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That said, each member country has its own unique history, constitution and legal system and for this reason it is important not to over emphasise the similarities but rather to consider the legal system of each country a distinct and separate entity.īritish Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies which are not Commonwealth members

The Commonwealth, as an organisation, does not create any law in its own right, but because of the shared colonial history of the majority of members, similarities exist in many of their legal systems and legal literature. In fact, Commonwealth members have a range of constitutions including republics and monarchies. Whilst all members of the Commonwealth recognize His Majesty King Charles III as Head of the Commonwealth, he is Head of State in only 15 member countries, including the UK, Canada and Australia.

A list of members is available on the Commonwealth website at and a table of members listed by region is provided below: The Commonwealth covers around one-third of the world's population. Many members of the Commonwealth, though not all, are former British territories and were part of Britain's colonial Empire. Then-Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam led Singapore’s delegation to the 2015 CHOGM in Valletta, Malta.The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong led Singapore's delegation to the 2018 CHOGM in London, United Kingdom, the 2013 CHOGM in Colombo, Sri Lanka and the 2011 CHOGM in Perth, Australia. More information on the Commonwealth can be found on the Commonwealth website. Singapore also contributes to the work of the Commonwealth, such as through the Commonwealth Youth Programme and the provision of technical assistance to fellow Commonwealth members. The Commonwealth's relatively smaller size (currently 54 members), a shared language (English) and similarities in political institutions make it a useful forum for member states.

In 1971, Singapore hosted the first CHOGM, which produced a seminal document known as the Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles. Singapore joined the Commonwealth in October 1965 after gaining independence, and regularly participates in the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM).