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The
Commonwealth is a unique global family of 54 member countries.
From
Africa to Asia, from the Pacific to the Caribbean, from Europe to
North America, the Commonwealth's 1.7 billion people make up nearly
30 per cent of the world's population.
Over
half of the Commonwealth's peoples are aged 25 or under. The modern
Commonwealth evolved out of Britain's imperial past and, today,
it helps to advance democracy, human rights, and sustainable economic
and social development.
With
English as a common working language and similar systems of law,
public administration and education, the Commonwealth has become
a vibrant and growing association of states in tune with the modern
world.
Commonwealth
countries work together to improve the lives of their citizens.
In
the words of the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon: "One
of the strengths of the Commonwealth lies in the values shared by
its members.
"These
values are enshrined in the 1991 Harare Principles. Whatever our
individual religious beliefs, our cultural backgrounds, our national
history, we all share the same commitment to foster human rights
and tolerance, to promote democratic practices and to eradicate
poverty."
Commonwealth
Heads of Government meet every two years to discuss how best to
achieve their common goals. Meetings at ministerial and official
level also take place throughout the year in different member states.
Commonwealth
professional associations and non-governmental organisations also
play a central role in improving the lives of Commonwealth people.
They do so in such areas as education, housing and health.
Celebrating
Diversity is the theme for Commonwealth Day 2002, which will be
observed on Monday, 11 March.
The
theme reflects one of the association's basic tenets and its rich
diversity in areas such as culture, history, race, religion and
ethnicity, reflecting the varied membership of its 54 members.
Stuart
Mole, Director-General of the Royal Commonwealth Society comments:
"The Commonwealth sees its diversity not as a weakness but
as a source of strength and a cause for celebration.
"On
numerous occasions the Commonwealth has consciously used its diversity
to help bridge deep differences and defuse situations of real conflict."
For
further information, please visit: www.commonwealthday.com
and www.thecommonwealth.org
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The
Queen 
