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Institute of Commonwealth Studies

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About the Institute

The Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) sits at the crossroads of research, policy, human rights practice and international relations, bringing people together to develop effective, evidence-based policy solutions to the challenges facing the Commonwealth.

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Apply for a full scholarship to the MA in Human Rights by distance learning

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Latest News

Commonwealth Scholarship Recipients 2024

Introducing the Commonwealth Scholarship Recipients 2024-2025

Institute of Commonwealth Studies — 8 April 2025

Award-winning Journalist Lindsey Hilsum in conversation with Professor Kingsley Abbott

On Thursday 15 May, join award-winning journalist Lindsey Hilsum for an urgent discussion about war, peace and the threat to democracy with Professor Kingsley Abbott.

Institute of Commonwealth Studies — 8 April 2025

Commonwealth Lawyers Presented with Practitioners' Guide on the Decriminalisation of Poverty and Status

The ICwS and its partners presented the newly launched Practitioners’ Guide on the Decriminalisation of Poverty and Status in the Commonwealth to Commonwealth Lawyers in Malta.

Blog

Out of every crisis, an opportunity. Enter the Commonwealth?

Does the Commonwealth have the capacity to act, even to agree, let alone convene beyond its membership in Trump's rough world?

A Succession of Breaches: The New Zealand Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill

A Succession of Breaches: The New Zealand Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill

14 January 2025

Geopolitical Fault Lines: How AI Can Exploit Location to Fuel Misinformation

Institute of Commonwealth Studies — 1 August 2024