The Commonwealth is often described as a 'family' of nations. At the heart of this family are three intergovernmental organisations:

• The Commonwealth Secretariat supports member countries to achieve the Commonwealth's aims. This website is run by the Commonwealth Secretariat.
• The Commonwealth Foundation supports people's participation in democracy and development.
• The Commonwealth of Learning promotes open learning and distance education.

The international headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Foundation are located in Marlborough House on Pall Mall in London.

Commonwealth member countries are also supported by a network of more than 90 intergovernmental, civil, cultural and professional organisations

The Commonwealth Secretariat

The Commonwealth Secretariat is the intergovernmental organisation which supports member countries and co-ordinates Commonwealth activities.

Commonwealth Secretary-General

The Commonwealth Secretary-General is responsible for representing the Commonwealth publicly, and is the Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

• Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is the current Commonwealth Secretary-General.

Board of Governors

All member governments are represented on the Commonwealth Secretariat Board of Governors by their High Commissioners. The role of the Board of Governors, which usually meets once a year, is to approve the Secretariat’s strategic plans, work programmes and budgets.

The Chairperson of the Board of Governors and the representative of the Chair in Office also sit on the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is a sub-committee of the Board of Governors that can make policy recommendations to the Board and oversees budgets and audit functions. The Executive Committee includes the eight largest contributors to the Secretariat’s total resources, with additional member countries from each region elected to serve two-year terms.

Commonwealth Chair-in-Office

• Samoan Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa is the current Commonwealth Chair-in-Office

The Chair-in-Office represents the Commonwealth at high-level international meetings and reinforces the Good Offices role of the Commonwealth Secretary-General. The term ‘Good Offices’ refers to the Commonwealth's conflict prevention and resolution work.

The Chair-in-Office is the leader of the Commonwealth country that hosts a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The two-year role comes into effect at the start of the CHOGM. The next CHOGM will be hosted by Antigua and Barbuda in 2026.

Staff

Staff at the Commonwealth Secretariat are structured around areas of work and a Senior Management Committee (SMC). You can download our senior team organogram below.

Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal

Contractual disputes involving the Secretariat are resolved by the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT) established by Commonwealth Governments. More information about CSAT, including its Statutes and Rules, can be found on the CSAT page.