TheCommittee on Commonwealth Membership (CCM) was acommittee convened by theCommonwealth Secretariat in 2006 to examine and report on prospective changes to themembership criteria of theCommonwealth of Nations. It was chaired byP. J. Patterson, formerlyPrime Minister of Jamaica, and consisted of seven other members.[1]
The committee met twice, both times inLondon: on 6-7 December 2006[2] and 14 May 2007.[3] It issued its report on 24 October 2007, and presented it to theCommonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2007, inKampala,Uganda.
The committee was also attended by theCommonwealth Secretary-GeneralDon McKinnon,Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-GeneralFlorence Mugasha, and Head of the Political Affairs Division,Matthew Neuhaus.[1]
The Committee's reported to the 2007 CHOGM in the name of all the members, without dissenting opinion. It was drafted byW. David McIntyre, who also served as a consultant to the Committee.[4] The report supported the prevailing and existing requirements as established by theEdinburgh Declaration. It dictated that the core criteria for membership should be that countries:
The Committee also recommended that new members be 'encouraged' to join theCommonwealth Foundation and engage in theCommonwealth Family, but that they would not be required to do so.[4]