In this topic
What to be able to answer
- Match each body to its job: the Commonwealth, Council of Europe, United Nations, UN Security Council and NATO.
- Recall the numbers: 56, 47 (46 today), 190+, and 15 with 5 permanent members.
- Recognise Commonwealth members, and know the UK left the European Union in 2020.
Learn
Commonwealth, Council of Europe, United Nations and NATO
The UK's international memberships
Learn each body's number and job as a pair.
- 56members
The Commonwealth
Countries that support each other and work together towards shared goals in democracy and development.
- Most members were once part of the British Empire, but a few never were.
- The King is its ceremonial head.
- Membership is voluntary. It has no power over members, but it can suspend them.
- Core values: democracy, good government and the rule of law.
- 47members
Council of Europe
Protects and promotes human rights in its member countries, including the UK.
- It has no power to make laws, but draws up conventions and charters.
- Its best known is the European Convention on Human Rights. The UK was one of the first countries to sign it, in 1950.
Since the handbook: Russia was expelled in March 2022, so the Council now has 46 members.
- 190+members
United Nations (UN)
Set up after the Second World War to prevent war and promote international peace and security.
- Security Council: 15 members, 5 of them permanent. The UK is one of the five permanent members.
- The Security Council recommends action when there are international crises and threats to peace.
- defence
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
European and North American countries that have agreed to help each other if they come under attack.
- It also aims to maintain peace between all of its members.
Commonwealth members include
- India
- Pakistan
- Bangladesh
- Canada
- Australia
- New Zealand
- South Africa
- Nigeria
- Ghana
- Malawi
- Uganda
- Namibia
- Cameroon
- Nauru
The USA is not a member.
The UK is not in the European Union. It left on 31 January 2020. The Council of Europe is a separate body, and the UK is still a member.
Read the full explanation (2 min)Optional: the facts above, told in order as one read.
The Commonwealth is an association of countries that support each other and work together towards shared goals in democracy and development. Most member states were once part of the British Empire, although a few countries which were not have also joined.
The King is the ceremonial head of the Commonwealth, which currently has 56 member states. Membership is voluntary. The Commonwealth has no power over its members, although it can suspend membership. The Commonwealth is based on the core values of democracy, good government and the rule of law. Members include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi, Uganda, Namibia, Cameroon and Nauru. The USA is not a member.
The Council of Europe has 47 member countries, including the UK, and is responsible for the protection and promotion of human rights in those countries. It has no power to make laws but draws up conventions and charters, the most well-known of which is the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, usually called the European Convention on Human Rights. The UK was one of the first countries to sign the Convention, in 1950.
The UK is part of the United Nations (UN), an international organisation with more than 190 countries as members. The UN was set up after the Second World War and aims to prevent war and promote international peace and security. There are 15 members on the UN Security Council, which recommends action when there are international crises and threats to peace. The UK is one of five permanent members of the Security Council.
The UK is also a member of NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization). NATO is a group of European and North American countries that have agreed to help each other if they come under attack. It also aims to maintain peace between all of its members.
The UK is not a member of the European Union. It formally left the EU on 31 January 2020. The Council of Europe is a separate organisation, and the UK remains a member of it.
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