The Commonwealth gained its present entity mostly after the Second World War with the changing shape of the British Empire owing to decolonization. The London Declaration of 1949 was a significant development in the history of Commonwealth which allowed admission and retention of members that were not from Commonwealth realms and also renamed the 'British Commonwealth' as ‘Commonwealth of Nations’. The Imperial Conference of 1926 provided legal meaning to the Balfour Report and the Statute of Westminster which declared that Britain and the Dominions were constitutionally equal in status and in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs and the former colonies were granted complete legal freedom leaving those areas where they chose to remain subordinate. The Commonwealth is committed to racial equality and national sovereignty which encouraged different nations to join the Commonwealth after their freedom from colonization during the 1950s and 1960s. During this period, the Commonwealth has witnessed a remarkable growth in its shape, size and range of priorities. The Commonwealth initiated various activities for achieving the objectives of good governance, respect for human rights, and peace and co-operation in the member countries and beyond. Thereafter, the Commonwealth Secretariat was set up in London in the year 1965 as the independent bureaucracy headed by a Secretary-General. In 1966, the leaders of the Commonwealth established the Commonwealth Foundation to aid the growing number of Commonwealth professional associations and NGOs. There were two important developments took place in 1971 in the history of the Commonwealth. Firstly, it was the Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Projects which provided a formal code of ethics to the Commonwealth association and entrusted members to improving human rights and seeking racial and economic justice. Secondly, it was the formation of the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation in 1971 that furthered the idea of technical co-operation among developing countries. The Declaration of Commonwealth Principles, 1971, the Harare Commonwealth Declaration, 1991 and the Millbrook Commonwealth Action Program on the Harare Declaration, 1995 are the fundamental declarations of the Commonwealth of Nations which advance its fundamental political values, promote sustainable development and facilitate consensus building among the member nations.
