1969 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference

Last updated

17th Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
Host countryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Dates715 January 1969
Venue(s) Marlborough House
Cities London
Participants28
Heads of Government24
Chair Harold Wilson
(Prime Minister)
Follows September 1966
Precedes 1971 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
Key points
Review of the world diplomatic and economic situation, Rhodesia, Biafra crisis, Commonwealth co-operation.

The 1969 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference was the 17th Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in the United Kingdom in January 1969, and was hosted by that country's Prime Minister, Harold Wilson.

Contents

Five newly independent member countries participated for the first time: Botswana, Barbados, Lesotho, Mauritius and Swaziland. [1]

On the issue of the rogue colony of Rhodesia, Britain re-committed itself to the policy of No independence before majority rule (NIBMAR) which it had adopted at the last Prime Ministers' conference in September 1966.

Also discussed was the Biafra crisis in Nigeria and discrimination against South Asian communities living in Africa and Black and Asian immigrants living in the UK.

Participants

The following nations were represented: [2]

NationNamePosition
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Harold Wilson (Chairman) Prime Minister
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia John Gorton Prime Minister
Flag of Barbados.svg  Barbados Errol Barrow Prime Minister
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana Sir Seretse Khama President
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Pierre Trudeau Prime Minister
Flag of Ceylon.svg  Ceylon Dudley Senanayake Prime Minister
Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus Makarios III President
Flag of The Gambia.svg  The Gambia Sir Dawda Jawara Prime Minister
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana John Willie Kofi Harlley Deputy Chairman, National Liberation Council
Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana Forbes Burnham Prime Minister
Flag of India.svg  India Indira Gandhi Prime Minister
Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica Hugh Shearer Prime Minister
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya James Gichuru Minister of Finance
Flag of Lesotho (1966-1987).svg  Lesotho Leabua Jonathan Prime Minister
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi Hastings Banda President
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman Prime Minister
Flag of Malta.svg  Malta Giorgio Borġ Olivier Prime Minister
Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Prime Minister
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Keith Holyoake Prime Minister
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Obafemi Awolowo Federal Commissioner for Finance
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan Mian Arshad Hussain Minister for Foreign Affairs
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone Siaka Stevens Prime Minister
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore Lee Kuan Yew Prime Minister
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Swaziland Makhosini Dlamini Prime Minister
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania Julius Nyerere President
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago Eric Williams Prime Minister
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda Milton Obote Prime Minister
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia Kenneth Kaunda President

References

  1. The Commonwealth at the Summit: Communiqués of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings, 1944-1986 (Volume 1). Commonwealth Secretariat. 1987. pp. 137–149. ISBN   0850923174.
  2. "MEETING OF COMMONWEALTH PRIME MINISTERS, 1969 - FINAL COMMUNIQUE", Commonwealth Library, retrieved 7 June 2025