations’.

26 January 1950 India becomes a republic, being the first non-Commonwealth Realm member of the Commonwealth.

4 February 1950 The fourth British Empire Games open in Auckland, New Zealand.

4 January 1951 The fifth Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London.

28 July 1950 The First Commonwealth Division is created, amalgamating Australian, British, Canadian, Indian and New Zealand forces engaged in the Korean War.

6 February 1952 George VI dies, and is succeeded as monarch of the Commonwealth Realms and Head of the Commonwealth by Elizabeth II.

28 April 1952 The British Commonwealth Occupation Force is officially disbanded, having transferred control of Far Eastern forces to British Commonwealth Forces, Korea.

3 June 1953 The sixth Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London. The creation of the Central African Federation (amalgamating the colonies of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and the self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia.)

30 July 1954 The British Empire Games are renamed ‘the British Empire and Commonwealth Games’, with the opening of the 1954 Games in Vancouver, Canada.

26 July 1955 The seventh Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London.

27 June 1956 The eighth Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London.

6 March 1957 Ghana (the Gold Coast) joins the Commonwealth on being granted independence by the UK, becoming the first majority-ruled African member.

26 June 1957 The ninth Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London.

31 August 1957 The Federation of Malaya joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

3 January 1958 The Federation of the West Indies is formed from the British West Indies as a self-governing colony.

30 July 1958 The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games open in Cardiff.

3 February 1960 Harold Macmillan gives his Wind of Change speech to the Parliament of South Africa.

3 May 1960 The tenth Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London.

1 October 1960 Nigeria joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

8 March 1961 The eleventh Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London. (The agenda is dominated by criticism of South Africa.)

13 March 1961 Cyprus joins the Commonwealth, having gained independence from the UK the previous year. It is the first small country to join.

27 April 1961 Sierra Leone joins the Commonwealth, upon being granted independence by the UK.

31 May 1961 South Africa becomes a republic, withdrawing from the Commonwealth.

9 December 1961 Tanganyika, now part of Tanzania, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

31 May 1961 The Federation of the West Indies collapses. Its constituent states revert to being colonies of the UK, and preparations begin to grant them separate independence within the Commonwealth.

6 August 1962  Jamaica joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

31 August 1962 Trinidad and Tobago joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

10 September 1962 The twelfth Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London.

9 October 1962 Uganda joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

22 November 1962 The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games open in Perth, Australia.

10 December 1962 Zanzibar, now part of Tanzania, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK. It is (briefly) the first hereditary monarch in the Commonwealth, except for the Commonwealth Realms.

12 December 1963 Kenya joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

31 December 1963 The Central African Federation formally dissolves.

26 April 1964 Two Commonwealth members, Tanganyika and Zanzibar, merge to form the United Republic of Tanzania, which joins the Commonwealth.

6 July 1964 Malawi, previously Nyasaland and part of the Central African Federation joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

8 July 1964 The thirteenth Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London.

21 September 1964 Malta joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

24 October 1964 Zambia, previously Northern Rhodesia, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

18 February 1965 The Gambia joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

17 June 1965 The fourteenth Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London. The Conference approves the creation of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

1 July 1965 The Commonwealth Secretariat is founded. Arnold Smith is appointed first Secretary General.

15 August 1965 India and Pakistan begin the second Indo-Pakistani War, over Kashmir and Jammu.

6 August 1965 Singapore joins the Commonwealth.

23 September 1965 India and Pakistan sign a ceasefire.

11 November 1965 Rhodesia issues a Unilateral Declaration of Independence, which is rejected by London. This sparks a 15 year crisis in the Commonwealth.

12 November 1965 The UK imposes full economic sanctions on Rhodesia.

10 January 1966 The fifteenth Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in Lagos, Nigeria, to discuss the Rhodesia crisis. It is the first Conference held outside London.

10 March 1966 The Commonwealth Secretariat Act 1966 is passed, coming into effect retroactively (1 July 1965), granting the Secretariat legal immunity in the UK.

26 May 1966 Guyana, previously British Guiana, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

4 August 1966 The 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games open in Kingston, Jamaica. It is the first time the Games are held outside the so-called ‘white Commonwealth and the last time the Games include the British Empire in their name.

6 September 1966 The sixteenth Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London. The UK announces NIBMAR policy towards Rhodesia (No Independence Before Majority African Rule).

30 September 1966 Botswana joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

4 October 1966 Lesotho, formerly Basutoland, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

30 November 1966 Barbados joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

31 January 1968 Nauru joins the Commonwealth as a ‘Special Member’ upon being granted independence from a joint Australia-New-Zealand-UK trusteeship. It is the first microstate to join.

12 March 1968 Mauritius joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

6 September 1968 Swaziland joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

7 January 1969 The seventeenth and last Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London.

2 March 1970 Rhodesia declares itself a republic and a new constitution takes effect.

4 June 1970 Tonga joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

1 July 1970 Arnold Smith begins his second term as Commonwealth Secretary-General.

16 July 1970 The 1970 British Commonwealth Games open in Edinburgh.

28 August 1970 Samoa joins the Commonwealth, having gained independence from New Zealand in 1962.

10 October 1970 Fiji joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

14 January 1971 The first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) convenes in Singapore.

22 January 1971 At the conclusion of the first CHOGM, the assembled Commonwealth Heads of Government issue the Singapore Declaration, setting out the core political values of the Commonwealth. It includes commitments to individual liberty, freedom from racism; peace, economic and social development, and international cooperation. (Along with the 1991 Harare Declaration, this is one of the two most important documents in the Commonwealth’s constitution.)

26 March 1971 East Pakistan declares its independence as Bangladesh.

3 December 1971 India intervenes in Bangladesh, sparking the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.

16 December 1971 Pakistan surrenders to India, ending the war.

18 April 1972 Bangladesh joins the Commonwealth, having gained independence from Pakistan in Dec. 1971.

10 July 1973 The Bahamas joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

2 August 1973 The second Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Ottawa.

24 January 1974 The 1974 British Commonwealth Games opens in Christchurch. (The last time the Games’ name includes reference to Britain.)

7 February 1974 Grenada joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

29 April 1975 The third Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting convenes in Kingston.

1 July 1975 Guyana’s Shridath Ramphal succeeds Arnold Smith as Commonwealth Secretary General.

16 September 1975 Papua New Guinea joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

29 June 1976 The Seychelles joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

8 June 1977 The fourth Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting convenes in London. The Gleneagles Declaration, discouraging sporting contacts with apartheid South Africa.

7 July 1978 The Solomon Islands joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

3 August 1978 The 1978 Commonwealth Games open in Edmonton.

1 October 1978 Tuvalu joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

3 November 1978 Dominica joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

12 July 1979 Kiribati joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

1 August 1979 The fifth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Lusaka.

7 August 1979 The assembled Commonwealth Heads of Government issue the Lusaka Declaration, reaffirming the Commonwealth’s opposition to racism and discrimination on the grounds of gender, demanding legal equality of all people of the Commonwealth.

September 1979 The Lancaster House conference leading to independence for Zimbabwe convenes in London.

27 October 1979 St Vincent and the Grenadines join the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

12 December 1979 Zimbabwe Rhodesia dissolves itself, returning power to the UK in preparation for recognised independence following multi-party elections.

17 April 1980 Zimbabwe formal independence.

1 July 1980 Shridath Ramphal begins his second term as Commonwealth Secretary General.

1 October 1980 Zimbabwe joins the Commonwealth.

30 July 1981 Vanuatu joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence from a French-UK condominium.

21 September 1981 Belize joins the Commonwealth upon becoming independent from the UK.

30 September 1981 The sixth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Melbourne.

1 November 1981 Antigua and Barbuda joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

30 September 1982 The 1982 Commonwealth Games open in Brisbane.

9 July 1983 The Maldives join the Commonwealth as a ‘Special Member’, upon being granted independence by the UK in 1965.

19 September 1983 St Kitts and Nevis joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

25 October 1983 US invasion of Grenada, following the assassination of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop

23 November 1983 The seventh Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in New Delhi.

1 January 1984 Brunei joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK.

31 October 1984 Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi assassinated.

1 July 1985 Shridath Ramphal begins his third term as Commonwealth Secretary General.

20 July 1985 The Maldives becomes a full member of the Commonwealth.

16 October 1985 The eighth Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting convenes in Nassau. An Eminent Persons Group is formed to investigate possible ways forward in South Africa (February – May 1986, membership: Malcolm Fraser (Australia), Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), Dame Nita Barrow (Barbados), Archbishop Edward Scott (Canada), Anthony Barber (Great Britain), John Malecela (Tanzania), Swaran Singh (India))

24 July 1986 The 1986 Commonwealth Games open in Edinburgh. The Games are boycotted by 32 countries, including almost all African, Caribbean and Asian nations, in protest against the British government’s attitude to sport in apartheid South Africa.

3 August 1986 The ninth Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting convenes in London. Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group Report formally presented.

13 October 1987 The tenth Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting convenes in Vancouver. (The first outside the host nation’s capital city.)

15 October 1987 Fiji is suspended from the Commonwealth, after two coups d’etat.

29 September 1989 Cameroon applies for observer status in the Commonwealth, paving the way for its membership in 1995.

1 October 1989 Pakistan rejoins the Commonwealth.

18 October 1989 The eleventh Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Kuala Lumpur.

21 October 1989 The assembled Commonwealth Heads of Government issue the Langkawi Declaration, committing Commonwealth members to environmental sustainability.

24 January 1990 The 1990 Commonwealth Games open in Auckland.

21 March 1990 Namibia joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by South Africa.

1 July 1990 Nigeria’s Chief Emeka Anyaoku succeeds Shridath Ramphal as Commonwealth Secretary General.

13 October 1991 The twelfth Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting convenes in Harare. At the conclusion, the assembled Commonwealth Heads of Government issue the Harare Declaration, adding the core principles and values of the core principles and values of the Commonwealth, detailing membership criteria, and redefining and reinforcing its purpose. (Along with the 1971 Singapore Declaration, it is considered one of the most important documents of the Commonwealth’s constitution.)

21 October 1993 The thirteenth Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting convenes in Limassol.

April 1994 Black majority rule in South Africa. South Africa rejoins the Commonwealth.

18 August 1994 The 1994 Commonwealth Games open in Victoria, Canada. The event marked South Africa’s return to the Games after a 36 year absence.

1 July 1995 Chief Emeka Anyaoku begins his second term as Commonwealth Secretary General.

10 November 1995 The fourteenth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Auckland.

12 November 1995 The assembled Commonwealth Heads of Government agree to the Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme on the Harare Declaration, designed to implement the Harare Declaration’s affirmation of the Commonwealth’s principles and membership criteria. Creation of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), set up to deal with persistent and serious violators of the Commonwealth’s shared principles. Nigeria suspended from the Commonwealth following the sentencing to death of writer and activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa and a group of fellow activists.

13 November 1995 Cameroon joins the Commonwealth (having been granted independence by France in 1960, and joined by the former British colony of South Cameroons in 1961. Mozambique joins the Commonwealth, the first country without having had constitutional ties to an existing member.

1 October 1997 Fiji rejoins the Commonwealth, following adoption of a new constitution more in line with Commonwealth principles.

24 October 1997 The fifteenth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Edinburgh.

27 October 1997 At the conclusion, the assembled Heads of Government issue the Edinburgh Declaration, codifying the Commonwealth’s membership criteria.

11 September 1998 The 1998 Commonwealth Games open in Kuala Lumpur. The first games to be held in Asia.

29 May 1999 The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group lifts Nigeria’s suspension from the Commonwealth.

18 October 1999 The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group suspends Pakistan from the Commonwealth with immediate effect.

12 November 1999 The sixteenth Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting convenes in Durban. Thabo Mbeki becomes the first Commonwealth Chairperson-in-office.

1 April 2000 New Zealand’s Don McKinnon succeeds Chief Emeka Anyaoku as Commonwealth Secretary General.

6 June 2000 The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group partially suspends Fiji from the Commonwealth with immediate effect.

28 September 2000 The Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (due to convene in Brisbane on 6 October) is cancelled in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks in the US.

20 December 2000 The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group lifts Fiji’s suspension from the Commonwealth, but keeps it on the agenda until the Supreme Court rules on the government’s constitutionality.

October 2001 Visit by Commonwealth ministers to Zimbabwe. Announcement that Zimbabwe has done little to honour commitments to end the crisis over seizures of land.

30 January 2002 The Ministerial Action Group approves General Musharaff’s roadmap for the October general election

2 March 2002 The seventeenth Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting convenes in Coolum, Australia. John Howard becomes Commonwealth Chairperson-in-office.

19 March 2002 After Commonwealth election observers report that Zimbabwe’s presidential election was rife with fraud and intimidation, the troika, led by John Howard, announces Zimbabwe’s immediate suspension from the Commonwealth.

25 July 2002 The 2002 Commonwealth Games open in Manchester.

5 December 2003 The eighteenth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Abuja, Nigeria. Olusegun Osabanjo becomes Commonwealth Chairperson-in-Office. Zimbabwe’s suspension extended indefinitely. Don McKinnon is re-elected as Commonwealth Secretary General in a competitive election by 40 votes to 11 votes, against Sri Lanka’s Lakshman Kadirgamar.

7 December 2003 Robert Mugabe personally announces Zimbabwe’s immediate withdrawal from the Commonwealth, following his failure to have suspension lifted.

8 December 2003 At the conclusion of the eighteenth CHOGM, the assembled Commonwealth Heads of Government issue the Aso Rock Declaration, reaffirming the Commonwealth’s commitment to the Harare Declaration.

22 May 2004 The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group lifts Pakistan’s suspension from the Commonwealth with immediate effect.

25 November 2005 The nineteenth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Valletta, Malta. Lawrence Gonzi becomes Commonwealth Chairperson-in-Office.

15 March 2006 The 2006 Commonwealth Games open in Melbourne.

8 December 2006 The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group suspends Fiji from the Commonwealth with immediate effect.

24 October 2007 The committee on Commonwealth Membership makes recommendations on changes to the membership criteria of the Commonwealth.

22 November 2007 The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group suspends Pakistan from the Commonwealth with immediate effect, following President Musharraf’s declaration of a state of emergency and sacking of top judges.

23 November 2007 The twentieth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Kampala. Yoweri Museveni becomes Commonwealth Chairperson-in-office.

1 April 2008 Kamalesh Sharma succeeds Don McKinnon as Commonwealth Secretary General.

22 May 2008 The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group lifts Pakistan’s suspension from the Commonwealth with immediate effect.

1 September 2009 Fiji’s suspension is increased to full suspension, following a failure to commit to the restoration of electoral government by 2010.

27 November 2009 The twenty-first commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Port of Spain. Patrick Manning becomes Commonwealth Chairperson-in-Office. Rwanda joins the Commonwealth after applying for membership in 2008 (in recognition of its ‘tremendous progress’ since the 1994 genocide).

3 October 2010 The 2010 Commonwealth Games open in Delhi.

28 October 2011 The twenty-second Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Perth. Julia Gillard becomes Commonwealth Chairperson-in-Office.

14 December 2012 Commonwealth heads adopt the Commonwealth Charter.

3 October 2013 The Gambia leaves the Commonwealth.

15 November 2013 The twenty-third Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Colombo, Sir Lanka. Mahinda Rajapaksa becomes Commonwealth Chairperson-in-Office.

26 September 2014 Fiji is reinstated as a full member of the Commonwealth.

27 November 2015 The twenty-fourth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Malta. Joseph Muscat becomes Commonwealth Chairperson in Office.

1 April 2016 Baroness Patricia Scotland succeeds Kamalesh Sharma as Commonwealth Secretary General.

13 October 2016 The Maldives leaves the Commonwealth