Commonwealth Day 2017 observed by Commonwealth countries

Second Monday of March: Commonwealth Day

The Commonwealth Day 2017 was observed by the 52 countries of the Commonwealth on 13 March 2017, the second Monday of March 2017. The theme of Commonwealth Day 2017 was 'A peace-building Commonwealth'.

This year's theme A peace-building Commonwealth is a natural follow-on from 2016 theme 'An Inclusive Commonwealth'. It reaffirms the Commonwealth Charter principle that international peace and security, sustainable economic growth and development are essential to the progress and prosperity of all.

This year observation of the day marks 40 years of the Commonwealth Day that became a global celebration in 1977.

About Commonwealth Countries
• The Commonwealth is one of the world’s oldest political associations of states.
• It began back when some countries were ruled by Britain under the British Empire and was founded in December 1931.
• The countries that became self-governing, while keeping Britain’s monarch as Head of State, formed the British Commonwealth of Nations.
• The Commonwealth came into existence in 1949 and since then independent countries from Africa, America, Asia, Europe and the Pacific have joined the group.
• Some of the Commonwealth countries are Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Canada, Jamaica, Cyprus, United Kingdom, Australia, Fiji and many more.