The National Liberal Club Commonwealth Forum
The National Liberal Club Commonwealth Forum was established in 2015 by our current Chair Trevor Peel. The Forum aims to develop strong relationships between the peoples of the Commonwealth, through diplomatic, cultural, business, and non-governmental initiatives. We build upon the many decades of collective experience of our members in the diplomatic and civil services, legal, and financial sectors, in strengthening our historical ties with Commonwealth states in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific.
Our key events include the annual NLC Diplomatic Reception held yearly in summer since its inception in 2017, delegates to CHOGM events, and most importantly, our visits to various Commonwealth countries. These visits help members gain a better understanding of the politics, economics, history, and culture of leading Commonwealth countries, as well as enhance the National Liberal Club’s standing throughout the world. Our past trips include Malta (2016), Gibraltar (2017), Cyprus (2018), and India (2019). A delegation from the Commonwealth Forum also recently returned from Canada (2022) and the Isle of Man (2022). We have visited the British Overseas Territory (BOT) Gibraltar and the soverign British bases whilst in Cyprus and in the future we are reviewing other BOT visits.
During 2020-2021 lockdown, the Commonwealth Forum (in conjunction with the European Forum) joined the world in virtually connecting with members of the NLC via their “Zoom Talks”. A wide range of fantastic speakers and topics from the Revd. Ambassador Guy Hewitt and award-winning journalist Amelia Gentleman discussing the Windrush Scandal to Dr. Dinyar Patel speaking on Dadabhai Naoroji, and former BBC Foreign Correspondent Humphrey Hawksley presenting on China and the Challenge to Liberal Democracy.
Our latest Earth Day Event in conjunction with the Commonwealth Human Ecology Council (CHEC) and the Ramphal Institute -The Climate in Crisis featuring Emily Robinson, Director of the Ramphal Institute David Gomez, and former High Commissioner to the UK from Belize Kamela Palma has been published. If you missed any of our talks the first time around or just want to rewatch, you can check them our on our Media Page, or the National Liberal Club’s YouTube Page where you can view all of the different NLC Forums’ online events.
What is the Commonwealth?
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries. It is home to 2.4 billion people, and includes both advanced economies and developing countries.
Commonwealth Member Countries
With the additions of Gabon and Togo in 2022, there are now 56 member countries of the Commonwealth, which span six continents and are a diverse makeup of large, small, wealthy, and underdeveloped states. To read more about the member states of the Commonwealth, visit the Commonwealth webpage here.
Commonwealth Secretary General
Commonwealth Secretariat The Rt. Hon Patricia Scotland, QC is not only the first woman to hold the position of Secretary General for the Commonwealth, she is the first black woman and youngest woman to become a KC (formerly QC) in the UK. To read more about the Secretary General, visit her webage here.
The Commonwealth Library
The Commonwealth Library is a vast collection of books and articles about and by the Commonwealth dating back to 1965. In addition to the physical location at Marlborough House in London, they have a digital library available. To learn more, visit webpage here.
