The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries.
How countries can join the Commonwealth
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is Head of the Commonwealth.
The role:
The Commonwealth Secretariat is the intergovernmental organisation which supports member countries and co-ordinates Commonwealth activities.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General is responsible for representing the Commonwealth publicly, and is the Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The Right Honourable Patricia Scotland QC is the current Commonwealth Secretary-General.
The Board of Governors approves the Commonwealth Secretariat’s plans and budgets. Member governments are represented on the Board of Governors.
The United Kingdom's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is the current Commonwealth Chair-in-Office.
The Chair-in-Office represents the Commonwealth at high-level international meetings and reinforces the Good Offices role of the Commonwealth Secretary-General. The term ‘Good Offices’ refers to the Commonwealth's conflict prevention and resolution work.
The Chair-in-Office is the leader of the Commonwealth country that hosts a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The 2-year role comes into effect at the start of the CHOGM. The next CHOGM is in 2021 in Rwanda, when the Rwandan President Paul Kagame will become Chair-in-Office.
