History
Evolution of IFCO
The history and evolution of Commonwealth Accredited Organisations (AOs) as a part of the Commonwealth family or ecosystem is not well documented. What follows is a reflection on a partial history with a particular focus on mechanisms for co-ordination of Accredited Organisations, especially as this relates to contributions to the various Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGMs).
There are currently (August 2026) 103 Commonwealth bodies in the ‘Commonwealth Organisations’ (CO) category, accredited through the Accreditation Committee of the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth Secretariat. This recognizes their contribution to the organizational life of the Commonwealth and their commitment to the values and principles outlined in the Commonwealth Charter.
For many years the Commonwealth Foundation was the main focus for coordination of Accredited Organisations, given its remit as an intergovernmental institution for engagement with civil society. Grants were frequently made available to individual AOs. This changed in the new century as the Foundation increasingly focused on grassroots civil society groups rather than the more formal pan-Commonwealth organisations. Funding policy also changed with very little going to Accredited Organisations.
The 1997 CHOGM in Edinburgh saw the emergence of a major new initiative in a People’s Centre, coordinated by the Royal Commonwealth Society. Accredited Organisations were given stands in an exhibition area and representatives were invited to the formal opening ceremony, receptions with Heads of Government and participation in other ways. The main forum for coordination of Accredited Organisations remained with the Commonwealth Foundation. AOs were therefore dependent on this intergovernmental institution for exploration of joint initiatives or shared policy positions.
When the Foundation withdrew from support for AOs, responsibility shifted to the Secretariat Partnerships Office which convened groups to prepare submissions to CHOGMs. Throughout this period, there was no mechanism for AOs as a group to take responsibility for developing common positions or engaging with the intergovernmental institutions as a group.
In 2015, a reformed approach was adopted to the traditional interaction between accredited Commonwealth organisations and senior representatives of Commonwealth member governments. This interaction occurs on the eve of the meeting of the Commonwealth’s Committee of the Whole (CoW).
Instead of making individual submissions, as in the past, the accredited organisations decided to develop thematic papers collectively, reflecting their shared views and suggestions. This change was intended to strengthen the relevance of the contributions made by accredited organisations before the Communiqué of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is developed through intergovernmental discussion. The 2015 submission and those submitted to later CHOGMs can be found at https://ifco.online/submissions-to-chogm/.
The origins of the IFCO were a chance meeting of its soon to be founder members, Nicholas Watts, then of the Commonwealth Human Ecology Council (CHEC), David White (then of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, CHRI) and Arif Zaman (Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network – CBWN) at the Royal Society of Arts in London shortly after the 2015 Malta CHOGM. It took its impetus from the newly appointed Secretary General, HE Patricia Scotland QC’s promise to increase the frequency and quality of interaction with the Commonwealth Accredited Organisations (AOs). A meeting of AOs was called and a decision was made to set up an Informal Forum of Commonwealth Organisations with a Steering Group basically consisting of any AO representative willing to take part, numbering around 15 for most of the period. AOs continued to meet regularly within the IFCO structure and to strengthen working relationships between AOs.
For the 2018 CHOGM in London, five short thematic papers, broadly reflecting the priority themes chosen for government leaders’ discussions at the CHOGM, were presented together as a single submission. The five thematic papers dealt with issues related to:
- A Fairer Future
- A More Prosperous Future
- A More Secure Future
- A More Sustainable Future
- Partnerships in the Commonwealth
In 2019 a decision was made to create a more formal structure with a memorandum of understanding as a basis. The name changed to Independent Forum of Commonwealth Organisations. The relationship with the Commonwealth intergovernmental institutions and member states evolved slowly over this time.
For the 2022 CHOGM in Kigali, Rwanda the five thematic papers dealt with:
- Governance and Rule of Law
- Sustainability (Climate, Oceans, Trade and Economic Growth)
- Health
- Youth
- Technology and Innovation, as well as a new chapter on
- Education
The original intention had been to review the IFCO working arrangements after a period of operation. This was delayed by the Covid pandemic and did not start until late 2024. The process resulted in a new constitution which was approved in March 2026 leading to elections for a Chair and a new Steering Committee. The constitution includes all organisations which are formally accredited to the Commonwealth and which meet in the IFCO conference. The conference cannot bind individual AOs to any specific policy or position.
IFCO was relaunched with the new structure at a conference of AOs in April 2026 which was addressed by senior representatives of the three intergovernmental organisations as well as a representative of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The new IFCO is recognised as the umbrella group for AOs and has coordinated the submission to the 2026 CHOGM.
Different groups of AOs with common interests have emerged from time to time (see ‘Mapping CO relevance to the Plan’, at www.ifco.online). Clusters of AOs active in different sectors include law, education, health, human rights and social justice, human settlements, natural environment, gender and women’s issues, children’s issues, governance and administration, sport, business and media, cities and human settlements and culture.
Further background to the history of Accredited Organisations
There is a much longer history to relationships between Commonwealth organisations and the Commonwealth Secretariat, relationships that continue to evolve and which need more thought and investment. Interest in this subject was especially strong at the beginning of the new millennium, when a Commonwealth Civil Society Project was initiated in 2002 at the now defunct Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit (CPSU), formerly part of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London.
Fortunately, some of the work of the Civil Society Project is still accessible through digital files. For a rehearsal of the relevant background and ongoing issues, still unresolved, see:
At the April 2018 CHOGM in London, Heads of Government mandated a High Level Group (HLG) chaired by HE Anote Tong, former President of Kiribati to ‘update and clarify the governance arrangements of the Secretariat’, and the HLG produced two reports to Commonwealth Foreign Ministers. The second included focus on ‘(a) the arrangements for accreditation and partnerships for new stakeholders; [and] (b) the need for greater levels of collaboration among accredited organisations and between those organisations and the Commonwealth Secretariat.’ See https://www.ifco.online to access the reports.