The Commonwealth at the Summit, Volume 1

Summit meetings of the Commonwealth have reflected its inherent flexibility and adaptability to the needs of its members in a changing world. This volume contains the full text of declarations, statements and communiques issued by Commonwealth Heads of Government between 1944 and 1986. As these Communiques testify, the small association of old Commonwealth countries of 1944 has grown into a worldwide multiracial partnership.

It includes important milestones of collective decision-making: the 1991 Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles; the Gleneagles Declaration of 1977 seeking to bar apartheid South Africa from sporting links with Commonwealth countries; the Lusaka Accord of 1979 successfully establishing a process for Zimbabwe's independence; the Melbourne Declaration of commitment to conquering global poverty; the Goa Declaration on International Security of 1983; and the Commonwealth Accord at Nassau in 1985 agreeing measures to help end apartheid.