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The Commonwealth – another important aspects in the UK’s foreign policy.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent sovereign states, comprised of a variety of faiths, races, languages and cultures. The Commonwealth's 2 billion people account for 30% of the world's population. Members have a common working language and similar systems of law, public administration and education.
The Commonwealth helps to advance democracy, human rights and sustainable economic and social development both within its member countries and beyond.

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Origins�26 April 2009 marked the 60th anniversary of the London Declaration, which brought the modern Commonwealth into being. The origins of the Commonwealth stretch back much further than 60 years, but 1949 marks the point at which the Commonwealth's colonial legacy was transformed positively into a partnership based on equality, choice and consensus. The 20^th century witnessed an intensive process of decolonization of the British Empire (the last British colony Hong Kong was reverted to China in 1997). The age of colonialism was over and the British Empire came to an end. The nations that wanted independence were granted it. A tendency to decolonize grew into a desire to form a great “family”, a special union, for economic, cultural and social reasons.
The name of that “family” is The Commonwealth of Nations, an association of sovereign states that have, at some time in the past, been ruled or are still being “ruled” by Britain

In April 1949, Heads of Government from Australia, Britain, Ceylon, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and the Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs met in London to discuss the future of the Commonwealth. The outcome was the Declaration of London.
The Declaration emphasized repeatedly the freedom and equality of its members, not just in their relationship to the Head of the Commonwealth as a 'free association of independent nations', but also in their co-operative 'pursuit of peace, liberty and progress'.

Rapid Expansion
After the end of World War II the Commonwealth became the natural association of choice for many of the new nations emerging out of decolonization. Starting with Ghana in 1957, the Commonwealth expanded rapidly with new members from Africa, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific.

Today's Commonwealth
The Commonwealth is now a unique association of 54 independent states : Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, The Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia
(the newest of which, Rwanda, joined in 2009) consulting and co-operating in the common interests of their peoples and in the promotion of international understanding. It comprises a diverse range of countries from all continents of the world (apart from Antarctica). In the 60 years since the Declaration, the relevance and value of the relationship has been reaffirmed and consolidated repeatedly.

The member states co-operate within the framework of common values and goals. These include the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism and world peace. The Commonwealth is not a political union, but an intergovernmental organization through which countries with diverse social, political and economic backgrounds are regarded as equal in status.

Its activities are carried out through the permanent Commonwealth Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General, and meetings between Commonwealth Heads of Government. The symbol of their free association is the Head of the Commonwealth, which is a ceremonial position currently held by Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth II is also monarch, separately and independently, of sixteen Commonwealth members, which are known as the "Commonwealth realms".

Thus, the Commonwealth is a forum for a number of non-governmental organizations, collectively known as the Commonwealth Family. The Commonwealth Games, the Commonwealth's most visible activity, which strengthens the shared culture of the Commonwealth, which extends through common sports, literary heritage, and political and legal practices. Due to this, Commonwealth countries are not considered to be "foreign" to one another.