Members of the Executive Committee with former Secretary-General Baroness Scotland in 2017

The Commonwealth Association (CA) is one of more than 90 organisations which are accredited to The Commonwealth and is able to leverage on the whole network and remain at the forefront of Commonwealth matters. Worthy of note are its links with The Commonwealth, including its Commonwealth Youth Programme; The Round Table (including co-sponsoring some events of relevance to Members); attending the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s quarterly dialogue with Accredited Organisations and as well, events hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Partnerships Office; and as a member of the Independent Forum of Commonwealth Organisations (IFCO). 

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries, 33 of which are small states. Member states of the Commonwealth, comprising 2.7 billion people, include developing as well as developed economies. Commonwealth governments have agreed to shared goals like development, democracy and peace. Their values and principles are expressed in the Commonwealth Charter. The Commonwealth Association is a member of the Commonwealth Communicators Group established by the Commonwealth in 2025 and has recently collaborated with the Secretariat in organising some events.

The Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) of the Commonwealth has been supporting youth development work in member countries for more than 50 years. The Association has recently partnered with the CYP for the 2026 Commonwealth Youth Awards, which recognises and rewards outstanding young people who are driving progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their local communities. The Commonwealth Association’s Patsy Robertson Award for young journalists, broadcasters and writers aims to promote and strengthen just, peaceful and inclusive democratic societies and will also emphasise the Commonwealth’s support for media freedom. It will be presented in March 2026. Previously, the Association has partnered with CYP in organising its annual Patsy Robertson Memorial Lectures, one of which was delivered by a young and dynamic speaker, Cherisse Francis, a legal professional, researcher, educator and youth activist.

Since its foundation in 1910 The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs has had a dual function. First, it is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal, now published six times a year. The UK’s oldest international affairs journal, The Round Table provides analysis and commentary on all aspects of international affairs, and is a major source for coverage of the policy issues concerning the contemporary Commonwealth and its global role. Secondly, The Round Table is a forum for Commonwealth debate and advocacy. It hosts periodic dinner and other meetings, with invited speaker, and organises seminars and conferences on a regular basis. It works closely with a range of other Commonwealth organisations, including the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Foundation.  In July 2025, the Commonwealth Association collaborated with the Round Table in organising events to celebrate the life of former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Sir Shridath ‘Sonny’ Ramphal. An ExCo member was the former Chair of The Round Table and remains a member of its editorial board.

The Independent Forum of Commonwealth Organisations (IFCO), an umbrella organisation of the Commonwealth’s Accredited Organisations (AOs), has been operating successfully since 2015 as an informal mechanism for co-ordination and dialogue between the Commonwealth organisations and the CommonwealthSecretariat. IFCO brings together AO representatives to develop policy ideas for consideration at the Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM), and for prospective endorsement in the CHOGM Communique.  An ExCo officer is a member of the Steering Group of IFCO which meets quarterly to brainstorm and act on critical Commonwealth issues. 

IFCO also orchestrates various initiatives eg, a successful campaign to stop closure of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. When USAID was abruptly shut down earlier this year, IFCO co-ordinated a Statement on Global Relationships and Development Assistance, which contains practical recommendations for governments and the Commonwealth Secretariat.  IFCO’s 2025 Statement on Global Relations and Development Assistance is available here.

The Institute of Commonwealth Studies is the only postgraduate academic institution in the United Kingdom devoted to the study of the Commonwealth. The Institute is a national and international centre of excellence for policy-relevant research, research facilitation and teaching. It has a wide range of resources available to support research related to the contemporary and historical Commonwealth, the history of the empire and colonial legacies.

The Commonwealth Foundation is one of the Commonwealth’s three intergovernmental agencies, alongside the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth of Learning. It works across the spectrum of civic voices to strengthen their capacity to engage in governance for sustainable development. The Commonwealth Association’s 2021 Patsy Robertson Memorial Lecture was delivered by the former Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, Dr Anne Gallagher.