Establishment of the Commonwealth: The Commonwealth organization was formed 70 years ago at the signing of the London Declaration on 26 April, 1949. It is a voluntary association of 53 independent and sovereign states. Pakistan was one of the eight founding members besides Australia, Britain, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka in 1949. Pakistan was represented by its first Prime Minister Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan at the signing of London Declaration. Member states pledged to enter into a partnership as equal countries having a shared set of principles and values. The London Declaration also stressed upon the freedom and equality to be enjoyed by its member states as a free association of independent nations cooperating for the "pursuit of peace, liberty and progress." Since then, the membership of this organization has expanded from eight to fifty three countries covering nearly one third of the world population. Rwanda was the last country to join the Commonwealth in 2009.
Vision and Mission: The Commonwealth describes the vision and mission of the organization as follows:
Vision: To help create and sustain
a Commonwealth that is mutually respectful, resilient, peaceful and prosperous
and that cherishes equality, diversity and shared values.
Mission: Support member
governments, and partner with the broader Commonwealth family and others, to
improve the well-being of all Commonwealth citizens and to advance their shared
interests globally.
The Commonwealth Secretariat: In 1965, the Commonwealth Secretariat was established to support members of this organization for achievement of "development, democracy and peace." The Secretariat's organizational structure is divided into three priority areas:
a. Economic, Youth and
Sustainable development
b. Governance and Peace
c. Trade, Oceans and Natural
Resources
Celebration at 70: This year, in 2019, the Commonwealth is celebrating its 70th anniversary to make the establishment of this organization that caters to nearly 2.4 billion people across six continents. It include both developed and developing economies alike. Member states get support from a network of more than 80 inter-governmental civil society Organizations in the professional and cultural fields.
Postage stamp design: The commemorative postage stamp being issued by Pakistan Post will mark the 70th anniversary of the Commonwealth. Overall design and theme of this stamp highlights three aspects vis-a-vis Pakistan: Culture and Society, History and Heritage, Economy and Development; all of which are major components that define the Commonwealth as an entity. The stamp also showcases the 70th anniversary logo of the Commonwealth organization that has been designed by the Secretariat for official use across the 53 member states during events, competitions, conferences and other similar activities for celebrating this milestone throughout the year 2019. The white color of the Commonwealth logo has been selected to complement the green fields to jointly represent the two colors of Pakistan's national flag. The crescent and star has been added at the top of the picture within the arch to represent the symbol of Pakistan's official state emblem.
The
over arching setting in which the design has been put in place is reflective of
a retro fashion and style for postage stamp design dating back to the formative
years of Pakistan. More color and flavor has been added to bring it in sync
with the required jubilant celebration style at par with the occasion that is
being commemorated.
a. Culture and Society: The Cultural aspect is
reflected in the colorful frames and flowery patterns which depict truck art
design theme prevalent acrossPakistan and widely celebrated throughout the
country with its vibrant colors and beautiful patterns on traditional transport
vehicles. The text also has Urdu script as part of the labels to highlight the
national language of Pakistan-Urdu. One of the key deliverables that the
Commonwealth focuses upon is youth empowerment and people to people
connectivity for establishing peace and having a long lasting impact on all the
citizens within this group of countries. Culture and society forms the bedrock
of this approach that seeks to develop increased connectivity and build bridges
of cross cultural understanding. This theme there complements one of the
objectives of the Commonwealth.
b. History and heritage: Pakistan has a rich
history and heritage. This element is represented in the postage stamp design
through the arch that is placed within the frames of the stamp which is
reminiscent of Mughal and Islamic geometric art traditions that form an
integral part of the country's heritage. Commonwealth in essence, is based on
the idea of its member states coming across each other on the crossroads of
history and represents the commonalities that bring the member states together.
It is one of the oldest political associations of states in the world.
Consequently, the impact of heritage is an important feature that binds member
states of the Commonwealth.
c. Economy and
development: Pakistan is one of the
pioneers in agricultural production that forms the economic basket of majority
of the rural population across the country. With its green croplands and
agrarian potential, Pakistan enjoys a prominent status in this domain. This
factor is reflected in the sizeable share of agriculture in Pakistan's economy
and that which possesses the impetus to grow further. The picture within the
arch is from a village in Pakistan that showcases the green fields which
demonstrate economic activity. Commonwealth organization is about growing economies
of its members and boosting trade. Through this theme, the idea of sustainable
economic development is highlighted as a key segment of Commonwealth
organization's aims.
On 70th Anniversary of the Commonwealth Organization (1949-2019), a Commemorative Postage Stamp of Rs. 20/- denomination is being issued by Pakistan Post on August 14, 2019.
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