September 1966 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox summit meeting
| summit_name = 16th Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
| other_titles =
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| country = {{UK}}
| dates = {{nowrap|6–15 September 1966}}
| venues =
| cities = London
| participants = 22
| heads_of_state_label = {{nowrap|Heads of Government}}
| heads_of_state =
| chairperson = Harold Wilson
(Prime Minister)
| follows = January 1966
| precedes = 1969
| website =
| keypoints = Rhodesia, disarmament
}}
The September 1966 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference was the 16th Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in the United Kingdom and was hosted by that country's Prime Minister, Harold Wilson.
The conference was dominated by the rebellion of the British colony of Rhodesia which was under the white minority rule regime of Ian Smith. Facing the possible collapse of the Commonwealth, with African states threatening to leave the association if action wasn't taken against Rhodesia, Britain agreed to a policy of No independence before majority rule (NIBMAR). The Commonwealth issued an ultimatum declaring that if the Smith regime did not comply by the end of the year Britain, with Commonwealth support, would seek mandatory sanctions against Rhodesia by the United Nations.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6_xjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CucDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2872,4334429&dq=commonwealth+prime+ministers&hl=en] {{dead link|date=November 2013}}
The Commonwealth also issued a statement calling for nuclear disarmament and deploring nuclear weapons testing by France and China.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1WhkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=unwNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2554,5569965&dq=commonwealth+prime+ministers&hl=en] {{dead link|date=November 2013}}
Participants
The following nations were represented:{{citation |url=https://www.thecommonwealth-ilibrary.org/index.php/comsec/catalog/download/886/886/7462?inline=1 |website=Commonwealth Library |title=MEETING OF COMMONWEALTH PRIME MINISTERS, SEPTEMBER 1966 - FINAL COMMUNIQUE |accessdate=7 June 2025 }}
class="wikitable" |
Nation
! Name ! Position |
---|
{{Country|United Kingdom}}
| Harold Wilson (Chairman) |
{{Country|Australia}} |
{{Country|Canada}} |
{{Country|Ceylon}}
| Minister of Justice |
{{Country|Cyprus|1960}} |
{{Country|The Gambia}}
| Sir Dawda Jawara |
{{Country|Guyana}} |
{{Country|India}} |
{{Country|Jamaica}}
| Acting Prime Minister |
{{Country|Kenya}} |
{{Country|Malawi}} |
{{Country|Malaysia}} |
{{Country|Malta}} |
{{Country|New Zealand}} |
{{Country|Nigeria}} |
{{Country|Pakistan}} |
{{Country|Sierra Leone}}
| Sir Albert Margai |
{{Country|Singapore}} |
{{Country|Trinidad and Tobago}} |
{{Country|Uganda}} |
{{Country|Zambia|1964}}
| Minister of Foreign Affairs |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings}}
Category:Diplomatic conferences in the United Kingdom
Category:20th-century diplomatic conferences
Category:1966 in international relations